Who are the Jews?

Often we come across such a concept as "Jews". Who are the Jews? In this article we will try to briefly discuss this issue.

Jews are one of the oldest Semitic peoplesorigin, originating in the Israeli and Jewish kingdoms, and now living in a large number of countries in the world. On our planet since 1948 is also the very Jewish state - Israel. The number of Jews is from 12 to 15 million people, of which about 40% live in Israel, and 35% in the United States. The official language of Jews living in Israel is Hebrew, but those Jews who are outside Israel speak the languages ​​of the peoples of the countries in which they live. In some countries, there are also a few special Hebrew languages, the largest of which is Yiddish, which is part of the Germanic language group.

Historical roots of the Jews

So, the Jews - who are they? How did the people form? The historical roots of the Jews come from the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who lived in Egypt about 2000 years before Christ. About a thousand years before our era, this people left Egypt (Exodus), and after passing through the wilderness and having accepted the Law of Torah at Mount Sinai, found the new land of Canaan. Here they formed 12 tribes (tribes) and formed their Kingdom. According to Judaic history, the Jews had a hard time - because of the constant warrior with neighboring states, the people settled around the world. The rejection of the Jews by Jesus Christ contributed to numerous persecutions against this people, which continue to this day. Only during the Second World War, about six million Jews were exterminated.

An ancient source of Jewish law Halacha,written by the teachers of the Talmud, defines a Jew as a person born of a Jewish mother or converted to Jewry in accordance with the religious canon. " Judaism is considered the traditional religion of the Jews. The concept of "Jew" exists along with the concept of "Jew", in principle they are indivisible, but nevertheless there are differences between them: a Jew is a nationality, and a Jew is a person professing Judaism. That is, it can be said that Jews are mostly Jews, but there is also a percentage of Jews who do not profess Judaism, and this must also be taken into account. The concept of "Jew" in the Russian language is considered humiliating for the representatives of the Jewish people, and educated people are not used.

Rite of Initiation into the Jews

The rite of initiation into the Jews isThe procedure is called gyur. In men, giyur is accompanied by circumcision of the foreskin and ablution in the mikve (a water reservoir for washing ritual uncleanness), and women need only to plunge into the mikvah for initiation. A person who has passed giyur is considered a Jew by nationality. He must observe all 613 commandments of the Torah, and if he lives abroad, he can claim to return to Israel. Preaching Judaism among other nations is strictly prohibited.