Types of Judaism - Essay Example

Rabbinic Judaism is focused on the Talmud, instead of using the oral tradition of the prophets and the first five books of the Bible. An important occurrence of Rabbinic Judaism is the use and creation of the Talmud. The Talmud is the written form of the Oral Torah. Jewish Identity Jewish Identity has been defined differently through the ages. In the beginning, Jews were the descendants of Issac. Through marriage and traditions passed down among these descendants the Jewish Identity formed. God made His Will known through prophets like Samuel, Joseph, Eli, Moses, and many others.

The laws and ceremonies of the Jewish Faith came from these prophets. For example, Moses wrote down the laws God gave him on stone tablets. These laws became the Ten Commandments. Thus the Jewish Identity of keeping the Sabbath, the Torah, Kosher food, and other aspect evolved from the teachings of prophets and tradition passed down from Isaac’s descendants. This forms the basis of the religious aspect of the Jewish Identity. The ethical aspect of the Jewish Identity is the race of people that are descendants of Isaac.

The Jewish people are of Middle Eastern origin. Jews are not to be confused with Arabs, who are descendants of Abraham through Ishmael. This identity has been emphasized by gentiles and Jews that are against assimilation. The assimilation of the Jewish population is the conversion to Christianity or another religion. During the Spanish Inquisition Jews were forced to convert to Christianity. Before World War II Jews were seen as a religion. Even an ethnic Jew could convert to another religion.

Under the Third Reich, Jews were seen as an ethnic group alone. It did not matter if a Jew converted, became assimilated in the mainstream of society, or was a traditional Jew, under German law all were Jews. I think that Jews are perceived as both an ethnic group and a religious group creating a Jewish Identity by both Jews and non-Jews. God separated Jews and gentiles for a reason, but I believe that both can coexist together. Jews are a special race. I have always respected Jewish figures of the Bible.

This is the Jewish Identity as I understand it.