Questions tagged [am-yisrael-jewish-nation]
Questions pertaining to the Jewish nation or 'Am Yisrael' - 'עם ישראל' in Hebrew
170 questions
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Are self described Reform and Conservative Jews assumed to be halachically Jewish according to Orthodox Judaism?
I’m curious about what the Orthodox understanding of Halacha says about whether Reform and Conservative people are still assumed to be halachically Jewish.
Obviously the overwhelming majority of them ...
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70 nations vs 70 who went down to Egypt
What's the connection between the 70 nations and the 70 descendants of Yaacov who went to Egypt? Is there a 1:1 correllation anywhere?
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Five types of Grain and Five Nations source
As we know from mishna Challah 1:1
Five species [of grains] are subject to [the law of] challah: wheat (חִטִּים), barley (שְּׂעוֹרִים), spelt (כֻּסְּמִין), oats (שִׁבֹּלֶת שׁוּעָל) and rye (שִׁיפוֹן)....
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Does the Talmud ever call the righteous gentile as part of Israel?
Does the Talmud anywhere say that the righteous gentile is part of Israel or of God's people?
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How do you prove you are Jewish? [duplicate]
I have never been asked to prove I am Jewish, but I often wondered how I could do it. My mother was born in Cairo and her mother in Damascus, and good luck in retrieving archives from hostile regimes ...
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Source from the Bobover: What defines being Jewish: adherence to Torah?
I have seen in this article that the Bobover Rebbe, Rabbi Shelomo of Bobov, is quoted in ruling halachically that the Bobover Rebbe negates a racial definition of being Jewish;
rather, the yardstick ...
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Are מתיהדים (geirim) required to give precedence to Yisra'Elim today?
Are מתיהדים also known as geirim or proselytes, the descendants of converts to the Israelite religion, required to give precedence to Yisra'Elim today?
https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/...
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Are gentiles obligated to help Jews do teshuva?
Rabbi Yaron Reuven says that one of the top obligations of gentiles is to "help Jews become more Jewish." "The goyim have to help Am Yisrael do teshuva." Is there a source in Torah ...
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Proselytizing the covenant?
https://youtube.com/shorts/RuNO7R0885c?si=Fwc-02_yqnv-LfDi in this, rabbi Asher Meza of “Torah Judaism international” seems to claim that proselytization is not only allowed, but even a good thing to ...
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Exile helped the Jews to survive
Are there any rabbinic texts arguing that exile helped the Jewish people to survive centuries of threats? In a 'don't put all your eggs in one basket' sort of way?
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The Belzer Rebbe's approach to nationalism and zionism
In "The Rabbis Speak Out", the 3rd Belzer Rebbe, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach is quoted (Kuntres 22 Cheshvan, p. 108) in saying that:
Zionism itself is founded on denial of G-d‟s providence, ...
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King David vs King Shaul - did King Shaul do anything wrong?
When Shaul would scold his enemies e.g. the Plishtim, he would shout at them for “defying Israel” (as his men did in Shmuel 1:17:25), but David would shout at them for "defying God" (ibid 26)...
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Would those of the lost tribes lose their status of Israelites after converting?
Jewishness is determined by matrilineal descent, so those of the lost tribes would have to convert.
But is not tribe determined by patrilineal descent? Being an Israelite means being a “son of Israel”,...
user31874
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Were there rabbis who supported the patrilineal descent?
Many are accustomed to the fact that in rabbinic Judaism a Jew is one who is born of a Jewish woman.
But were there opposite opinions? Poskim of post-Talmudic time are of also interest.
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Did Judaism have a more ancient name before it became Judaism?
Judaism comes from Judah. Specifically, it comes from the Kingdom of Judah.
The names we get from Torah are typically for the people and not for the faith. We were called Hebrews and then we were ...
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Where does "Yeshurun" come from?
Am Yisrael has a number of names in Tanach. "Yaakov" (such as "Beit Yaakov") and "Yisrael" ("Bnei Yisrael") come from the names of Yaakov Avinu. "Yehudim&...
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Does a Jew who doesn't care about other Jews' problems become a gentile [duplicate]
Under Jewish law, does a Jew who turns his back on other Jews change in his status in any way? Is he, under any law or any religious context, treated like a non-Jew for any practical intents?
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Yeshivas that relocated
BS"D
Which yeshivot relocated throughout the 20th century due to war, pogroms, etc.?
For example, I know that The Mir Yeshiva moved to Shanghai in 1941.
Are there any other similar yeshivot?
Do ...
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Do we have a responsibility to find out whether a person is Jewish?
The Talmud says:
כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה – All Jews are responsible for one another. [Shevuot 39a, Sanh. 27b]
In order to help other Jews, we must first find out where they are. It is likely that the ...
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Other species in deep space and the Uniqueness of Klal Yisrael
The sheer vastness of space almost mathematically guarantees that there are other species or advanced civilizations in other galaxies or solar systems.
How do we reconcile this with the uniqueness of ...
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Which chag also celebrates or renews a brit or similar?
What do our rabbis of blessed memory say about Shavuos, or any chag that celebrates the purposes of that chag as well as at the same time celebrates or renews a previous brit or similar? From shul I ...
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Why mention healing everyone after the restroom and Jews in the amida?
After we use the restroom, we recite a benediction praising God for our ability to do so. The benediction ends by referring to him as the one "who heals all flesh", viz all people.
In the amida ...
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Did the Jewish people choose G-d, or did G-d choose the Jewish people? Or both?
Did the Jewish people choose G-d, or did G-d choose the Jewish people? Or both?
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Why are we called 'Jews'? [duplicate]
The term established itself in one way or the other in many different languages as early as the dark age. The question: why is that?
I thought it to be somewhat of a misnomer. After all, Yaakov had ...
user16556
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Invalidating Jews as the Suffering Servant [closed]
I saw this post in which a rabbi explains why Is. 53 cannot be talking about Jesus. The essential line is
This tells us that someone who is widely respected BEFORE the arm of the Lord is revealed – ...
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Was the fact that Moshe broke the Tablets Halachicly stealing from the Jewish people?
Famously when Moshe came down from Sinai the first time and saw the Jews sinning he cast down the tablets of the law given to him by God. My question works on the basic assumption that these tablets ...
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Did Israelites who stayed in Egypt become halachically Jewish?
Some sources indicate that not all of the Israelites left Egypt during the Exodus. On the other hand, the initial "conversion" of the Israelites to Judaism occurred at Matan Torah at Mt. Sinai during ...
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What official position did Moses have acc. to Torah?
The Torah speaks of a couple of official public positions, that have extensive Halachic Nafka-Minahs, e.g. Kohen Gadol, Jewish king, a Judge, maybe Nessi Shevet.
IIRC Moses wasn't officially any of ...
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What halachos flow from there being a Jewish nation and not just a religion?
Rabbi Mordechai Becher at Aish.com says that we are a nation united by our common heritage. So two Jews could see themselves as members of a nation.
A more limited definition of the relationship ...
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Why do we use the term "Jew" or "Jewish" when referencing people in the Torah/Chumash passages?
Why do we use the term "Jew" or "Jewish" when referencing people in the Torah/Chumash passages?
In the Torah (the Chumash), the "children of Israel" are called just that "בני ישראל" or Israelite.
...
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Half Jew half Gentile
I always thought it was a misconception to be "half-Jewish". Usually the speaker means one of their parents are Jewish, making them either fully Jewish or fully Gentile.
However, I saw today that the ...
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Egyptians guarding Israelites
Rabbi Zitron quotes that there are twentyfour different types of ways to protect the jews from escaping.
(It may be a bit irritating seeing my questions always quoting from lectures from youtube. I ...
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Should a half Jewish man be discouraged from marrying a Jewess?
Is there any source in encouraging a man who identifies as Jewish but isn't so Halachically, to marry a Jewish woman and raise a Jewish family?
For instance, a patrilineal Jew although he isn't ...
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How to check if a Ketubah is genuine
Recently I was discussing with a friend the uses of one's parents' ketubah in everyday life. Obviously one of the main uses of a ketubah is proving one's Jewish status in order to join a Jewish ...
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Is there a Jewish race? [closed]
I've never been comfortable with the term "race" when applied to people, as people are all part of the "human race". But, according to thefreedictionary.com, the word "race&...
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Why do some textbooks say that there are 10 tribes of Israel?
My current boring, older-than-me textbook says that there are 10 tribes. My much more often updated teacher say that there are 12. And my friend who reads encyclopedias for fun says 13.
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Why was a king necessary in the first place?
When Moshe led the Jewish people, there came a time where he spoke with Hashem and asked for him to relieve his burden. He needed help with the responsibility that had been placed upon him.
This led ...
user15672
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How do we give meaning to the phrase "all Israel"?
The Sources frequently tell us that if "all Israel" did this or that, wonderful things would happen. For example, if all Israel observed just one Shabbat properly, the Messiah would come. [Ta’anit Y 1:...
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Does one have to be Jewish to be a rabbi
In terms of what we call semicha today, does one have to be Jewish to receive or hold it? Is it simply an indicator of learning (like an academic degree) which could be reached by anyone?
Knowing ...
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Is there any Torah source for the phrase "עם ישראל חי"?
Is there any Torah source for the phrase famous words used in the song "עם ישראל חי"?
I don't mean the concept of the perseverance of the Jewish nation etc.. I mean these exact words.
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The usage of the words קהל and עדה (עדת)
The people of Israel are sometimes called collective קהל, sometimes עדה (עדת) and sometimes plain Israel, and although they probably point out to the exact same group of people they seem to be ...
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Connection Between Going to Canaan and Becoming a Great Nation
In Genesis (12:1-2) God tells Avraham to go to the land he would show him [Canaan] and that he would make him a great nation:
לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־...
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Where in Egypt did the Jews live while they were still slaves in Egypt
Where in Egypt did the Jews live while they were still slaves in Egypt?
So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed
brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down ...
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Is it forbidden to count Jewish people without uttering any words?
Related: Am I allowed to count people?
We are not allowed to count Jewish people. But one can count other objects to represent the people and one can also speak the words of a possuk where the ...
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Does Reform Judaism recognize children of Jewish father as Jews?
Does Reform Judaism recognize children of Jewish father as Jews (under conditions that father is Jewish both from mothers and fathers side). If so, that person does not have to go through conversion ...
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National Character affecting its Jewish Community
In pg. 3 of this interview by R' Hamburger שליט“א, he asserts in the name of the Michtav miEliyohu (Dessler זצ”ל) that the character of each nation's non-Jewish majority affected the temperment and ...
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How could laws related to "private life" be enforceable in Ancient Israel?
Obviously, mitzvot that are broken publicly, or that are found out carried with them enforceable punishments -- such as execution for murder or adultery, or retribution for theft or usury. However, my ...
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Isaiah 53 How does Israel's suffering atone for the sins of the nations?
Isaiah 53:4
Indeed, he bore our illnesses, and our pains-he carried them, yet we accounted him as plagued, smitten by God and oppressed.
דאָכֵן חֳלָיֵנוּ הוּא נָשָׂא וּמַכְאֹבֵינוּ סְבָלָם וַאֲנַחְנוּ ...
user2411
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Are the Conservatives and all who practice it considered non-Jews in the eyes of Orthodoxy
From what I understand, the Orthodox declared all within the German Reform movement as karet, cut off, non-Jews, and they don't recognize any Reform Jew as Jewish to this day. However, some of these ...
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Will Samaritans Become Jews When Moshiach Comes
I know in the Talmud there was a dispute whether or not Samaritans were actually Jews, so when moshiach comes will Samaritans become Jewish or will they just become a Bnei Noachide, also will ...
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