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2 votes
2 answers
401 views

Were the prophets and holy people who lived before Judah (Yehudah) also Jews?

The word "Jew" originates from the name of Jacob's son, Judah. The term "Jew" was introduced many generations and decades after him. I wonder whether Adam, Noah, Lot, Abraham and ...
1 vote
0 answers
122 views

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&...
4 votes
2 answers
287 views

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 ...
0 votes
1 answer
184 views

The definitions of Judaism and Jew

An infinite loop: Judaism according to Google is "the monotheistic religion of the Jews". And Jew is "a member of the people and cultural community whose traditional religion is Judaism and who ...
1 vote
1 answer
360 views

Who is a Jew according the Tanach?

Does the Tanach give guidelines to Identify who is a Jew and who is not?
2 votes
5 answers
5k views

What's the difference between "Jew", "Israelite" and "Judaizer"? [closed]

What's the difference between "Jew", "Israelite" and "Judaizer"? Can these three terms be used interchangeably? Can only one or only two of these terms be applied to one person?
4 votes
1 answer
845 views

Jew vs Gentile, terminology in the Jewish Holy Book(s)?

I have never understood fully the distinction between the Jewish race and the religion. I was wondering how the Chosen People/Jewish person vs Gentile is interpreted in the Jewish faith. When the ...
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Israel Am v.s. Goy

Is Israël an Am or Goy or both? whats the Torah definition and best translation of both terms? Because it seems that Israël is being called both Am as a Goy. (Am Kadosh: Devarim 26:19 and Goy Kadosh:...
2 votes
1 answer
273 views

Do the sages ever use the word "Jews" to describe the B'nai Israel before the Assyrian captivity?

This may be more a semantic question than anything else, but I'm wondering what the position is on using the word "Jew" to refer to Israelites before the Assyrian captivity. My impression is that the ...
5 votes
1 answer
301 views

What's "chosen" about Jews?

Jews are commonly referred to as "the chosen people". I've heard it comes from Exodus 19:5 ("וִהְיִיתֶם לִי סְגֻלָּה מִכָּל הָעַמִּים", "ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples", JPS). ...
4 votes
4 answers
522 views

Are those who reject idolatry Yahudim (Jews)?

I found the following quote referencing Gemara from a book on converts in Judaism: The Gemara (Megillah 13•) states that we find the appellation “Yehudi” in Nach only three times: once for ...
7 votes
2 answers
277 views

Why switch the reference from "גוי" to "עם" in Tachanun?

Why does the prayer "Shomer Yisra'el" in Tachanun say in two of the verses the word גוי in the first and last phrase, but עם in the middle phrase? שומר גוי אחד שמור שארית עם אחד ואל יאבד גוי אחד .....
11 votes
1 answer
2k views

"Don't say 'lehavdil' between one Jew and another."

In today's Parashat Hashavu'a Chat, I used the qualification "lehavdil" (*) to apply to a pun that jokingly and innocuously related the actions of Datan and Aviram to those of a community member here. ...