[First posted in 2012; when we left Christianity and its foundational scriptures (the New Testament), the natural fallback for us was to check out Christianity’s claimed ‘foundational scriptures’ and that would be the Hebrew Scriptures, retitled “Old Testament” to justify the “New Testament”. As early as that transitional time, we checked out Judaism as a religion and decided it was not an option for us, so we decided to study for ourselves the revelation on Sinai by the God who formed and taught a people to represent Him to all humanity, and that would be the Torah. We were careful to separate the man-made religion that sprung from the God-sourced Revelation.—Admin1].
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Q: Is Judaism a religion?
As far as we can understand, Judaism is the religion of the Jews that evolved from the original teachings in the Written Torah [the five books of Moses] which the recorders and transmitters of Israel have carefully kept intact. Because Judaism seems to recognize the authority of the Oral Torah [commentaries by Jewish sages through the centuries], then teachings or interpretations that go farther than what the Torah explicitly states are extraneous.
For as long as Oral Torah remains true to the Written Torah, there is no conflict; but when the laws are ‘fenced’ to the point of going to unnecessary extremes in application for fear of violating, then Torah becomes a burden and not a delight. If the gospels are to be believed,this exactly what the Pharisees were accused of doing to God’s commandments.
Q. Related to this question is another: what is the difference between being “biblical” and being “Jewish”, are they not one and the same?
We are often asked—why are you following the “Jewish” diet, or observing the “Jewish feasts” or reading the “Jewish” scriptures, or worshipping on the “Jewish” Sabbath?
People confuse the two –“biblical” and “Jewish”, perhaps because the Jews are about the only identifiable ethnic group or people who do live the Torah; not ALL Jews, but Torah-observant Jews, or religious Jews.
As far as we understand the differences between “biblical” and “Jewish”, this is the deciding factor: in so far as teachings/practices/customs/celebrations/etc. were added as Jewish traditions, they belong more to Jewish culture.
For example, the 7 feasts commanded in Leviticus 11 are:
- the spring festivals: Passover [Pesach],
- Feast of Unleavened Bread [Hag HaMatzah],
- Feast of First Fruits [Bikkurim],
- Pentecost [Shavuot];
—-and the fall festivals:
- Feast of Trumpets-New Year [Yom Teruah-Rosh Hashana],
- Day of Atonement [Yom Kippur]
- and Festival of Tabernacles [Sukkot].
Yet Jews traditionally celebrate 2 extra festivals not included in the 7: Hanukkah and Purim. The 7 are “biblical” feasts, the 2 are “Jewish” feasts.
As for the “Jewish” diet? The dictionary definition of “Kosher” is:
Restrictions on the foods suitable for Jews are derived from rules in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Animals must be slaughtered and prepared in the prescribed way, in which the blood is drained from the body, while certain creatures, notably pigs and shellfish, are forbidden altogether. Meat and milk must not be cooked or consumed together, and separate utensils must be kept for each. Strict observance of these rules is today confined mainly to Orthodox Jews.
As long as the Jewish observance is “by the book” or by Torah, then it is “biblical”; but when it goes to extremes beyond the biblical prescription, then it is “Jewish.”
What about the Sabbath? That is a universal commandment that the Creator Himself established on the 7th day after His 6-day work of creating the heavens and the earth and filling them with details. There were no Jews at that time, so the Sabbath is not a Jewish day but a biblically ordained day, included in the 10 commandments as the 4th.
It is therefore imperative for one to be discerning enough, to recognize and separate what is “Biblical” from what is “Jewish”. How does one get there? Study the Hebrew Bible!
NSB@S6K