Halachic Jews - who are they? Adoption of Jewishness by Halacha

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Halachic Jews - a religious definition that is gradually becoming obsolete after the onset of the era of emancipation. Those who fall under it will never lose their right to that nationality and legal status in Israel. However, this phrase still had the greatest weight during the times of the communities.

Who are they

This name is given to people who have received Jewishness according to the halachic law prescribed in the Talmud. It spreads through the maternal line, i.e., it is valid for those who were born an Israeli or converted to a religion according to all canons.

Earlier in the Bible there were no references to such a definition as halachic Jews, and belonging to this people was revealed only through paternity. But already in the second century A. D. e. refutations of this point of view began to appear in the Talmud, and soon it ceased to be the only true one.

Possible causes

One of the well-known Kabbalists and Talmudists later also gives arguments indicating that Jewry was also transmitted throughmaternal line, starting from ancient times, which are discussed in the scriptures. Professor Michael Corinaldi gave several reasons for such an establishment, justifying the existence of such a term as "halachic Jew". This is a series of biological, sociological and even political explanations, for example:

• Paternity is often questioned, while the mother of a child can only be the woman who carried it. In the days when DNA testing was not available, this was the most accurate method of determining origin.
• The main component of Jewish self-identification is the culture that a mother instills in her child in the process of upbringing.
• During the war against the Romans, many Israeli women were abused, causing local law to count their children as part of their people.
• Frequent slaughters led to a decrease in the male population, so non-Jews were taken in to raise the demographic level.

Thus, the motives for establishing maternal descent become extremely clear.

How to understand: "not a Jew according to halakha"?

Having de alt with the mechanism of religious law, according to which a person is referred to as representatives of the Israeli people, this expression is easier to understand. So they say about those who inherited Jewishness on the paternal side or were not converted to religion, that is, they did not convert.

However, according to the laws of the State of Israel, they havethe right is not only halachic Jews, but also their grandchildren in the female or male line.

Giyur

This is the process of conversion to Judaism followed by the rites that complete the adoption of the new faith. Halachic Jews do not need it, but the husband of an Israeli woman in earlier times was required to convert, since mixed marriages were not approved by the Talmud.

Despite today's weakening of religion, anyone can still convert to Judaism and become part of the people of Israel. This action automatically equates a person to the "descendants of Abraham", in fact changing his nationality. Thus, answering the question of what a halachic Jew is, we can say that anyone who changes his religion to Judaism becomes one, regardless of belonging to any ethnic group.

Application for conversion

The desire of a non-Jew to become part of the people of Israel must be carefully thought out and weighed, since not only the person himself, but also the communities that decide such issues must be sure of it. The future Jew should be prepared for the fact that after the conversion he will have to observe all the commandments and rules of life in the new society.

The process of reflection cannot take less than 2 years, otherwise no one will take seriously the desire for such a radical change in lifestyle. In addition, knowledge and understanding of the history of the people of Israel, the ability to observe the laws of the Torah and a firm understanding of what it means"halachic Jew". It will also be useful to learn Hebrew, otherwise you will not be able to repatriate to Israel.

When a person is completely ready for the transition to a "new life", he should apply for conversion to a religious court (beit din). It consists of rabbis authorized to make halachic decisions. A modern beit din consists of three people who do not necessarily have deep knowledge of the Torah, but who have received special training.

If a candidate for halachic Jews seems suitable to the court, which will happen far from one meeting, he will be provided with any possible help and support, they will not spare the time to come, no matter how far he may be. When the beit din approves his decision, the matter will remain small: studying the laws, circumcision (if a man becomes a hero) and bathing in a mikveh, after which the naming of a new name will follow.

Loss of Jewry

It is commonly believed that such a development of events is impossible. A halachic Jew is a "legitimate" representative of the people of Israel who is incapable of officially losing his status. For his transgressions, he will be expelled from the community, and he may be subjected to a general boycott, but at the same time he will remain a descendant of Abraham. However, in reality, this provision applies only to those whose origin is established through the maternal line.

Hers, i.e. people who have gone through conversion, will also be punished for non-compliance with the rules of the Torah, but only if their conversion to Judaism was not previously recognized as invalid. If thishappened, a person is deprived of status, but such cases are quite rare in practice.