In light of recent current discussions about the construction of racial identity and gender identity, what is it that comprises the essence of Jewish identity?
(א) אֵ֜לֶּה מַסְעֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָצְא֛וּ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹֽן׃ (ב) וַיִּכְתֹּ֨ב מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶת־מוֹצָאֵיהֶ֛ם לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־פִּ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וְאֵ֥לֶּה מַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶֽם׃ (ג) וַיִּסְע֤וּ מֵֽרַעְמְסֵס֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר י֖וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָרִאשׁ֑וֹן מִֽמָּחֳרַ֣ת הַפֶּ֗סַח יָצְא֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּיָ֣ד רָמָ֔ה לְעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (ד) וּמִצְרַ֣יִם מְקַבְּרִ֗ים אֵת֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִכָּ֧ה יְהוָ֛ה בָּהֶ֖ם כָּל־בְּכ֑וֹר וּבֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם עָשָׂ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה שְׁפָטִֽים׃
These are the journeys of B'nai Yisrael, as they went out of the land of Egypt by their units under the hand of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote their goings forth, journey by journey, by the Eternal's commandment; and these are their journeys at their goings forth. They journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the 15th day of the 1st month; on the day after passover, B'nai Yisrael went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Egyptians were burying those whom the Eternal had struck down among them, all their first-born; upon their gods also the Eternal made judgments.
(יג) וְלֹ֥א אִתְּכֶ֖ם לְבַדְּכֶ֑ם אָנֹכִ֗י כֹּרֵת֙ אֶת־הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶת־הָאָלָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת׃ (יד) כִּי֩ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֶשְׁנ֜וֹ פֹּ֗ה עִמָּ֙נוּ֙ עֹמֵ֣ד הַיּ֔וֹם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֛נּוּ פֹּ֖ה עִמָּ֥נוּ הַיּֽוֹם׃
Not with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; but with those that stand here with us this day before the Eternal our God, and also with those who are not here with us this day—
(יד) וְעַתָּ֞ה יְר֧אוּ אֶת־יְהוָ֛ה וְעִבְד֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ בְּתָמִ֣ים וּבֶֽאֱמֶ֑ת וְהָסִ֣ירוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁר֩ עָבְד֨וּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֜ם בְּעֵ֤בֶר הַנָּהָר֙ וּבְמִצְרַ֔יִם וְעִבְד֖וּ אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃ (טו) וְאִם֩ רַ֨ע בְּֽעֵינֵיכֶ֜ם לַעֲבֹ֣ד אֶת־יְהוָ֗ה בַּחֲר֨וּ לָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮ אֶת־מִ֣י תַעֲבֹדוּן֒ אִ֣ם אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֞ים אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֣וּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ בעבר [מֵעֵ֣בֶר] הַנָּהָ֔ר וְאִם֙ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֣י הָאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֖ם יֹשְׁבִ֣ים בְּאַרְצָ֑ם וְאָנֹכִ֣י וּבֵיתִ֔י נַעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃ (פ)
[After another national gathering and retelling of a shared history.] Now therefore fear the Eternal, and serve God in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve the Eternal. If it seems ill to you to serve the Eternal, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Eternal.’
(א) וּכְכַלּ֣וֹת אֵ֗לֶּה נִגְּשׁ֨וּ אֵלַ֤י הַשָּׂרִים֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹֽא־נִבְדְּל֞וּ הָעָ֤ם יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים וְהַלְוִיִּ֔ם מֵעַמֵּ֖י הָאֲרָצ֑וֹת כְּ֠תוֹעֲבֹֽתֵיהֶם לַכְּנַעֲנִ֨י הַחִתִּ֜י הַפְּרִזִּ֣י הַיְבוּסִ֗י הָֽעַמֹּנִי֙ הַמֹּ֣אָבִ֔י הַמִּצְרִ֖י וְהָאֱמֹרִֽי׃ (ב) כִּֽי־נָשְׂא֣וּ מִבְּנֹֽתֵיהֶ֗ם לָהֶם֙ וְלִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם וְהִתְעָֽרְבוּ֙ זֶ֣רַע הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ בְּעַמֵּ֖י הָאֲרָצ֑וֹת וְיַ֧ד הַשָּׂרִ֣ים וְהַסְּגָנִ֗ים הָֽיְתָ֛ה בַּמַּ֥עַל הַזֶּ֖ה רִאשׁוֹנָֽה׃ (ס)
Now when these things were done, the princes drew near unto me, saying: ‘The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken their daughters for themselves and for their sons; so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the peoples of the lands; the hand of the princes and rulers has been first in this faithlessness.’
Shift from Closed Religion to Open Religion
From the Macabees to the Mishnah, Shaye Cohen, p. 51
The exile of 587 B.C.E., however, brought in its wake the destruction of the old order. The tribal structure was gone; the Jews who returned from Babylon to Judea were organized as clans, not tribes. Their ritual classification was "Priest, Levite, and Israelite," the classification that has endured in Judaism to this day. Many Jews, of course, did not return at all, but remained in Babylonia. Within a few centuries the diaspora in the East was complemented by an extensive diaspora in the West. Political autonomy was lost. In this new setting the old conception of Israelite nationhood no longer made sense. The Jews began to redefine themselves as a religion, and it was Judaism. not the religion of pre-exilic Israel, that prohibited intermarriage but permitted conversion.
(ב) כְּשֶׁבָּא לְהִתְגַּיֵּר אוֹמְרִים לוֹ: מָה רָאִיתָ שֶׁבָּאתָ לְהִתְגַּיֵּר, אֵי אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה דְּחוּפִים סְחוּפִים (פי' אֲבוּדִים וּסְחוּפִים מִן מַדּוּעַ נִסְחַף אַבִּירֶיךָ (יִרְמִיָּה מו, טו) ) וּמְטֹרָפִים, וְיִסוּרִים בָּאִים עֲלֵיהֶם. אִם אָמַר: יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי וְאֵינִי כְּדַאי לְהִתְחַבֵּר עִמָּהֶם, מְקַבְּלִין אוֹתוֹ מִיָּד וּמוֹדִיעִים אוֹתוֹ עִקָּרֵי הַדָּת שֶׁהוּא יִחוּד ה' וְאִסוּר עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים, וּמַאֲרִיכִין עִמּוֹ בְּדָבָר זֶה, וּמוֹדִיעִים אוֹתוֹ מִקְצָת מִצְוֹת קַלּוֹת וּמִקְצָת מִצְוֹת חֲמוּרוֹת, וּמוֹדִיעִים אוֹתוֹ מִקְצָת עֳנָשִׁין שֶׁל מִצְוֹת... אִם קִבֵּל, מָלִין אוֹתוֹ מִיָּד וּמַמְתִּינִים לוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּתְרַפֵּא רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה וְאַחַר כָּךְ מַטְבִּילִין אוֹתוֹ טְבִילָה הוֹגֶנֶת בְּלֹא חֲצִיצָה.וּשְׁלֹשָׁה עוֹמְדִים עַל גַּבָּיו, וּמוֹדִיעִים אוֹתוֹ מִקְצָת מִצְוֹת קַלּוֹת וּמִקְצָת מִצְוֹת חֲמוּרוֹת פַּעַם שְׁנִיָּה, וְהוּא עוֹמֵד בַּמַּיִם. וְאִם הָיְתָה אִשָּׁה, נָשִׁים מוֹשִׁיבוֹת אוֹתָהּ בַּמַּיִם עַד צַוָּארָהּ, וְהַדַּיָּנִים מִבַּחוּץ, וּמוֹדִיעִין אוֹתָהּ מִקְצָת מִצְוֹת קַלּוֹת וַחֲמוּרוֹת, וְהִיא יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּמַּיִם, וְאַחַר כָּךְ טוֹבֶלֶת בִּפְנֵיהֶם וְהֵם מַחֲזִירִים פְּנֵיהֶם וְיוֹצְאִין, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִרְאוּ אוֹתָהּ כְּשֶׁתַּעֲלֶה מֵהַמַּיִם, וִיבָרֵךְ עַל הַטְּבִילָה אַחַר שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה מִן הַמַּיִם...
When one come to covert, they say to them: "What do you see that you have come to convert? Do you know that Israel in this time is persecuted, oppressed, hurt, and punished?" If they say: "I know, and I am not worthy to join them," they receive that one immediately, and make known to them the principles of the religion, which are God's unity, the forbidding of pagan worship, and they go on at length with them about that, and they make known to them some of the minor and major commandments, and make known to them the consequences of the commandments...
Current Discussions
Jerusalem Post, July 7, 2015
Minister for Religious Services and Shas MK David Azoulai has made incendiary comments once again about non-Orthodox Jews, saying that he could not describe them as Jews. Speaking on Army Radio on Tuesday, Azoulai said that only people who follow Jewish law can be described as Jewish and described non-Orthodox streams as “people who try and falsify” the Jewish religion. “Any Jew who observes the Torah and commandments is for us a Jew…A Reform Jew, from the moment he does not follow Jewish law I cannot allow myself to say that he is a Jew,” said the minister. [Note: Azoulai later issued a partial retraction.]