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The Yeshiva-taught Orthodox Jewish community was chosen as the population. They adhere to the principles of the Torah and are strict in their religious practice (Katzenstein & Fontes, 2017). Jews and Christians have common misconceptions about each other with regards to anti-Semitism, identities, customs, and lifestyle. However, studies of Judaism act as a tool to dispel these misunderstandings by increasing religious awareness and focusing on parallels and differences.
Primary Beliefs of the Jewish Community
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, the renowned codifier of Torah law and Jewish theology, collected what he regards as the “Thirteen Fundamental Principles” of the Jewish religion as drawn from the Torah. These thirteen principles constitute the primary beliefs of Yeshiva Orthodox Jews. They include beliefs in the creator’s existence, God’s unity, God’s non-corporeality, God’s eternity, the exclusive worship of one God, communication through prophecy, and the priority of Moses’ prophesy (Weinberg & Blumenfeld, 2019). The remainder of the primary beliefs includes the divine origin of the Torah, its immutability, God’s omniscience and providence, reward and punishment, the appearance of the Messiah, and the resurrection of the dead.
Misunderstandings Jews Have About Christians
Christians are frequently accused of anti-Semitism by Jews, even if it was just one subgroup or church was to blame. Anti-Semitism is a political viewpoint influenced by nationalism that aims to undo the social and political gains of liberation and to remove Jews from civil society (Feldman, 2018). Jews may even label “Christians” as anti-Semitic due to the actions or opinions of those who are not religious people. Another common misunderstanding among Jews is that Christians primarily befriend Jews in order to convert them. Conversion efforts are not the only scenario for interreligious dialogue; personal motivations can vary across individuals and should not be generalized to the whole community as an attempt to convert.
Misunderstandings Christians Have About Jews
One prevalent misconception is that Christians tend to believe that all Jews practice Judaism. Jews are not just a religious community but also an ethnic group. Consequently, it is not necessary to be religious to still be identified as Jewish. Although, the key point is, one might be regarded as religiously Jewish only if they are born from Jewish ancestry or have converted to Judaism by the time. Another popular misunderstanding held by Christians is that celebrating Passover helps people comprehend Easter. The essence is that by duplicating a Jewish Passover dinner, one will witness what Jesus accomplished at the Last Supper. Even though Jews in Jesus’ day held a Passover Seder every year, there is no evidence of how it went and looked.
The modern Passover Seder dates to the sixteenth century and since then it has become more traditional and standardized by the community (Shoham, 2017). Passover should be taught as a study of Judaism rather than an attempt to comprehend Jesus. Christians support the idea that Jews maintain Kosher because it is healthier. In truth, Jews observe kosher for two reasons: to satisfy the Torah’s rules or to gain cultural affiliation (Paris et al., 2018). Contrary to popular belief, Jews do not operate based on any particular health benefits of staying kosher.
Role of Study of Judaism in Overcoming Misunderstandings
Some approaches to Judaism indicate the religion as a core and more appropriate version of classic Christian religion. Consequently, there could be a bias in the perception of religious righteousness. According to Gorder et al. (2020), Christians may eradicate bias by participating in dialogue and education, which will also help them better understand themselves and accept their own faith. Understanding the main similarities and distinctions across religions may be facilitated and ensured by studying Judaism. Instead of pushing evangelistic perspectives, people should try to understand Judaism and its principles to engage in constructive discussion with them based on mutual respect.
The primary beliefs of the majority of Jewish communities, including the Yeshiva orthodox Jews, closely correlate with the thirteen fundamental principles discussed in Torah. In conclusion, due to Jewish references Christians could be perplexed in the ethnicity and religion, Passover and Seder, as well as keeping Kosher. On the other hand, Jews hold misconceptions about Christian believers that are biased in relation to anti-Semitism and friendship intentions. These falsehoods serve as a reminder of the value of knowledge and the use of Judaism studies to address prejudice.
References
Feldman, D. (2018, October 1). Toward a history of the term “Anti-semitism.” The American Historical Review, 123(4), 1139–1150.
Gorder, C. V. A., Fuller, G., & Levin, J. (2020). Jews and Christians together: An invitation to mutual respect. Cascade Books.
Katzenstein, D., & Fontes, L. A. (2017). Twice silenced: The underreporting of child sexual abuse in Orthodox Jewish communities. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 26(6), 752–767.
Paris, W., Seidler, R. J., FitzGerald, K., Padela, A. I., Cozzi, E., & Cooper, D. K. (2018). Jewish, Christian and Muslim theological perspectives about xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation, 25(3).
Shoham, H. (2017). Israel celebrates: Jewish holidays and civic culture in Israel. Brill.
Weinberg, R. Y., & Blumenfeld, R. M. (2019). Fundamentals and Faith: Insights into the Rambam’s 13 principles. Targum Press.
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