Jewish Identity
Many Jewish texts across genres illuminate the effort to define Jewish identity. Opinions vary whether character traits, national qualities, birth status, individual choice, covenantal obligation, spiritual quest, or something else define it.
Notable Sources
All Sources
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The Call to HolinessTANAKH
The Call to Holiness
TANAKH
The people of Israel, as God’s covenantal nation, are expected to embody specific traits. In the book of Leviticus, God commands the Jews to strive to be holy.
The Everlasting CovenantTANAKH
The Everlasting Covenant
TANAKH
The covenant that God made with Abraham establishes an everlasting connection between God and Abraham’s children. The book of Genesis recounts the formation of this covenant and the origins of the Jewish people.
Enduring IdentityTALMUD
Enduring Identity
TALMUD
When Israel sins and thereby disobeys God, do they lose their status as a covenantal people? The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin records Rabbi Abba's answer to this question.
The Stiff-Necked PeopleMIDRASH
The Stiff-Necked People
MIDRASH
The people of Israel are described as "stiff-necked," that is, stubborn. Shemot Rabbah, a medieval midrash on the book of Exodus, explores the possibility that this defining trait is a compliment rather than a criticism.
A Nation's Fall from GraceTANAKH
A Nation's Fall from Grace
TANAKH
Prophets are charged with rebuking the people of Israel for their misbehavior. Isaiah, a prophet from the eighth century BCE, denounces Israel as a sinful nation.
The Essence of Jewish IdentityTALMUD
The Essence of Jewish Identity
TALMUD
The Torah and the rabbis repeatedly command that Jews reject idolatry, which it turns out is not so simple in the ancient world. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Megillah records Rabbi Yochanan, a rabbi from the second to third century CE of the land of Israel, connecting the term for Jew (Yedudi) to the rejection of idolatry.
The Humble Journey of Rebbe NachmanCHASIDUT
The Humble Journey of Rebbe Nachman
CHASIDUT
Living up to the ideals of being Jewish is hard. Reb Nathan of Nemirov recounts his rebbe, Nachman of Breslov, returning often to this question.
The Intimate Bond with the DivineLITURGY
The Intimate Bond with the Divine
LITURGY
The Jewish people’s relationship with God is described using many metaphors, each exploring different aspects of that relationship. The Yom Kippur liturgy uses these metaphors to describe ways Jews can understand themselves and their connection to God.
The Foundation of Jewish IdentityCOMMENTARY
The Foundation of Jewish Identity
COMMENTARY
The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai is a critical moment in the history of the Jewish people, when God forms a covenant not with an individual but with the entire nation. Ramban, a 13th-century Jewish scholar, explores this moment as the origin of a Jewish national identity.
The 600,000 Interpretations of the TorahKABBALAH
The 600,000 Interpretations of the Torah
KABBALAH
Connection to Torah and its interpretations is a central element of Jewish identity. The 17th-century kabbalistic work, Chesed LeAvraham, by Rabbi Abraham Azulai in the land of Israel, connects each Jewish soul to a unique interpretation of the Torah.
Unity in DiversityMIDRASH
Unity in Diversity
MIDRASH
The four species waved ritually on Sukkot include the citron, palm branch, myrtle, and willow. Vayikra Rabbah, the fifth-century midrash on the book of Leviticus from the land of Israel, likens segments of the Jewish people based on particular traits to each of the four species and suggesting the symbolism of their union.
Maintaining Jewish Identity in EgyptJEWISH THOUGHT
Maintaining Jewish Identity in Egypt
JEWISH THOUGHT
According to rabbinic tradition, when the Jews were enslaved in Egypt, they carefully maintained certain fundamental aspects of their identity. Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague better known by the acronym Maharal, in his 16th-century philosophical interpretation of the Exodus and the Haggadah, Gevurot Hashem, uses this midrash to explore the implications of their identity preservation
Inherent Wisdom in PracticeTALMUD
Inherent Wisdom in Practice
TALMUD
Legal decisions were passed down orally for much of the rabbinic period. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Pesachim recounts a story in which Hillel forgets the law but remembers after seeing his fellow Jews, “children of the prophets,” act in a particular way.
Navigating Jewish Identity in Modern TimesJEWISH THOUGHT
Navigating Jewish Identity in Modern Times
JEWISH THOUGHT
One may identify as a Jew either by birth or by choosing to live as a Jew. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, a former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, discusses this dichotomy as a product of modernity and a challenge to understanding modern Jewish identity.
Pride in Jewish IdentityMUSAR
Pride in Jewish Identity
MUSAR
If a person is not recognized as obviously Jewish, ought they reveal their identity or hide it? Thirteenth-century Catalonian Rabbi Yonah Gerondi, in his ethical tract Sefer HaYirah, encourages Jews to proudly proclaim their Jewish identity, even when it is difficult.
Imbuing Jewish Identity on PassoverJEWISH THOUGHT
Imbuing Jewish Identity on Passover
JEWISH THOUGHT
The Passover seder, when Jews celebrate the redemption from Egypt and the birth of their nation, has at its heart a focus on the parent-child relationship. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, a 19th-century German philosopher and rabbi, connects this element of the seder to instilling one’s children with a strong Jewish identity.
Determining Jewish IdentityHALAKHAH
Determining Jewish Identity
HALAKHAH
Traditionally, one's Jewish status is determined by one's mother's Jewish status, though some liberal Jewish denominations have legitimized “patrilineal descent.” Rabbi Dr. J. David Bleich, a 20th-century American rabbi and professor, discusses the implications of this contemporary debate on Jewish identity.
Awakening to Jewish IdentityHALAKHAH
Awakening to Jewish Identity
HALAKHAH
According to the Torah, when a person transgresses a commandment unintentionally or without knowledge of the commandment, one is required to bring a sin offering. In Mishneh Torah, Rambam's famed 12th-century code of Jewish law, relates this law to one who grew up unaware of one’s Jewish identity but later discovered it.
Determining Jewish IdentityMISHNAH
Determining Jewish Identity
MISHNAH
When a child is found stranded, one can try to determine whether or not the child is Jewish based on the surrounding majority. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law, from the early third-century land of Israel, in tractate Makhshirin, discusses when such a child is considered Jewish or not, as well as who is counted in the majority.
The Covenant and Jewish IdentityCHASIDUT
The Covenant and Jewish Identity
CHASIDUT
The first person to whom the Torah says that God “appeared” was Abraham. Rabbi Aaron ben Asher Perlow of Karlin, a 19th-century Chasidic leader, explains that not only is Abraham the first Jew – forming the first covenant between God and his offspring – but he and his children serve as role models for our own spiritual quest and Jewish identity.
