It would make sense for me to explain what is meant by Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform in the Jewish religion, and how that compares to other expressions of Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism is also referred to as Traditional Judaism and it encompasses the Jewish religious practices based on both Biblical and Rabbinical traditions. The foundation of Rabbinic or Traditional Judaism is both the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. The same Scriptures in the Hebrew Bible are found in the Christian Bible Old Testament, although with some slight differences in book arrangement and scripture numbering.

The term, Torah can refer to the first five books of Moses in the Hebrew Bible, or the entire Hebrew Bible, or the whole body of Jewish Law and teachings. The Talmud is a collection of teachings, arguments, and interpretations of rabbis as they studied and analyzed the content of the Hebrew Bible. The Talmud originally was oral and thus referred to as the Oral Law and was transferred from generation to generation without the benefit of written works although some may have taken private notes. After the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70, the rabbis had to adjust to a new reality, Judaism without a Temple to serve as the center of teaching and study, and the Talmud began to be recorded in writing which is what it is today.

The three main branches of Rabbinic/Traditional Judaism are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. These three groups all believe from the rabbinic tradition that both the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud were revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. Orthodox and Conservative Judaism maintain that the Jewish religious laws should be followed as written in the Talmud (the Oral Law). Orthodox is the most religious, strict, and precise with adherence to the Jewish law. Conservative promotes a more “modern” and less restrictive interpretation. Reform Judaism is the most liberal branch and views Jewish religious laws as a set of general guidelines rather than required literal observance.

Other religious groups within Judaism follow the Jewish religious practices to varying degrees but veer from Rabbinic/Traditional Judaism, although are still recognized by those branches as Jewish. Karaite Judaism maintains that only the Hebrew Bible was revealed to Moses by God (they do not accept the Talmud). Humanistic Judaism is non-theistic (not believing in the existence of God). Reconstructionist Judaism does not believe in a personified deity that is active in history. No matter how far these religious groups veer from Traditional Judaism in beliefs, even to the atheistic denial of God, they are also still considered to be Jewish.

Messianic Judaism is another Jewish group that follows Jewish religious practices along with the belief in God. But, because Messianic Judaism believes that Jesus is the Messiah and accepts both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament as the full body of biblical canon and authoritative scripture and classifies the Oral Torah as rabbinic commentary and interpretations, not authoritative scripture, Messianic Judaism is not recognized by the other Jewish groups as a form of Judaism. Instead, they classify it as a form of Protestant Christianity. The main division point is over the identity of Jesus.

Then there are the Non-Affiliated Jews who do not align themselves with any one branch of Judaism but focus on the cultural and ethnic Jewishness, often separate and apart from strict adherence to the rules of any of the branches of the Jewish religion. For some in this group, traditions are maintained in a relaxed, non-strict observance manner as a beautiful expression of the Jewish culture. In this contextual discussion, it is important to clarify that there is the Jewish religion, and there is the Jewish ethnic and cultural group. Not every member of the Jewish ethnic and cultural group is aligned with or follows the beliefs and traditions of a Jewish religious branch.

There was a fascinating post on the website of the Orthodox Jewish group, Chabad. The post was in the Questions & Answers section under “Jewish Identity.” The question posed by a man named Edward, and answered by Aron Moss on the website was, “How Does One Quit Judaism?” The response is precious and priceless because it is openly and honestly steeped in the truth. “Jewishness is not a belief, a feeling, a conviction, or a lifestyle. It is a state of being. We can either celebrate it or fight against it. But it will always be there.” This beautifully expresses the reality that a person who is born a Jew is Jewish no matter what. It does not make a difference if a group is considered part of the Jewish religion, or not. Nothing a person believes in or does not believe in, follows, or does not follow, does, or does not do, changes the reality of that inherited ethnic and cultural identity.

To further explain this truth, a different article on the same Orthodox website, Chabad, entitled “What is a Jew?” asks a few questions. “Is Judaism a “religion”? Is the term “non-religious Jew” an oxymoron? Can one still be Jewish without observing the edicts and ethos of Torah in one’s daily life?” The answer, “The Torah itself proclaims (Leviticus 16:16) that God ‘dwells amongst them in the midst of their impurities’ – that his relationship with his people remains unaffected regardless of their behavior. In the words of the Talmud (Sanhedrin 44a), ‘A Jew, although he has transgressed, is a Jew.’” The article goes on to explain that “the simple meaning of these words is that a Jew is still a Jew despite his transgressions.” For the Orthodox, or for anyone who is not following the religious rules, this is a transgression. The real-world application of the term “transgressions” is much broader than simply religious rules. This article concluded that transgressions reflect the individual’s relationship with God, not whether the person is Jewish or not.

What is incredibly sad and grievous is that in practice, this truth of ethnic identity regarding who is a Jew when considering an individual’s beliefs or behavior is not adhered to by the rabbinic authorities. This divide carries down to a delineation by much of the Jewish population. No matter what belief or practice an ethnically Jewish person is holding or engaging in, no matter how foreign to Traditional Judaism, or how far removed from any aspect of the Jewish religion, even denial of God, they are still considered to be Jewish. Yet, a person who is ethnically Jewish who believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the Messiah who is found throughout the Hebrew Bible and is hoped for throughout traditional Jewish teachings, that person is considered an individual who has renounced their Jewish identity and is no longer a Jew, cut off by rabbinic authorities from any connection to their Jewish ancestry and heritage. How can this be?

Why does it matter? I could list out all the specific ways that I can think of, and I would probably miss many. The umbrella over why it matters is simply and explicitly that it is as dehumanizing as all the persecution, discrimination, and atrocities done against the Jewish population by outside groups since ancient times through the Holocaust, right up until the current day. If you are a group of people that have been so persecuted, and you are holding onto something so tightly, it makes you dig in your heels and make sure that you retain that ethnicity even stronger. Much atrocity has been done against Jewish people in the name of Jesus so it is understandable that it may be perceived negatively but still does not change the simple truth, belief in Jesus does not change one’s ethnic identity. It cannot.

It is no different than my ethnic identity in that I am an American. I was born in the United States. I am also of German and Austrian descent for that is where my parents were born. Taking it a step further back in the generations, my paternal grandmother was born in Poland, and my paternal grandfather, in Hungary. My maternal grandparents were both born in Germany. So technically I am an American of German, Austrian, Polish, and Hungarian descent, so an American of Central European descent. Nothing changes that.

I also have full Jewish lineage and ancestry from both my mother’s lineage and my father’s. Nothing changes that either. Nothing can change that; nothing I say, do, believe, don’t believe, accept, don’t accept, practice, or don’t practice. I am an American Jew of Central European descent. Both of my parents were born to Jewish parents and the Jewish line goes as far back as it is possible to trace on both of their family trees.

I hope this helps to clarify this a bit for anyone who might have questions about Judaism, and Jewish identity. If you have further questions, please feel free to write in the comments section found at the bottom of most pages/posts, or email to chaiway2life@gmail.com, and you will receive a response to genuine inquiries. Thank you!

L’chaim – To Life!

With love,
Diane