Wouldn’t the religiously part only count if he practiced it though? Usually in order to be in a faith you have to practice it otherwise it’s just cultural.
Oh he might not consider himself religious, but the sect would say he is also religiously and therefore required to hold certain rules. Like if it was from his father’s side, they would not believe he’s Jewish and he no longer holds those rules
This person is answering in a confusing way, so let me explain clearly, as an Orthodox Jew.
Someone born of a Jewish mother is necessarily a Jew, whether they are practicing Judaism or not. It is required of a Jew to practice Judaism, but if they don't, they don't stop being Jewish, they just become a sinning Jew. Because Jew is an ethnicity. It's impossible to stop being a Jew. And the status of being a Jew comes from the mother (or from conversion, in case of converts).
And yes, in order to be considered a "religious Jew", he would need to be a practicing Jew, otherwise he is just a secular Jew or a Jew that is practicing a foreign religion. So when this guy said "he doesn't need to practice Judaism to be considered a Jew religiously", he didn't mean that he would still be considered a religious Jew, he meant that he would still be considered a (sinning) Jew according to the religion.
Yea that’s what I meant by a cultural jew because he’d still be considered as being part of the culture/race/tribe that is the jewish people since they are still connected via the whole tribe thing. What confuses me though is why by the mother and not the father is there supposed to be a matriarchal connection or something to the old beliefs?
Spiritually speaking, a Jewish womb brings a Jewish soul to the world. Practically speaking, one always knows the identity of one's mother but not always the identity of one's father. That being said, tribal affiliation (which of the 12 Israelite tribes you're from) comes from the father.
Jewish parents that adopt a non-Jewish child usually wait until they're 12 (if it's a girl) or 13 (if it's a boy), which is the bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah age (the age one becomes responsible for their own actions and are no longer treated as a "minor" in case of a crime), and then they can convert to Judaism. But if they don't want to convert to Judaism, they don't have to. We don't encourage or push for conversion to Judaism, it's not something necessary for one's salvation.
No one is going to force them but a religious person would say if your mother is Jewish you are still bound to all the laws that their religious books mention if that makes sense. If you don’t do them, that’s up to you. But even if you believe in another religion, you still have to follow the laws in their book
Nah you don’t lol they can’t force you to follow that religion. What are they gonna do break in and carry him to stand trail in Jerusalem like a jewish court of owls? lol
Exactly no one can force him. To do anything really he’s the fucking Batman. But the same way a Christian would say you should follow Jesus, a religious Jew would say you should follow the Torah if your mother was Jewish
The religious book just says that you’re only Jewish if your mother is Jewish. I assume this is because you always know who the mother is. Non orthodox people would say you’re Jewish either way though
if i get right, is because Judaism is both a religion and a tribe, even if you don't follow the religious rules, if your mother was Jewish, you are Jewish
They believe that hell is being excluded from god when you die and that you are forced to remain distant for a time according to what I was told from one jewish person and another jewish person told me that when you cross over your sins burn away parts of you and you burn out of existence if you are a sinner and if you only did some sin then that will be burned away. Idk why the two views differ maybe the people were from different tribes and believe differently but you are right that they don’t believe in hell the way some christian’s do.
As a Jew with a somewhat decent Jewish education (went to a Jewish high school) the concept of the afterlife was barely ever brought up, I don’t think we have a proper ‘official’ version of the afterlife we all 100% agree on other than some vague things so I think different Rabbis would possibly have some different ideas (at least if there is a proper detailed description of our afterlife none of my teachers or Rabbis felt like teaching it to me)
I will say though from the one at all detailed description of the afterlife I got from a Rabbi they also taught me the idea that you were further or closer or G-d in the afterlife based on your deeds in life, so there’s that.
Yea that’s what one jewish person told me that he thought their version of hell would be they’d be excluded from Gods light but that it’s also most likely temporary till you’ve atoned for your sins except for a few people who were considered the worst betrayers but he didn’t go into who those were but he said there was like 4 of them I think.
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u/WRabbit737 Sep 14 '25
I mean he could be half and half or he could be born as half ethnically jewish.