Christianity and Judaism have much in common, since both of these religions are Abrahamic. But there are also significant differences between them.
Relation to original sin
According to the Christian faith, every person is born with original sin and must atone for it throughout life. The apostle Paul wrote: “Sin came into the world through one man... And since the sin of one led to the punishment of all people, then the right deed of one leads to the justification and life of all people. And just as the disobedience of one made many sinners, so by the obedience of one, many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:12, 18-19). According to the Jewish religion, all people are born innocent, and to sin or not to sin is only our choice.
Ways to atone for sins
Christianity believes that Jesus atoned for all human sins by his sacrifice. But every Christian at the same time bears personal responsibility for his actions before God. You can atone for sins by repenting before the priest as an intermediary between the Lord and people.
In Judaism, a person can achieve the forgiveness of God only by his deeds and deeds. All the sins of the Jews are divided into two types: violations of God's commandments and crimes against another person. The former are forgiven if the Jew sincerely repents of them. But at the same time, there are no intermediaries between God and man, as in Christianity. In the case of a crime against someone, a Jew should beg for forgiveness not from God, but exclusively from the one whom he offended.
Relation to other world religions
Christianity claims that only those who believe in the one true God will go to heaven after death. In turn, the Jews believe that in order to enter Paradise, it will be enough to observe the seven basic commandments received by Moses from God. If a person observes these laws, he will go to heaven regardless of what religion he professes - if he is a non-Jew, then he is called a righteous non-Jew. True, Judaism is loyal only to monotheistic religions, but does not accept pagan teachings because of polytheism and idolatry.
Ways of communication between man and God
In Christianity, the mediators between man and God are the priests. Only they have the right to conduct certain religious rites. In Judaism, the presence of rabbis is not required during religious ceremonies.
Faith in one Savior
As you know, in Christianity, Jesus is honored as the Son of God, who alone can lead people to God: “Everything has been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father but the Son, and to whom the Son wishes to reveal” (Matthew 11:27). Accordingly, Christian doctrine is based on the fact that only through faith in Jesus can one come to God. In Judaism, a person who does not adhere to this creed can approach God: “God is with those who cry out to Him” (Ps. 145:18). At the same time, God cannot be represented in any form, he cannot have an image or a body.
Attitude to the problem of good and evil
In Christianity, the source of evil is Satan, who appears as a force opposite to God. From the point of view of Judaism, there is no other higher power than God, and everything in the world can only happen according to God's will: "I create the world and cause disasters." (Ishayahu, 45:7).
Attitude towards worldly life
Christianity teaches that the very purpose of human life is to prepare for the subsequent afterlife. The Jews, on the other hand, see the main goal in improving the already existing world. For Christians, worldly desires are associated with sin and temptation. According to Jewish teaching, the soul is more important than the body, but the worldly can also be related to the spiritual. So, unlike Christianity, in Judaism there is no concept of a vow of celibacy. The creation of a family and the continuation of the family for the Jews is a holy cause.
The same applies to material goods. For Christians, the vow of poverty is the ideal of holiness, while the Jews consider the accumulation of wealth a positive quality.
Attitude towards miracles
Miracles play an important role in the Christian religion. Judaism sees it differently. So, the Torah says that if someone publicly manifests supernatural miracles and calls himself a prophet, and then begins to instruct people to violate God's instructions, then he should be killed as a false prophet (Deut. 13: 2-6).
Attitude towards the coming of the Messiah
Christians believe that the Messiah has already come to Earth in the form of Jesus. The Jews are waiting for the coming coming of the Messiah. They believe that this will be associated with significant changes in the world, which will lead to the reign of universal consent and the recognition of one God.
Initially, Judaism and Christianity were one and the same teaching, but over time they split into two directions: that is, two religions that largely contradict one another. Although they have common origins, now there are more differences between them than similarities. What is the difference between Jews and Christians? Let's find out the answer to this question in this article.
Judaism acts as the religion of the Jews, distant descendants who made a vow to Abraham. Main distinguishing feature Judaism - it tells about the chosenness of the nation of Jews in relation to other peoples.
Christianity- is a religion that does not depend on nationality. Anyone who considers himself a follower of Jesus Christ can become a Christian.
The difference between Judaism and Christianity
How are these two religions different from each other? Do they have something in common? We will talk about this in more detail now.
Features of early relations between Jews and Christians
It should be noted that the Jews did not treat Christians very well even from the moment of the independent formation of the church. Jews often engaged in provocation of the Roman authorities in order to start persecuting Christians.
And in more later times in the New Testament we find mention that it was the Jews who were responsible for the suffering of the Savior, as well as for the subsequent persecution of his disciples.
This, in turn, led to a negative attitude of adherents of the new religion towards the Jews. Later, as a result of this attitude, many anti-Semitic actions were justified in a number of states of the world.
Since the second century AD, there has been an increase in negative attitudes towards the Jews on the part of Christians.
Modern relations between Jews and Christians
Some improvement in relations between the two religions begins in the sixties of the twentieth century. At that time, there is an official change in the perception of the Catholic Church of the Jews, and most of the prayers are freed from anti-Semitic elements.
In 1965, the Vatican adopted a declaration "On the attitude of the Church towards non-Christian religious teachings." According to it, the Jews are no longer blamed for the death of Christ, plus any anti-Semitic activity is condemned.
Pope Paul the sixth had to officially ask for forgiveness from non-Christian peoples (in particular, from the Jews) for long-term persecution. As for the Jews themselves, they are characterized by a fairly loyal attitude towards Christians. Although they find some of the Christian religious customs incomprehensible to themselves, but, despite this, they show a favorable attitude towards the fact that the basic elements of Judaism are used in other religions (in particular, in Christianity).
Do Jews and Christians have the same god?
It is no secret that the Christian Bible consists of two parts: the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the basis of Judaism, and the New Testament is the teaching of Christ and his disciples.
It turns out that both Christians and Jews have the same basis of religion and worship the same Deity, the difference lies only in the rites of serving him.
Even the name of the Deity remains the same - Yahweh, which in translation into Russian means "Existing".
Differences in postulates
Separately, it is necessary to dwell on the main differences in worldview.
Christians believe in three main dogmas, namely:
- original sin of all mankind;
- the second coming of Christ;
- atonement for all sins at the expense of the death of the Savior.
Adherents of Christianity believe that the main human problems can be solved with the help of these dogmas. As for the Jews, they do not recognize these principles.
Differing Perceptions of Sins
Another important difference between Jews and Christians lies in their different attitudes towards sin. For example, Christians believe that all people have already been born sinners (due to original sin) and can get rid of it only by living a worthy life.
As for the Jews, on the contrary, they believe that all people are born innocent, and during their life they choose on their own whether to commit sins or not.
Methods of cleansing from sin
From the foregoing difference in regard to sins follows a difference in their redemption.
Christians believe that all human sins have already been atoned for by Christ at the expense of his sacrifice. But for all the deeds committed by a person during his lifetime, he will answer to the Creator after death. At the same time, forgiveness of sins can be obtained from a priest endowed with such power in Christianity.
In Judaism, it is believed that a person is able to receive forgiveness solely due to his good deeds and deeds.
And all sins are divided into two types:
- committed against God's will;
- committed against other people.
A Jew receives forgiveness of the first category, subject to sincere repentance and regret for what he has done. At the same time, he does not need to go to confession in the church - it is enough to pray to the Almighty from the bottom of his heart.
Perception of other world religious movements
In almost all religious teachings of the world there is a single doctrine - only people who believe in the real God can be in Heaven (or Paradise). For all who disregard this rule immortal life in Heaven becomes unavailable.
In Christianity, this doctrine is also observed to some extent. But Judaism is characterized by a more tolerant perception of other religions.
In particular, the Jews believe that any righteous person who during his life adhered to the seven main commandments given to people by Moses and received by him from the Almighty himself can end up in Paradise.
These commandments are universal, so it is not necessary for a person to believe in the Torah.
Let's take a look at these 7 basic commandments:
- one must believe that the Universe was created by a single Creator;
- you can't blaspheme;
- laws must be followed;
- a ban on worshiping idols;
- a ban on theft;
- prohibition on adultery;
- ban on consumption from the living.
It is believed that even if a person is not a Jew by blood, but will keep all these commandments, he will be able to end up in the Garden of Eden after death.
Also, generally speaking, it should be mentioned that the Jews quite loyally perceive monotheistic religions (for example, Islam in Christianity), however, paganism is categorically not accepted (due to polytheism and worship of idols).
Different perceptions of good and evil
Another very big difference lies in the attitude towards good and evil among Jews and Christians. What is this difference?
Christians place great emphasis on the concept of Satan (Devil). It is he who is personified by a huge, powerful force, which is the root cause of evil and all disasters on earth. Christians have made Satan the opposite of the Creator.
This is where the difference is hidden, because the main belief of the Jews is the belief in the only (!) And omnipotent Creator. The Jews are firmly convinced that no other High power other than the Creator. And, proceeding from this, the Jew never divides good into the will of God, and does not attribute evil to the intrigues of unclean forces. In Judaism, God acts as a just judge, repaying good deeds and able to punish bad ones.
Perception of original sin
You already know about the concept of original sin among Christians. and did not comply God's will for which they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. It is for this reason that all newborns are already considered sinful.
The Jews deny this approach and say that all babies are initially innocent and can achieve any worldly blessings. And only on the responsibility of the person himself is what kind of life - righteous or sinful he will live.
Perception of worldly life and worldly comforts
And the last difference lies in the perception of worldly life and comforts among Jews and Christians. How does it manifest itself? Christians consider the life after death to be the main goal of life for all people. Jews, of course, also believe in the existence of the afterlife, but their main task in life is to improve their real life.
These concepts can be clearly observed in the perception of both religions of worldly desires and desires of the body:
- Christians believe that all human desires are unholy and are called upon to tempt the righteous to commit sins. They are convinced that only pure souls who during their lifetime were not subject to temptations. And proceeding from this, each Orthodox is supposed to pay more attention to his spiritual development than worldly desires. It is because of this that the Pope and the priests are supposed to adhere to the vow of celibacy, limiting worldly pleasures for themselves in order to gain greater holiness.
- In Judaism, the soul is also considered to be more important than the body, but it is not considered that one should completely limit all one's carnal desires. The Jews make the process of their fulfillment a good deed. Therefore, they treat the Christian vow of celibacy with incomprehension, because for them the family and procreation are a purely holy deed.
Similarly, these two religions perceive wealth and material wealth differently. Christians take a vow of poverty, because for them it represents the ideal of holiness. And the Jews, from their position, find the accumulation of financial benefits a positive quality. We hope that we have helped you understand the differences between the religions of Christians and Jews.
Very often, Christians mistakenly refer to Jews who belong to Judaism as brothers in faith, not knowing that these religions, although related, have significant differences. After all, the Old Testament is common, Jesus came precisely to Israel, the Jews are called everywhere God's people. What are the differences and how should an Orthodox Christian treat Judaism?
Judaism - what is this religion
Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion, the followers of which were born Jews or converted to this faith during their lifetime. Despite the ancient age (more than 3000 years), there are not so many followers of this trend - only about 14 million people. At the same time, it was from Judaism that such movements as Christianity and Islam came out, which today have the most a large number of followers. What do the Jews confess?
Judaism is the faith (religion) of the Jewish people
The main idea of religion is faith in the One God Yahweh (one of the names of God) and the observance of His commandments, which are set forth in the Torah. In addition to the Torah, the Jews also have the Tanakh - another sacred text, the belief in the holiness of which has become one of the fundamental differences from Christianity.
Based on these two documents, the Jews hold the following views:
- Monotheism - believe in the One God the Father, who created the earth and man in His image and likeness.
- God is Perfect and Almighty and is also presented as the source of Grace and Love for all. He is not only God for man, but also a loving Father who has mercy and helps to be saved from sin.
- There can be dialogues between man and God, i.e. prayers. It does not require sacrifice or any other manipulation. God wants to approach man directly and does so according to His will. A person should only strive for dialogue and the holiness of God.
- The value of a person who is created in the image of God is enormous. He has his own purpose from the Lord, which consists in endless and all-round spiritual perfection.
- In the history of mankind there are great people and prophets, about whose life the Old Testament writes. Among them are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah and other wise men who are fundamental personalities in Judaism and role models.
- The main moral principles of religion are love for the Almighty and for one's neighbor;
- The basis of religion is the Ten Commandments, the observance of which must be strictly for a Jew.
- The doctrine of the openness of religion, i.e. the opportunity to apply to anyone who wants to.
- The doctrine of the coming of the Messiah - a prophet and a king who will save mankind.
These are far from all the theses of Judaism, but they are fundamental and allow you to form an opinion about this religion. In fact, it is the closest to Christianity in its beliefs, but still has significant differences.
Read about religion:
Difference from Orthodoxy
Despite having the same belief in an Almighty and Loving God, Christianity differs significantly from Judaism in a number of theological issues. And it was these differences that became irreconcilable for their followers.
Jews pray in the synagogue
The differences include:
- Recognition of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and Lord as part of the Holy Trinity - the Jews reject this fundamental foundation of Christianity and refuse to believe in the divinity of Christ. They also reject Christ as the Messiah because they do not understand the importance and value of His death on the cross. They wanted to see a Warrior Messiah who would save them from the oppression of other peoples, but a simple man came who saved humanity from sin - the main enemy. Misunderstanding and denial of this is the main and fundamental difference between these religions.
- For a Christian, the salvation of the soul is only in faith in Jesus Christ, but for a Jew this is not important. In their opinion, people of all faiths, even radically different, can be saved, provided that the basic commandments (10 Commandments + 7 commandments of the sons of Noah) are observed.
- For a Christian, the fundamental commandments are not only the 10 laws of the Old Testament, but also the 2 commandments that Christ gave. Jews recognize only the Old Testament and its laws.
- Belief in Chosenness: For the followers of Christ, it is clear that everyone who confesses Christ can be saved and become part of God's people. For Jews, faith in their chosenness is fundamental and indisputable, despite their actions and lifestyle.
- Missionary - the Jews do not seek to enlighten other peoples and convert them to their faith, but for Christians - this is one of the commandments of Christ "Go and teach."
- Tolerance: Christians try to be tolerant towards representatives of other faiths and be meek during times of oppression; ideas, on the contrary, are extremely aggressive towards other religions and always militantly defend their beliefs and rights.
The attitude of the Orthodox Church towards Judaism
Throughout the church Christian history(as well as the history of Judaism) there were militant skirmishes that concerned disagreements in dogmatic issues.
Synagogue - a place of public worship and the center of life of the Jewish community
At the beginning of the birth of Christianity (the first centuries AD), the Jews were extremely militant towards its representatives, starting with the crucifixion of Christ himself and the persecution of His first disciples. Later, with the widespread spread of Christianity, its followers began to treat Jews cruelly and infringe them in every possible way.
According to historical documents, there was a forced baptism of Jews in 867–886. and later. Also, many people know about the persecution of Jews as a people already in the 19th-20th centuries, especially in the USSR and during the Second World War, when millions of Jews suffered.
The Church today responds to this in the following way:
- a violent attitude towards the Jews took place, but much later than the Christians suffered;
- it was an exception, not a ubiquitous practice;
- The Church has a negative attitude towards such manifestations of violence and condemns the actions and the very idea of forced conversion.
Alexander Men once very clearly expressed his attitude towards Judaism, and it completely coincides with the opinion of the entire Orthodox Church and its attitude. According to him, the Old Testament became the basis for the three main monistic religions that arose in the bosom of the culture of ancient Israel. Both Judaism and Christianity, despite their unequivocal recognition of the Old Testament, have their own teachings and canons, which have their own theological differences.
Despite this, according to the independent definition of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is multinational and does not want and will expel Jewish elements from its bosom, since it has many of them in itself.
Important! Christianity is a brotherly religion and accepts anyone and everyone who shares its values. At the same time, she does not deny different cultures and nationalities, but strives to spread faith in Christ among all peoples and cultures.
Orthodox Church accepts all nations, including Jews, but is not ready to accept the beliefs of Judaism, because it finds them wrong. If a Jew wishes to attend worship services, no one will interfere with him or treat him with disdain. But Orthodox Christian cannot accept his beliefs because he confesses Christ, whom the Jews reject as Lord.
From this follows the conclusion that every Orthodox Christian should politely and tolerantly accept other cultures and religions, but without renouncing his national origin and faith in Jesus Christ.
The fundamental difference between Christianity and Judaism
It is difficult to unequivocally determine the attitude of the Jews to Jesus Christ, since most of them are adherents of rabbinic Judaism based on the Talmud, the predecessor of which was the Pharisees. The main difficulty that causes such an ambiguous attitude lies in the fact that he did not establish the predicted kingdom of Israel, which was supposed to bring liberation to the people of the Jews, did not fulfill or did not fulfill most of the prophecies found in the Old Testament. Therefore, many Jews do not see in Jesus the Messiah, who was supposed to bring prosperity to the whole earth.
Due to the fact that, unlike other Christian religions, Judaism requires a literal, not delayed in time, occupation of the throne of David by the Messiah, and the eternal reign on it, the attitude of the Jews towards Jesus Christ remains unchanged in their denial of him as the Messiah. Therefore, one should not count on the mass voluntary faith of Jews in Christ as God in the future, especially this applies to the Jews of the Haridim, that is, the Orthodox world. For them, if such a process is possible before his Second Coming, then only in the same supernatural way, as happened with the Apostle Paul, to whom Jesus appeared personally, and the appearance of a direct prophecy associated with the apostle's blindness. Even despite the fact that Paul was familiar with the teachings of the Jewish Christians, and was personally present during the dying sermon of Stephen, only a miracle helped him to be convinced of the correctness of the teachings that the first followers of Jesus preached.
The prophecy of Isaiah, described in the words of the Apostle Paul, foreshadowing the salvation of Israel, speaks of the coming of a deliverer for Zion. Only at this moment, according to the prophecy of Zechariah, believers will be able to understand and accept his coming, that is, to see the Messiah in him and really believe in him. At that moment, God will be able to take away the sins of the Jews, and the Jewish people will be saved by their Messiah Jesus. And it is precisely this interpretation, which does not coincide with classical expectations and ideas about how salvation will take place, that is more correct than the point of view accepted today.
Based on this, the understanding of some of the events becomes more consistent and logical, but does not change the previously established attitude of the Jews to Jesus Christ. According to the biblical texts, the Jewish people must meet their Messiah on Earth, and will remain the people of Israel for the whole thousand years of the forthcoming Messianic period. At this time, the Church from part of the Jews and Hellenes remains to “reign with Christ”, while the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and the great apostles of the Church will remain separately in New Jerusalem, and its inhabitants, that is, people living in New Jerusalem, will be called simply servants of God . This means that there is no absorption, much less displacement of one another.
Based on the existing system of Jewish faith, and its main criteria as to how the Messiah should act, and what results this should bring to the Jewish people in literally, there is an obvious conclusion about the attitude of the Jews to Christ, as having not fulfilled his obligations to the people of Israel. Only the literally and accurately realized prophecies found in the sacred books can change this point of view. Therefore, today there is no significant number of grounds that would allow us to expect the Jews to soon believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Messiah, and this situation will continue until the Second Coming of Jesus.
Judaism is a religious belief that is prevalent mainly among Jews. The very word "Judaism" comes from the name of Judas, who, as the Bible says, was the ancestor of the Jewish people. The basis of Judaism is the belief in one God - the Creator of the world.
The ancient Jews lived surrounded by pagan idolaters, so they had to make great efforts to defend the purity of their faith, constantly fight against idolatry, which, as can be seen from the Bible, often penetrated into their ranks. That is why Judaism still attaches great importance Biblical commandment against idol worship: “Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth. Do not worship them or serve them” (Ex. 20:4,5). It is the struggle against the worship of idols that explains the ban on the image of God. This prohibition is strictly followed by followers of Judaism. The forefather of the Jewish people Abraham, who was born more than two thousand years BC, is a symbol of gaining faith in the one God both for the Jews and for us Christians. When he was seventy-five years old he received his first revelations from God. The full formation of Judaism did not happen immediately - about four hundred years separate the first visions of Abraham from receiving God's commandments Moses, leader of the Jewish people. It is Moses who is considered the mediator who conveyed the law of God to the Jewish people in its entirety. This law, as we know, is contained in the Pentateuch of Moses. sacred religious text for the Jews is only that part of the Bible, which in our Christian tradition is called the Old Testament. By II-III centuries. according to R.H. Jews supplemented the Old Testament with two huge collections of books, which received the names "Talmud" and "Kabbalah". The Talmud is an interpretation of the oral traditions of Judaism, and Kabbalah is a mystical teaching that claims to know divine secrets through philosophical reasoning.
In the XVIII century. within the framework of Judaism in Poland and Ukraine, a movement of Hasidism arose, which is still very popular among Jews. This teaching is based on three principles formulated in Kabbalah. The first principle: God permeates everything with Himself - He is present in any of his creations. According to the second principle of Hasidism, the creation of the world by God continues uninterrupted - until now. Finally, the third principle states that man is an accomplice creative activity God - people not only comprehend and fulfill the will of God, but also participate in its formation.
According to Hasidism, nature is one of the manifestations of God. Hasidism sees the appointment of a person in serving God, in the knowledge of God's mysteries, in the desire to merge with God in prayer. Hasidism also contains the teaching that a holy person, a righteous man, can be endowed with such a supernatural power that will allow him to control nature at his own discretion. Man's task is ultimately to transform heaven into earth. Moreover, the instrument of this transformation is the fulfillment by people of 613 commandments, which are contained in the Pentateuch of Moses. It is precisely this number of commandments that the Jewish tradition counts, although the exact number of commandments is not determined in the Pentateuch itself.
Judaism is the first monotheistic religion in the history of mankind, that is, a religion that recognizes the existence of one God. The most important commandments are usually considered, firstly, the chosenness of the Jewish people, secondly, the fear of God, thirdly, justice, fourthly, the fulfillment of religious duty, and finally, fifthly, the systematic study of the Word of God, that is, the Pentateuch.
I will go into a little more detail on the first two principles and the last one, since the remaining two seem more or less obvious.
So, God's chosen people of the Jewish people. In what way, according to the Jews, did it manifest itself? That it is through the Jewish people one God opened up to the whole world. And this is the holy truth! The opinion of the Jews that they are God's chosen people gave them confidence that it was they who should represent God to the world, so they tried in every possible way to glorify the name of God, while showing the highest courage, steadfastness and fearlessness. A typical example of such glorification is given in the Talmud:
“Rabbi (that is, a rabbi, a religious teacher. - V.K.) Shmuel went to Rome. The Empress lost her bracelet, and he accidentally found it. It was announced across the country that whoever returns the bracelet within 30 days will receive a reward, and if after 30 days, he will lose his head. He didn't return it before the 30 days were up, although he found it earlier.
She told him: "Have you been out of town?"
He replied: "No, I was here."
She said, "But you didn't hear the announcement?"
“I heard,” he replied.
“What did it say?” she asked.
He replied: “If anyone returns it within 30 days, he will receive a reward, and if after that, he will lose his head.” She said: “Why didn't you return him earlier?” He replied: “So that no one says that I returned him out of fear of you, since I return him out of fear of the Almighty.”
She told him, "Blessed be the God of the Jews." This rabbi gave a wonderful answer to the empress! Of course, the story told is a historical anecdote, but it perfectly expresses the heroic religious zeal of the Jews.
Fear of God... The Bible speaks of two feelings that a person should experience before God - love and fear. On the one hand, the Bible says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5), and on the other hand, it says: “The Lord your God, be afraid, and serve Him alone” (Deut. 6:13). It must be said right away that the fear of God, which is spoken of in the Bible, should not be based on fear as such, but primarily on admiration for God and reverence for him. If one can speak of the fear of God, then only of the fear of offending His majesty. As one Islamic thinker taught: “Whoever is really afraid of something, he runs away from it, but whoever fears God, he runs to Him.” This was said by a Muslim, but what was said is true for the Jews and for us Christians. Therefore, love for God and fear of him in Judaism not only do not contradict each other, but, on the contrary, are closely interconnected: a follower of Judaism fears God precisely because he loves Him, bows before Him. For example, we are afraid to do something bad, forbidden by our parents, because we love and honor them and are afraid to upset them with our disobedience, thereby causing them to move away from us. It is important to note that the fear of God. Helps to overcome the fear of people. If a person is truly afraid of God, then he will strive to fulfill, first of all, His commandments, and not the commands of other people, which may contradict His commandments.
And, finally, about the need for an Orthodox Jew to study the Word of God. “The ignorant cannot be righteous,” said one famous Jewish clergyman of the times of Jesus Christ. He meant that a righteous life needs knowledge, and those who do not have it will not know how to behave. The source of knowledge that contributes to a righteous life, the Jews consider the Bible - the Old Testament. Therefore, its study is equated with the observance of the commandments to love God and fear Him. The desire of the Jews for the systematic study of the Bible - gave rise to their craving for education. Even in the Middle Ages, when most Christians and Muslims were illiterate, almost all Jews could read and write. In the XII century. one Catholic monk wrote that “a Jew, even a poor one, who has ten sons, teaches everyone to read and write, and not for profit, like Christians, but for the knowledge of the law of God, and not only sons, but also daughters.” The monk draws the absolutely correct conclusion that it would be nice if we Christians showed such a commendable desire for the study of the Word of God.
We know that Judaism has passed the baton God's Revelation Christianity. This found its expression in the addition of the Old Testament to the New, Christian, Testament.
Very important question: Do the Jews still continue to be the "chosen people"? There are different opinions about this. I think that after the coming of Jesus Christ, "the chosen people" are all genuine Christians, without distinction of nationality, For "in Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew." The relay has been passed.