The Ancient Jewish Law: Who Can Become A Jew?

The question of whether anyone can become a Jew is a complex one, with different interpretations of Jewish law and scripture offering contrasting answers. According to the Torah, a person cannot convert to Judaism. However, the Law of Return, passed in Israel in 1950, grants Jews and their spouses, as well as people with Jewish ancestry, the right to relocate to Israel and obtain citizenship. This law has been amended over time to include more people, and today, it encompasses those with at least one Jewish grandparent, as well as converts to Judaism. While some rabbis facilitate conversions, others argue that a person cannot become a Jew, and that the concept of conversion was invented by rabbis.

The Law of Return: an Israeli law that gives Jews and their spouses the right to relocate to Israel and claim citizenship

The Law of Return is an Israeli law that was passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews and their spouses the right to relocate to Israel and claim citizenship. The law was passed to give effect to the Zionist movement's "credo", which called for the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state. The law declares that "every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh [immigrant]".

The Law of Return was amended in 1970 to extend the right of entry and settlement to people with at least one Jewish grandparent and the spouse of a Jew, whether or not they are considered Jewish under Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law. This amendment was partly due to the inability of lawmakers to agree on a definition of "who is a Jew".

The Law of Return is the simplest and easiest way to apply for Israeli citizenship. It reflects the state of Israel as a home for the Jewish people. The law encourages Jews from all over the world to immigrate to Israel and receive Israeli citizenship. It also allows every Jew, the child and grandchild of a Jew to immigrate to Israel with their family.

The process of applying for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return consists of several steps. Firstly, the applicant must decide whether they want to enter Israel as a tourist or start the process of applying for Israeli citizenship before arriving in Israel. The procedure includes completing an immigration application, collecting and submitting the required documents, interviewing with Israeli immigration clerks, and waiting for approval.

The Law of Return has been criticised by Palestinians and advocates for Palestinian refugee rights, who compare it with the Palestinian claim to a right of return. They consider the law offensive and institutionalised ethnic discrimination.

Conversion to Judaism: the Torah does not mention conversion, but it does refer to intermarriage

Conversion to Judaism is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. While the Torah does not mention conversion, it does refer to intermarriage.

The Torah is clear that a stranger may live among the Israelites and, if they agree to follow their laws, they will share in their bounties, but that does not make them an Israelite. For example, Uriah the Hittite was a soldier in David's army and lived in Jerusalem, but he was still a Hittite.

The Torah talks in detail about intermarriage with other people and the children of intermarriage. If a parent is Egyptian, it takes three generations for the descendant of this union to be considered a Jew.

The procedure and requirements for conversion depend on the sponsoring denomination. A formal conversion is sometimes undertaken by individuals whose Jewish ancestry is uncertain, even if they were raised Jewish, but they may not be considered Jews according to traditional Jewish law.

According to Maimonides, converts were accepted since the beginning of Jewish history, and the foreign wives of Jewish leaders—such as Samson and Solomon—were converts. However, he also says that in times of Jewish political power, such as during the reign of King David and King Solomon, Jewish courts did not accept converts who may not have had the right intention. These prospective converts had to wait and prove their intentions to be legally accepted.

In Judaism, proselytising is discouraged and religious conversion is somewhat discouraged. The majority of rabbis have traditionally rejected potential converts three times, and if the potential convert remains adamant in their desire to convert, the rabbi will then allow them to begin the process.

To convert, the candidate must have a circumcision (if male) and immerse in the mikveh before a kosher beth din, comprising three Jewish males who are shomer Shabbat. There is also a requirement to accept the Jewish commandments, though not necessarily a commitment to keep them.

Today, the conversion candidate must convince a rabbi and the beth din of their sincerity, and there is usually a considerable amount of study involved. Potential converts are expected to become involved in the Jewish community, including attending services, participating in holidays and rituals, and building relationships with other Jews in the community. They will then be tested and formally accepted, and issued with a Shtar geirut ("Certificate of Conversion").

The requirements for conversion vary within the different branches of Judaism, and whether or not a conversion is recognised by another denomination is often an issue fraught with religious politics.

The Jewish Messiah: Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish man, was sent to be the Jewish Messiah

Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish man, was sent to be the Jewish Messiah.

Jesus was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christian denominations believe Jesus to be the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah, or Christ, a descendant from the Davidic line that is prophesied in the Old Testament.

Jesus was born to Mary, wife of Joseph, in Bethlehem. He was circumcised at eight days old, was baptized by John the Baptist as a young adult, and after 40 days and nights of fasting in the wilderness, began his own ministry. He was an itinerant teacher who interpreted the law of God with divine authority and was often referred to as "rabbi".

Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem, tried by the Jewish authorities, turned over to the Roman government, and crucified on the order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judaea. After his death, his followers became convinced that he rose from the dead, and following his ascension, the community they formed eventually became the early Christian Church that expanded as a worldwide movement.

The written Torah does not mention a single convert, nor does it mention a procedure for conversions. However, the Law of Return, an Israeli law passed on 5 July 1950, gives Jews, people with one or more Jewish grandparents, and their spouses the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship.

Jesus was called a Nazarene, and he lived in Nazareth. The Messiah would be called a Nazarene, and people from Nazareth were not held in high esteem; they were considered backward. Various prophets and other Old Testament writers wrote that the Messiah would be despised and considered of low esteem.

Jesus was a typical Jew in his time, who had only one name, sometimes followed by the phrase "son of [father's name]", or the individual's hometown. Thus, in the New Testament, Jesus is commonly referred to as "Jesus of Nazareth".

The Sabbath: the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh, a day of rest

The Sabbath is a weekly day of rest or worship observed differently in Judaism and Christianity and reflected in several other faiths. It is the seventh day of the week, starting at sunset on Friday and ending at sunset on Saturday. It is a day of rest for both body and mind, echoing the eternal rest that believers have in God.

The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments found in the Torah, which states:

> Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it, you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

The Sabbath is a day of rest, worship, and celebration. It is a day to gather with fellow believers and meet with God. It is also a day to rest from labour and to allow the mind and body to recover from the stresses and demands of the week.

The Sabbath is a sign of God's covenant with his people. It is a day set apart and made holy by God, a day to be kept holy by his followers. It is a day to remember God's act of creation and to recognise the special status that God conferred on the seventh day.

The Sabbath is a day to be delighted in and celebrated. It is a day of communion with God and one another, a symbol of redemption, a token of allegiance, and a foretaste of the eternal future in God's kingdom.

The Holy Temple: the destruction of the Holy Temple means that some commandments can no longer be observed

The Holy Temple in Jerusalem, also known as Beit HaMikdash in rabbinic literature, was the central place of worship for Israelites and Jews. The First Temple was constructed in the 10th century BCE during the reign of King Solomon and was destroyed during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. The Second Temple was built almost a century later and stood until 70 CE when it was destroyed during the Roman siege of Jerusalem.

The destruction of the Second Temple means that some commandments can no longer be observed. The Temple was the place where offerings and sacrifices were carried out, and since its destruction, the Jewish people now worship in their local synagogues and through the study of Torah. While animal sacrifices were once made in the Temple, the Jewish people now offer Tefillah (prayer), Teshuvah (repentance), and Tzedakah (charity).

According to the Temple Institute, 202 out of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah cannot be performed without a Temple. The Temple was also the place where the Divine Presence of God dwelled, and its destruction has meant that the Divine Presence has departed from the Temple Mount.

Efforts to build a Third Temple have not been successful, and the Temple Mount is currently occupied by the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. However, preparations for the construction of a Third Temple are underway, and some believe that the prophecies regarding the end times and the return of the Messiah will be fulfilled when the Temple is rebuilt.

Frequently asked questions