Who is a Jew
The original name for the people we now call Jews was Hebrews. Another name used for the people, is Children of Israel or Israelites, which refers to the fact that the people are descendants of Jacob, who was also called Israel. The word "Jew" (in Hebrew, יהדוי - "Yehudi") is derived from the name Judah, which was the name of one of Jacob's twelve sons. Judah was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, which was named after him. Likewise, the word Judaism literally means "Judah-ism," that is, the religion of the Yehudim.

Originally, the term Yehudi referred specifically to members of the tribe of Judah, as distinguished from the other tribes of Israel. However, after the death of King Solomon, the nation of Israel was split into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel (I Kings 12; II Chronicles 10). After that time, the word Yehudi could properly be used to describe anyone from the kingdom of Judah, which included the tribes of Judah, Levi and half of Benjamin, as well as scattered settlements from other tribes. The most obvious biblical example of this usage is in Esther 2:5, where Mordecai is referred to as both a Yehudi and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

In the 6th century BCE, the kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria and the ten tribes were exiled from the land (II Kings 17), leaving only the tribes in the kingdom of Judah remaining to carry on Abraham's heritage. These people of the kingdom of Judah were generally known to themselves and to other nations as Yehudim (Jews), and that name continues to be used today.

In common speech, the word "Jew" is used to refer to all of the physical and spiritual descendants of Jacob/Israel, as well as to the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac and their wives, and the word "Judaism" is used to refer to their beliefs. Technically, this usage is inaccurate, just as it is technically inaccurate to use the word "Indian" to refer to the original inhabitants of the Americas. However, this technically inaccurate usage is common both within the Jewish community and outside of it, and is therefore used throughout this site.

A Jew is any person whose mother was a Jew or any person who has gone through the formal process of conversion to Judaism according to Jewish law. It is important to note that being a Jew has nothing to do with what you believe or what you do. A person born to non-Jewish parents who has not undergone the formal process of conversion but who believes everything that Orthodox Jews believe and observes every law and custom of Judaism is still a non-Jew, even in the eyes of the most liberal movements of Judaism, and a person born to a Jewish mother who is an atheist and never practices the Jewish religion is still a Jew, even in the eyes of the most Orthodox. In this sense, Judaism is more like a nationality than like other religions, and being Jewish is like a citizenship.

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What is Judaism
Judaism is mostly thought of as a religion, a set of ideas about the world and the way we should live our lives. Judaism is studied in Religious Studies courses and taught to Jewish children. However, many people who call themselves Jews do not believe in that religion. The most traditional Jews and the most liberal Jews and everyone in between would agree that these secular people are still Jews, regardless of their disbelief.

Jews are clearly not a race. Race is a genetic distinction, and refers to people with shared ancestry and shared genetic traits. You cannot change your race. Common ancestry is not required to be a Jew. Many Jews worldwide share common ancestry, as shown by genetic research; however, you can be a Jew without sharing this common ancestry.

Most secular American Jews think of their Jewishness as a matter of culture or ethnicity. There are certainly cultural traits and behaviors that are shared by many Jews, that make us feel more comfortable with other Jews. Jews in many parts of the world share many of those cultural aspects. However, that culture is not shared by all Jews all over the world, and people who do not share that culture are no less Jews because of it.

There is a certain amount of truth in the claims that Judaism is a religion, a race, or an ethnic group, none of these descriptions is entirely adequate to describe what connects Jews to other Jews. Almost all Jews feel a sense of connectedness to each other that many find hard to explain, define, or even understand. The best explanation is the traditional one given in the Torah: that the Jews are a nation. Anyone who feels any sense of Jewish identity shares that sense of Jewish peoplehood. Jews refer to that nation as "the Jewish people" or "the Children of Israel". As a nation or people, Jews share common ideas, ancestry, and culture, but there is also room for diversity in each of these areas. The most important part of being a nation is that sense of interconnectedness. Judaism as a religion is very communally-oriented. For example, prayers are normally stated in the plural, and Jews are supposed to pray in communal groups. Many of the Jewish holiday observances are family or community-oriented; yet, even people who are not religious at all feel that sense of Jewish community. When Jews suffer or are persecuted, all Jews feel their pain. When a Jew does something illegal, immoral or shameful, all Jews feel the shame, and all Jews feel that it reflects on all Jews. And when a Jew accomplishes something significant, all Jews feel proud.

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Origins of Judaism
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, known as the Patriarchs, are both the physical and spiritual ancestors of Judaism. They founded the religion now known as Judaism, and their descendants are the Jewish people.

Abraham was born under the name Abram in the city of Ur of the Chaldees to Terah, an idol merchant. From his early childhood, he questioned the faith of his father and sought the truth. He came to believe that the entire universe was the work of a single Creator, and he began to teach this belief to others.

In the morning when he saw the sun rise in the east, he thought, "This is a great power. It must be the king who created me," That whole day he  prayed to the sun. In the evening, upon seeing the sun set and the moon rise, he said, "Surely this one rules even that other power to which I prayed, for it no longer shines." All night he prayed to the moon. In the morning, upon seeing the darkness pass and the east light up, he said "Surely all these have a King and Ruler Who directs them." When G-d saw Abraham's longing for Him, He appeared to Abraham and spoke with him. (Zohar 1:86a)

Abram attempted to convince his father of the folly of idol worship.

Terah manufactured idols. Once he went on a trip and left Abraham to sell them in his place. When someone came to buy, Abraham would ask, "How old are you?" The customer would answer that he was fifty or sixty years old. Woe to this man!" Abraham would say. "He is sixty years old, yet he wants to bow down to a one-day old idol!" The man would go away in shame. A woman came in, carrying a bowl of flour. She said to Abraham, "Take this and offer it before the idols." He took a stick, broke all the idols, and placed the stick in the hand of the biggest one. When his father cam, he asked, "Who did this to them? " "Why should I hide it from you?" replied Abraham. "A woman came in carrying a bowl of flour, and said to me, 'Offer this before the idols.' So I offered it before them. This one said, 'I will eat first!' and that one said, 'I will eat first!' The biggest one took a stick and broke the rest." "Why are you fooling me!" said Terah. "Do idols have understanding?" Abraham replied, "Let your ears hear what your mouth is saying." ... (Bereishis Rabbah 38:8)

Eventually, the one true Creator that Abram had worshipped called to him, and made him an offer: if Abram would leave his home and his family, then G-d would make him a great nation and bless him. Abram accepted this offer, and the b'rit (covenant) between G-d and the Jewish people was established.

Abraham kept every detail of the Torah and taught it to his sons. (Bereishis Rabbah 95:3)

Isaac was born on Passover to Abraham and Sarah. From his early childhood, he was taught Torah by his father Abraham and his Uncle Shem.

Where was Isaac? [Abraham] had sent him to Shem to study Torah, for Abraham said, "All that I possess is only because I engaged in Torah and mitzvot. Therefore, I do not want it ever to depart from my seed." (Bereishis Rabbah 56:11)

For Abraham's tenth test of faith, G-d told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. This test is known in Jewish tradition as the Akeidah (the Binding, a reference to the fact that Isaac was bound on the altar). This test also demonstrated Isaac's own faith for he knew that he was to be sacrificed yet he did not resist his father. At the last moment, G-d sent an angel to stop the sacrifice. This story is used to show that G-d fiercely dislikes human sacrifice and forbids it for all peoples.

After the Patriarch Abraham died, the Holy One, Blessed is He, appeared to Isaac and blessed him. (Bereishis Rabbah 61:6)

Jacob was born circumcised to Isaac and Rebecca. From his early childhood, he was taught Torah by his father, his grandfather Abraham, and his uncles Shem and Eber.

No one ever toiled in Torah like the Patriarch Jacob. He would go from Shem's house of study to Eber's, and from Eber's house of study to Abraham's. (Tanchuma, ed. Buber, Vayishlach 9) Isaac taught Jacob Torah and gave him rebuke in his house of study. (Shemos Rabbah 1:1)

Jacob and his brother Esau struggled within Rebecca's womb. Esau had little regard for the spiritual heritage of his forefathers, and sold his birthright  to Jacob for a bowl of stew. After Isaac was tricked by Rebecca into giving Jacob a blessing meant for Esau, Esau became very angry, so Jacob fled to live with his uncle. While living with his uncle, Jacob was deceived into marrying Rachel's older sister, Leah, but later married Rachel, and Rachel's and Leah's maidservants, Bilhah and Zilphah. Jacob fathered 12 sons (the twelve tribes of Israel) and one daughter.

After many years living with, and working for, his uncle/father-in-law, Jacob returned to his homeland and sought reconciliation with his brother Esau. He prayed to G-d and gave his brother gifts. The night before he went to meet his brother he wrestled with a man until the break of day. As the dawn broke, Jacob demanded a blessing from the man, and the man revealed himself to be an angel. He blessed Jacob and gave him the name "Israel" (Yisrael), meaning "the one who wrestled with G-d" or "the Champion of G-d." Jacob fathered 12 sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and Benjamin. The Jewish people are generally referred to as the Children of Israel, signifying their descent from Jacob. 

As centuries passed, the descendants of Israel became slaves in Mitzraim. They suffered greatly under the hand of later Pharaohs. But G-d brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses. G-d led them on a journey through the wilderness to Mount Sinai. Here, G-d revealed Himself to the Children of Israel and offered them a great covenant: if the people would hearken to G-d and observe His covenant, then they would be the most beloved of nations, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19). G-d revealed both the Written and Oral Torah (Mishnah), and the entire nation responded, "Everything that the L-rd has spoken, we will do!" According to Jewish tradition, every Jewish soul that would ever be born was present at that moment, and agreed to be bound to this covenant.

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Jewish Beliefs
What are the Jewish beliefs? This is a far more difficult question than you might expect. Judaism has no dogma, no formal set of beliefs that one must hold to be a Jew. In Judaism, actions are far more important than beliefs, although there is certainly a place for belief within Judaism. The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Maimonides' thirteen principles of faith, which he thought were the minimum requirements of Jewish belief. Yet as basic as these principles are, the necessity of believing each one of these has been disputed at one time or another.

Unlike many other religions, Judaism does not focus much on abstract cosmological concepts. Judaism focuses on relationships: the relationship between G-d and mankind, between G-d and the Jewish nation, between the Jewish nation and the Land of Israel, and between human beings. The scriptures also specify the mutual obligations created by these relationships. So, what are these actions that Judaism is so concerned about? According to Judaism, these actions include 613 mitzvot given by G-d in the Torah as well as laws instituted by the rabbis and minhag.

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Jewish Messiah
The Hebrew word "moshiach" means annointed one. There have been many moshiachs throughout Jewish history. Every Jewish king and priest was a moshiach. There was even a non-Jewish moshiach (King Cyrus who permitted the rebuilding of the Temple). The Jewish Messiah will be a man and not a demi-god. He will come once and only once there will be no "second coming". The belief in an eventual moshiach (Moshiach ben David - Moshiach, son of David) who will be the last king and ruler of Israel is an ancient belief. There is a belief that a potential moshiach is born in every generation. Most scholars believe that it is the conduct of humankind that will determine when the moshiach will arrive.

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Basic Jewish Texts
The Tanach, mistakenly known as the "Old Testament" is made up of the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. Before the study of Torah a brocha is said in which the person thanks G-d for giving the Jews Torah. There have been many rabbis who have written commentaries on the Torah. Any complete study of the Torah needs to include some commentary from these rabbis.

The Torah (the Five Books of Moses) (תורה) is made up of five books that were given to Moshe Rabbenu (Moses our Teacher) directly from G-d shortly after the Exodus from Mitzraim around 1230BCE. The Torah covers the creation of the earth and the first humans, the Great Flood and the covenant with the gentiles, the enslavement of the Hebrews and the Exodus from Mitzraim, giving of the Torah (Written and Oral (Mishnah)), renewal of Covenant given to Avraham, festivals established, wandering through the desert, the Tabernacle Ark, and Priestly duties, and the death of Moshe Rabbenu.

The Nevi'im (נביאים) covers the time period from the death of Moshe Rabbenu through the Babylonian exile (ca.1200BCE-587BCE) and contains 19 books. The Nevi'im covers the Hebrews entering Eretz Yisrael, conquest of Jericho, conquest of Eretz Yisrael and division among the tribes, judicial system, Era of Saul and David, Solomon's wisdom and the construction of the First Temple, kings of Eretz Yisrael, prophecy, messianic prophecies, and the Babylonian exile.

The Ketuvim (כתבום) covers the period after the return from the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE) and contains 12 books. The Ketuvim is made up of various writings that do not have an overall theme. This section of the Tanach includes poems and songs, the stories of Job, Ruth, and Esther, the writings and prophecies of Daniel, and the history of the kings of Eretz Yisrael.

The Talmud is made up of the Mishnah and Gemara. The Mishnah was transmitted to Moshe Rabbenu (Moses our Teacher) from G-d at Mount Sinai at the time that the Written Torah was transmitted. The Oral Torah was kept in the oral tradition until it was written down in the time of Rabbi Judah the Holy (aka Rabbi Judah the Prince) ca. 130-220CE. It was written down to help ensure that in the time of duress and danger that it would survive. The Mishnah is divided into established law and rejected law. The Gemara is the commentary of the sages.

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Religious Functionaries
Rabbis (meaning teachers) are people with sufficient education and knowledge in halachah and customs to guide the community. Rabbis have no more and no less authority to perform religious functions than any other male Jew (or females in some non-Orthodox communnities). Since the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the Jews, rabbis have become community leaders and the leaders in the synagogues. Rabbis in the modern era are generally decisors and leaders in a Jewish community as well as teachers and leaders in the synagogues.

Chazzans are people who lead the congregation in prayer. The chazzan has no more and no less authority to lead the congregation that any other male Jew (or females in some non-Orthodox communnities). In smaller synagogues, the rabbi often serves as the chazzan (although many of these synagogues will have a chazzan during the High Holy Days). In many synagogues, the chazzan also helps children prepare for their bar/bat mitzvah, teach adult education classes, visit the sick, and perform wedding ceremonies and funerals.

Gabbais are lay people who serve as assistants during the synagogue services. A gabbai can choose who is called upon for an aliyah the Sefer Torah), read from the Sefer Torah, and/or stand next to the persons reading the Sefer Torah to assist them with chanting and making any corrections.

Kohenim (kohen-singular) is a descendent of Aaron and were priests in the Holy Temple. Since the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the Jews, they are honored by being the first to be called up for an aliyah and they also offer priestly blessings over the congregations at specific times of the year.

The tribe of Levi also performed certain rituals in the Holy Temple. Since the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the Jews, they are honored by being the second to be called up for an aliyah.

Rebbes are spiritual leaders in the Chassidic communities. Rebbes have the final decision over every aspect of their Chassidic communities.

Tzaddeks (righteous ones) refers to completely righteous ones and indicates that they have great spiritual or mystical power.

Shomerim are volunteers who prepare the body and recite Tehillim while guarding the deceased.

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Treatment of Animals
Tza'ar ba'alei chayim (cruelty to animals) is strictly forbidden in Judaism. Principally, the laws regarding the treament of animals are to prevent the suffering of living creatures. Even though Judaism does not have an absolute belief that animals can suffer psychologically or physically in the same way as humans, Judaism does hold a belief that if a person is cruel to animals, the person will also be cruel to humans. The Tanach shows that those who are animal caretakers - such as Abraham, Moses, Rebecca, and David - were also chosen for special missions by G-d.

Humans are given dominion over animals (Genesis 1:26) but this dominion does not mean that humans are permitted to harm animals - even legitimate means of using animals (such as for food) must involve the least amount of pain to the animals. Hunting for sport is strickly forbidden under Jewish law as this is considered animal cruelty. In some circumstances, animals are afforded the same considerations as humans. Animals are to rest on Shabbat and one may even break the Shabbat to resuce an animal who is in pain or may suffer death. In addition, the human must feed his/her animals before feeding him/herself.

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Human Nature
On the question of human nature, as in most areas of abstract belief in Judaism, there is a lot of room for personal opinion. There is no dogma on the subject, no required belief about the nature of humanity. There are a variety of contrary opinions expressed on the subject. Nevertheless, there are certain ideas that seem to reflect the majority opinion in Jewish thought that are worth discussing.

The Tanach states that humanity was created in the image of G-d. We are not created in the physical image of G-d, because G-d is incorporeal and has no physical appearance. Maimonides points out that the Hebrew word for "image" in Genesis 1:27 is "tzelem," which refers to the nature or essence of a thing, as in Psalm 73:20, "you will despise their image tzel'mam)." The Hebrew word for physical form, Maimonides explains, is "to'ar," as in Genesis 39:6, "and Joseph was beautiful of form (to'ar) and fair to look upon." Similarly, the Hebrew word used for "likeness" is "damut," which is used to indicate a simile, not identity of form. Rashi explains that we are like G-d in that we have the ability to understand and discern. Maimonides elaborates that by using our intellect, we are able to perceive things without the use of our physical senses, an ability that makes us like G-d, who perceives without having physical senses.

Humanity was formed with two impulses: yetzer tov and yetzer hara. The yetzer tov is the moral conscience, the inner voice that reminds you of G-d's law when you consider doing something that is forbidden. According to some views, it does not enter a person until she/he becomes responsible for following the mitzvot (age 12 for girls; 13 for boys).

The yetzer hara is more difficult to define, because there are many different ideas about it. It is not a desire to do evil in the way we normally think of it in Western society: a desire to cause senseless harm. Rather, it is usually conceived as the selfish nature, the desire to satisfy personal needs (food, shelter, sex, etc.) without regard for the moral consequences of fulfilling those desires. The yetzer hara is not a bad thing. It was created by G-d, and all things created by G-d are good. The yetzer hara is generally seen as something internal to a person, not as an external force acting on a person.

People have the ability to choose which impulse to follow: the yetzer tov or the yetzer hara. That is the heart of the Jewish understanding of free will. The Talmud notes that all people are descended from Adam, so no one can blame his own wickedness on his ancestry (there is no concept of "original sin" in Judaism). On the contrary, we all have the ability to make our own choices, and we will all be held responsible for the choices we make.

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Non-Jews
Non-Jews who (1) reject all idolatrous ideas and accept the kingship of the One G-d, 2) accept the priesthood of the Jewish people as the guardians and teachers of Torah, and (3) commit to the seven mitzvot revealed to Noah are called Noachides or "Children of Noah." The Rambam's, Rav Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides), commentary in The Laws of Kings 8:11 reads: "Anyone who accepts upon himself the fulfillment of these Seven Mitzvot [commandments] and is precise in their observance is considered one of the righteous among the nations and will merit a share in the World to Come."

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