MODERATION OF THE JEWS The strict observance of ritual purity largely contributed to the traditional moderation in the sexual life of the ancient Jews, like many representatives of this people today. Except for two weeks of abstinence monthly - from the eve of menstruation to

THE MYTH ABOUT THE JEWS 'INFECTIOUS DISEASES The myth that Jews transmit infectious diseases has long lived in the world. Even in antiquity, it was believed that they suffered from numerous skin diseases; so, for example, Moses allegedly had lichen. Greek and Roman authors have repeatedly hinted

THE MYTH OF JEWS 'Lustfulness To further inflame the hatred of Jews, anti-Semites have often resorted to the myth of their unbridled lust. Drawings and figurines of the Middle Ages often depict a Jew sucking on the nipples of a pig. Even in the 19th century. found a cartoonist

JUDAISM - TRADITIONAL JEWS RELIGION Judaism creed. Land of the Fertile (Blessed) Crescent. Semites - Amorites - people of "Ibri". Symbol of faith of Judaism Judaism is the modern name of the most ancient monotheistic religion in the world. The name comes from

The Hope of the Jews From the time when Moses led his people out of Egyptian slavery, the Jews believed that in difficult times Jehovah God would send them a Savior who would triumph over their enemies and bring the happiness of eternal Justice and Peace.

For nearly two millennia, Christian missionaries urged Jews to accept their faith, but they failed every time. What drove our ancestors? Why were they so “unyielding”?

Recently, much has been said and written about a number of religious movements of the Judeo-Christian persuasion. One of them, perhaps the loudest and most active, is “Jews for Jesus”. Apparently, a small group of Jews found something very attractive in the tenets of Christianity, although the overwhelming majority of the Jewish people, as before, strongly reject this religion.

For almost two thousand years, Christians have been flirting with Jews in the vain hope of winning them over to their side. But why are the Jews so stubbornly rejecting the outstretched hand? Why is Jesus bad for us? In other words: why are we not Christians?

To answer this question, let's take a look at the origins of the Christian doctrine, about the founder of which the Christians themselves say that he was a Jew. It is also known that this founder lived according to Jewish laws, and the terms of his life fell on a very turbulent time. The greatest Talmudic sages were contemporaries of Jesus. Just one generation before him lived the great teacher of the law, Hillel, and a generation later, Rabbi Akiva. True, in our national sources very little is reported about the private life of Jesus. Almost all available information goes back to the Gospels of the New Testament, written by the leaders of the early Christian church for their flock. But the main purpose of the Gospels was to establish and spread the doctrine of the new religion. That is why it is so difficult to separate the true, historical Jesus from that mythical Christ ("anointed one"), which early Christian theology invented for its ideological purposes.

Immediately after the death of Jesus, his followers made fundamental changes in their teaching. The foundations of modern Christianity were laid by Paul of Tarsus (the Hebrew name of Sela, in the accepted transcription Saul), a former disciple of the great Jewish sage Raban Gamliel. This Sela began his career with an active struggle against the early Christians. Then, "having experienced an enlightenment" on the way to Damascus, he converted to Christianity and soon became one of its leaders. The converted Paul never met Jesus, but claimed to be talking to his spirit. It was under Paul that Christianity first proclaimed its most important dogmas, which have remained practically unchanged since then. Paul's teachings are recorded in the so-called Epistles, which make up the second part of the New Testament.

Paul formulated the following main tenets (dogmas) of the Christian faith:

1. Jesus was the Messiah, in Greek Christ (the anointed one). His coming was predicted by biblical prophets and had long been anticipated by the Jews. He is also the son of God and, as a son, has practically the same qualities as the Father.
2. Man is bad and sinful by nature. All mankind was cursed because of Adam's original sin. The Jewish Torah cannot save a person because its many commandments are too difficult to fulfill. The only thing that can save you from complete damnation and hell is faith in Christ.
3. In the beginning, the Jews were the chosen people, but then God rejected them for refusing to accept His son, Jesus. The very name Israel, given by God to His people, now belongs not to the Jews, but to those who believe in Jesus the Messiah. They alone are worthy of His love and protection.

All the rest are doomed to burn in "fiery hell."

1. With the coming of Christ, only one law remained. It is a duty to love. People should follow the example of Jesus, imitate his sacrifice, humility, patience - in the hope that God will show mercy towards them.

It is clear from the mere listing of these four dogmas why the Jews do not accept the Christian doctrine. Let's try to give objections to them from the Jews.

1. Jesus could not be the Messiah. The biblical prophets, who actually predicted that the Messiah would come, at the same time promised that after his coming, an era of universal peace and love would come. But, as we can see, this has not happened yet. In addition, any talk that the Messiah is a "son of God" is absolutely unacceptable for Jews. According to the same Bible prophecies, the Savior (if we use this word) will only be an outstanding leader and teacher, but nothing more.
2. Although original sin does exist, the Torah teaches that man can overcome it. It does not dominate a person like an irresistible fate. Yes, man is sinful, but it is precisely for our correction and perfection that we received the Torah from Gd. It is absurd to say that the Law given by God is impossible or very difficult to fulfill. Moreover, we do not know of a single Jewish source that speaks of the possibility of being saved (for example, from the curse) with the help of faith alone. Sincere faith in Gd should lead to keeping His commandments. Save, i.e. to justify a person's life, can only keep the commandments.
3. It is impossible to imagine that Gd decided to one day reject the Jewish people. The Torah unambiguously and repeatedly speaks of the eternity of our union with Him. Hashem is not a person to reverse His promises.
4. The Torah is given to people for eternity. She herself repeats this promise several times. Therefore, it cannot be replaced by some new treaty or law. Love alone is clearly not enough; you must be able to express it. This is exactly what the Torah teaches us. Love for one's neighbor is only one of her commandments; but love must be backed up by good deeds.

Why do we believe in these ideas, and not in the Christian postulates of Paul and his followers? The fact is that Jesus did not in any way prove himself in the role of the Messiah, which the Jews expect. Prophecies about the messianic era predict that in the future people will live a happy life in a conflict-free world, with the full triumph of love and universal truth, when evil in all its manifestations will disappear: there will be no lies, no hatred, no violence, no idolatry. As we can see, Christianity failed to fulfill any of these conditions.

Christians disagree with our objection. All these changes, they say, took place with the coming of Jesus. They are simply invisible, since a person is still sinful and does not want to accept Christ and his teaching. Therefore, they say, the Messiah-Christ must return one more time to earth to prove the legitimacy of his mission.

For their part, the Jews do not accept the argument that the main biblical prophecies about the Messiah and his era will come true only after the "second coming." We are convinced that the Messiah will complete his great task on the first try, which means that his coming has not yet taken place.

But it is not only about the personality of the Messiah and the time of his coming. Christianity also teaches that Jesus was like a "double" of Gd, endowed with human flesh. Jews strongly reject this concept. Anyone who claims that Gd takes the form of a person, thereby belittles His greatness, undermines faith in His Unity and Absolute Omnipotence.

To speak of "God-man" is to be an idolater.

Jews disagree with Christians not only on the issue of faith; we have different views on the role of man in this world. Christianity sees no benefit in a person's actions, in his striving for perfection. The only thing that can save him, they say, is the state of extreme disappointment with material life, the bearer of sinfulness, as well as complete dependence on Gd. The Jews are convinced that a person can come closer to Gd, FOLLOWING His commandments and obeying His will. But at the same time remaining the one who has freedom of choice.

Thus, Christianity and Judaism have completely different, in essence, opposite conceptions of man.

Judaism claims that man was created "in the image and likeness of Gd." Therefore, he can easily find the Divine qualities in himself and in the people around him. Fulfilling the commandments, we thereby, as it were, let the Divine spark flare up in us. The Jew is keen not to miss this opportunity.

At the same time, the original postulate of Christianity tries to convince us of the original sinfulness and inferiority of man. Left alone with himself, a person is doomed to complete damnation. His nature is drawn to evil, so he must do something to save himself.

"What have you done to save yourself?" This is the first question of Christianity. To a Jew, such a formulation of the question seems meaningless. It is generally far from the Jewish way of thinking. The Jew phrases the question differently: “How can I serve Gd? How can I keep His commandments? " For the main goal of Judaism is to keep the laws of the Torah. We see in man, first of all, his potential greatness, for he alone in the entire universe is endowed with the ability to fulfill the commandments and carry out the will of the Creator.

Man is so bad, Christians say, that true service to Gd is simply too much for him. The Torah is too difficult for people. Therefore, they can only believe in Christ and wait for salvation.

The Jews answer: since Gd Himself gave us the commandments and ordered us to fulfill them, it means that we are able to serve Him and carry out His will. How can you believe that He deliberately placed an unbearable burden on His chosen people?

Although all of Jesus' disciples were Jews, they failed to convince their fellow tribesmen of the correctness of the new religious doctrine. Already during its inception, Christianity was closer to paganism than to Judaism. As time went on, the differences between these two worldviews did not soften, but, on the contrary, began to sharpen. The Jews increasingly rejected the new teaching; representatives of other nations enthusiastically joined the ranks of Christian proselytes. As a result, Christianity increasingly turned into a non-Jewish, and sometimes anti-Jewish religion. The Church persistently urged Jews to join her, using persuasion, and since the church established itself as the state religion in the Roman Empire, it also resorted to violence and cruelty. But the Jews held on firmly. Christianity has achieved considerable success; it has changed the course of history. But he never succeeded in subjugating the Jews. The people of Israel tenaciously held on to the Torah, continuing to follow their own unique path.

Most consistently, Jews rejected two of the most important Christian dogmas that Jesus is Gd in human form and that the Torah has lost its original meaning. Even the threat of death could not force the Jews to accept these provisions.

But while rejecting Christianity as a whole, Judaism did not dispute the spiritual side of its teachings. For all the banality of Jesus' sermons from the point of view of the Torah, they made an undeniable contribution to the formation of spiritual and moral values ​​of the gentile world.

But any Jew always knew that the Torah gave him a unique connection with Gd. Everything he discovered in Christianity interfered with this connection, contradicted its essence. This is why the Jewish people have rejected Christian dogma for centuries. He believed with complete faith that he was going the only correct path, foreseen by God, and categorically refused to leave him.

Original taken from piliagina_yulia in Is Christianity a Jewish Religion?

"Christians worship Jews" - you can often hear from all sorts of anti-Christians and most often from Slavic neo-pagans. What is meant by this is not entirely clear. After all, if we are talking about the One God, then He cannot be Jewish or Jewish by definition, unless, of course, the "critics" of Christianity fully understand the essence of monotheism. From the fact that at a certain moment in history God decided to fully reveal Himself to the people living in Palestine, it does not follow that this is a "Jewish God". From the fact that the One God decided to incarnate in the same place, and not in Japan, Mesoamerica or Rome, He does not become "Jewish", like His teaching. After all, if we follow the thoughts of neo-pagan native-believers here, then the sun, which warms the inhabitants of the equator most of all, is now from this “alien”, “African” and “Negro”; laws of logic and tables of Pythagoras - Greek alien inventions; and such theories of modern physics as the quantum theory of the photoelectric effect, induced radiation and light scattering by thermodynamic fluctuations in a medium are Jewish.

Christianity is not a "Jewish" religion, if only for the reason that the Jews themselves do not consider it as such and have never considered it. The religion of the Jews, closely related to their history and culture, is Judaism, not Christianity. And this very Judaism has always treated Christianity, to put it mildly, rather cool. With the emergence of Christianity, Judaism took an extremely hostile attitude towards it. To become a Christian meant for a Jew, as well as for a modern Rodnover, to abandon the "faith of the ancestors" and even cease to be a Jew in the ethno-national sense.

The first persecution of Christians came from the Jews. Already at the dawn of Christianity in the Sanhedrin, intentions arose to kill the apostles, who were restrained by its chairman - Gamaliel (Acts 5: 33-39). The first martyr of the Church, Archdeacon Stephen in 34, was beaten and executed directly by the Jews (Acts 7: 57-60). About 44 years old, Herod Agrippa executed Jacob Zebedee, seeing that “this pleased the Jews” (Acts 12: 3). The same fate awaited the miraculously saved Peter (Acts 6). According to church tradition, in 62, a crowd of Jews was thrown from the roof of the house, Jacob, the brother of the Lord.

In the second half of the first century, the Jews in the daily pronounced prayer of Amida ("Shmona Esrei" among the Ashkenazi) inserted a curse ("birkat ha-minim") on "nozrim" - "Nazareth", that is, followers of Jesus from Nazareth with a request that God destroyed them. At the end of Antiquity, Jewish folk pamphlets appear in which Jesus is portrayed in a grotesque and extremely offensive form for Christians - for example, as in Toledot Yeshu. Medieval rabbinic literature continued to view Jesus in a similar way. Many Slavic Rodnovers continue this tradition today, blaspheming Christ in the wake of their ideologues, such as the author of the book "Blow of the Russian Gods" Vladimir Istarkhov.

Jews have always viewed Christianity as a heretical sect. The image of Jesus presented in the Talmud is imbued with a persistent feeling of dislike and hatred. The attitude to Jesus here is unequivocal - as to a heretic, apostate, charlatan and impostor who "led Israel out of the way." This is a deceiver, the son of a harlot and a Roman soldier (fornicator) Panther (Pandira). It is interesting that in the first centuries of our era this view was taken up by the ancient Roman "Rodnovers": it was voiced by the pagan author Celsus in his anti-Christian work "The Truthful Word". Following them, modern Rodnovers are also broadcasting the Talmudic tale.

Returning to the New Testament narrative, there is a remarkable point. God incarnated in the territory where all the descendants of the sons of Noah lived together - the Semites (primarily represented by the Israelites), the Japhetids (Greeks, Romans, descendants of the Philistines and other Indo-European peoples) and Hamites (Canaanites and Africans). Note also that Christ attracted not only Semites, but also Japhetids (Roman centurion) with Hamites
(Syrophinician woman). And he preached mainly in places with a mixed population - on the borders with the Phoenician cities of Tire and Sidon, in the Decapolis region (where there were many Greeks) and in Capernaum (where there were many Romans). Thus, Jesus addressed his Good News to all nations, not only to the Israelites, which does not allow us to consider his teaching as a "Jewish religion."
The phrase from the Gospel of Matthew, loved by the neo-pagans, "I came only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" is said in the context of refusing to perform a miracle for a Gentile, but then Christ still performs this miracle. But the main thing is the words with which the same Gospel ends: "Go and teach ALL nations" (Matthew 28.19). By άντα τα εθνη here all peoples living on Earth are meant. Fulfilling this commandment of Christ, the apostles never doubted that everyone, both Jews and pagans, should be admitted into the Kingdom of Christ or into the church. Doubts in subsequent apostolic times arose only about circumcision and other specifically Jewish rituals.
According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ is not the Savior of the Jews, but the Savior of all nations and the whole world (Luke 24-47, Acts 1: 8, John 1:29, John 4:42, etc.)

Sometimes you can hear remarks like "Yes, all your holy Jews!" The first disciples of Christ were the inhabitants of Palestine, this is not surprising - the Lord would have been incarnate in Gaul, His first disciples would have been Gauls. For people who do not suffer from pathological Judeophobia (according to the author's personal observations, such a minority is among the neo-pagans), this does not cause embarrassment. An analysis of the names in the Apostolic Epistles shows that there were already many Greeks in the Christian communities of the first century. There are also Roman names: Julia, Junia, Fortunatus, Titus, Guy, etc. If we take the later saints of the 2nd-4th centuries, then in the overwhelming majority they are Greeks or Romans.

prot. Alexander Men

What is the attitude of the Orthodox Church towards Judaism?

We call Judaism a religion that arose after Christianity, but very soon after it. There was only one foundation for the three main monotheistic religions: this foundation is called the Old Testament, created within the framework and in the bosom of ancient Israeli culture. On this basis, the later Judaism first arises, in the bosom of which Christ is born and the apostles preach. Towards the end of the 1st century, there is a religion called Judaism. What do we Christians have in common with this religion? Both they and we recognize the Old Testament, only for us it is a part of the Bible, for them - the whole Bible. We have our own statutory books that define church and liturgical life. These are typicons, new canons, church statutes, and so on. Judaism developed similar, but already its own canons. In some ways they coincide with ours, in some ways they are separated.

How do modern Jewish priests understand God's chosenness? Why don't they recognize the Savior?

From the point of view of the Bible, being chosen by God is a calling. Each nation has its own vocation in history, each nation bears a certain responsibility. The people of Israel received a religious messianic vocation from God, and, as the apostle says, these gifts are irrevocable, that is, this vocation remains until the end of history. A person can observe it or not, be faithful to him, change him, but God's calling remains unchanged. Why didn't they accept the Savior? The point is that this is not entirely accurate. If the Jews had not accepted Christ, who would have told us about Him? Who were the people who wrote the Gospels, the letters that spread the message of Christ throughout the ancient world? They were also Jews. So some accepted, others did not accept, just like in Russia or France. Say, Saint Jeanne D Arcs accepted, but Voltaire did not accept Him. And we, too, have Holy Russia, and there is a God-fighting Russia. There are two poles everywhere.

What should be done so that there are not too many Jews in the clergy, in particular, in Moscow?

I think this is a deep mistake. For example, I don't know a single one in Moscow. We have about half of Ukrainians, quite a few Belarusians, there are Tatars, there are many Chuvash. There are no Jews there. But, according to the definition of the Russian Orthodox Church, according to her charter adopted at the council, she is a multinational Church. And the expulsion of Jewish elements from the Church must begin with taking out all the icons of the Mother of God, who was the daughter of Israel, throwing away the icons of all the apostles, burning the Gospel and the Bible, and, finally, turning our backs on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was a Jew. It is impossible to perform this operation on the Church, but they tried to perform it several times. There were Gnostics who wanted to cut off the Old Testament from the New, but they were recognized as heretics, and the Church Fathers did not allow the spread of Gnosticism. There was a heretic Marcion in the 2nd century who tried to prove that the Old Testament is the work of the devil. But he was declared a false teacher and expelled from the Church. Thus, this problem is old and has nothing to do with the Church.

Christianity came into the world carrying the brotherhood of people. At a time when the nations destroyed and hated each other, through the mouth of the Apostle Paul, it proclaimed that in Christ “there is no Hellene, no Jew, no barbarian, no Scythian, no slave, no free”. This does not mean at all that it denies the presence of people of different cultures, languages, histories, nationalities. always developed and supported all national forms of Christianity. Therefore, when we celebrated the millennium of Christianity in Russia, we all, believers and non-believers, knew what a huge influence the Church had on Russian culture. But it had the same influence on both Greek and Roman culture. Enter the temple and see the tremendous contribution each nation has made to the Church. I have already said about the role of Israel: Christ, Virgin Mary, Paul, apostles. Next come the Syrians: countless martyrs. Greeks: Church Fathers. Italians: Countless Martyrs. There is no people who do not contribute to the huge and grandiose building of the Church. Each saint has his own fatherland, his own culture. And for us, living, according to the will of God, in a multinational state, the Christian ability to love, respect, honor other peoples is not some idle addition, but a vital necessity. For the one who does not respect other people's people does not respect himself. A people who respect themselves will always respect other peoples, just as a person who knows his own language well does not lose anything from the fact that he knows and loves other languages. A person who loves icon painting and Old Russian singing can love both Bach and Gothic architecture. The completeness of culture is revealed in the joint work of different peoples.

Jewish Christian is the biggest shame for a Jew. After all, you are a stranger to both Christians and Jews.

This is not true. Christianity was created in the bosom of Israel. The Mother of God, who is revered by millions of Christians, was the daughter of Israel, who loved her people just as every beautiful woman loves her people. The Apostle Paul - the greatest teacher of all Christianity, was a Jew. Therefore, the belonging of a Christian, especially a shepherd, to this ancient family, which has four thousand years, is not a disadvantage, but a wonderful feeling that you, too, are involved in Sacred history.

I am completely alien to national prejudices, I love all peoples, but I never renounce my national origin, and the fact that the blood of Christ the Savior and the apostles flows in my veins gives me only joy. It's just an honor for me.

Jews and Christians ... What is the difference between them? They are followers of related faiths related to the Abrahamic religions. But many disagreements in the understanding of the world often led them to hostility and persecution from both sides. The tension in relations between Jews and Christians has existed for a long time. But in the modern world, both religions are moving towards reconciliation. Let's consider why the Jews persecuted the early Christians. What was the reason for centuries of hostility and wars?

Relations between Jews and Christians in the early period

According to some researchers, Jesus and his disciples professed a doctrine close to the sectarian movements of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Christianity initially recognized the Jewish Tanakh as a holy scripture, which is why at the beginning of the 1st century it was considered an ordinary Jewish sect. And only later, when Christianity began to spread throughout the world, it was recognized as a separate religion - the successor of Judaism.

But even at the first stages of the formation of an independent church, the attitude of the Jews towards Christians was not very friendly. Jews often provoked the Roman authorities to persecute believers. Later, in the books of the New Testament, Jews were ascribed full responsibility for the torment of Jesus and recorded their persecution of Christians. This became the reason for the negative attitude of the followers of the new religion towards the Jews. It was later used by many Christian fundamentalists to justify anti-Semitic actions in many countries. From the 2nd century AD. NS. negative sentiments towards Jews in Christian communities only increased.

Christianity and Judaism in modern times

For centuries, there have been tensions between the two religions, which often escalated into massive persecution. These incidents include the Crusades and the preceding persecution of Jews in Europe, as well as the Nazi Holocaust during World War II.

Relations between the two religious movements began to improve in the 1960s. Then the Catholic Church officially changed its attitude towards the Jewish people, excluding anti-Semitic elements from many prayers. In 1965, the Vatican adopted a declaration "On the attitude of the Church towards non-Christian religions" (Nostra Aetate). In it, the thousand-year accusation of the death of Jesus was removed from the Jews and all anti-Semitic views were condemned.

Pope Paul VI asked forgiveness from non-Christian peoples (including Jews) for centuries of persecution by the church. The Jews themselves are loyal to Christians and consider them a related Abrahamic religion. And although for them some religious customs and teachings are incomprehensible, they still favor the spread of the basic elements of Judaism among all the peoples of the world.

Are Jews and Christians the same God?

Christianity as an independent religion is based on the dogmas and beliefs of the Jewish people. Jesus himself and most of his apostles were Jews and were raised in Jewish traditions. As you know, the Christian Bible consists of two parts: the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the foundation of the Jewish religion (Tanach is the holy scripture of the Jews), and the New Testament is the teachings of Jesus and his followers. Therefore, for both Christians and Jews, the basis of their religions is the same, and they worship the same God, only they observe different rituals. The very name of God, both in the Bible and in the Tanakh, is Yahweh, which is translated into Russian as "I am".

How are Jews different from Christians? First of all, let's look at the main differences between their worldviews. For Christians, there are three main dogmas:

• The original sin of all people.
• Second Coming of Jesus.
• Atonement for human sins by the death of Jesus.

These dogmas are designed to solve the basic problems of humanity from the point of view of Christians. The Jews, however, do not recognize them in principle, and for them these difficulties do not exist.

Different attitudes towards sins

First of all, the difference between Jews and Christians in the perception of sin. Christians believe that every person is born with original sin and only through life can he atone for it. The Jews, on the other hand, believe that every person is born innocent, and only himself makes a choice - to sin or not to sin.

Ways of atonement for sins

Due to the difference in worldview, the next difference appears - the atonement of sins. Christians believe that Jesus atoned for all the sins of people with his sacrifice. And for those actions that the believer himself has done, he bears personal responsibility to the Almighty. He can redeem them only by repenting to the priest, since only representatives of the Church in the name of God are endowed with the power to forgive sins.

The Jews believe that only by their deeds and actions can a person achieve forgiveness. They divide sins into two types:

• committed against the direction of God;
• crimes against another person.

The first are forgiven if the Jew sincerely regrets and repent of them to the Most High himself. But in this matter there are no intermediaries in the person of the priests, like among Christians. Other sins are crimes that a Jew has committed against another person. In this case, the Almighty limits his power and cannot grant forgiveness. A Jew must beg him exclusively from the person who has offended him. So, Judaism speaks of separate responsibility: for misdeeds against another person and for sins and disrespect for God.

Due to such differences in views, the following contradiction arises: Jesus forgiveness of all sins. Among Christians, he is endowed with the power to forgive sins to all who repent. But even if a Jew can equate Jesus with God, then such behavior still radically violates the laws. After all, as mentioned above, a Jew cannot ask God for forgiveness for sins committed against another person. He himself must make amends to him.

Attitude towards other world religious movements

Almost all religions in the world adhere to the same doctrine - only those people who believe in the true God can go to Heaven. And those who believe in another Lord are essentially deprived of this right. In some sense, Christianity also adheres to this doctrine. The Jews have a more loyal attitude towards other religions. From the point of view of Judaism, anyone who observes the 7 basic commandments that Moses received from God can enter Paradise. Since they are universal, a person does not have to believe in the Torah. These seven commandments are:

1. Belief that the world was created by one God.
2. Do not blaspheme.
3. Comply with laws.
4. Don't worship idols.
5. Don't steal.
6. Don't commit adultery.
7. Do not eat from the living.

Compliance with these basic laws allows a representative of another religion to enter Paradise without being a Jew. In general terms, Judaism is loyal to monotheistic religions such as Islam and Christianity, but does not accept paganism due to polytheism and idolatry.

What are the principles on which a person's relationship with God is built?

Also, Jews and Christians look differently at the ways of communicating with the Almighty. What is the difference? In Christianity, priests appear as mediators between man and God. The clergy are endowed with special privileges and exalted in holiness. So, in Christianity there are many rituals that an ordinary person does not have the right to carry out on their own. Fulfilling them is the exclusive role of a priest, which is a cardinal difference from Judaism.

The Jews do not have one that is performed exclusively by a rabbi. At weddings, funerals or other events, the presence of a clergyman is optional. Any Jew can perform the necessary rituals. Even the very concept of "rabbi" is translated as a teacher. That is, just a person with extensive experience, who is well aware of the rules of Jewish laws.

The same is true for the Christian faith in Jesus as the only savior. After all, the Son of God himself claimed that only he can lead people to the Lord. And, accordingly, Christianity is based on the fact that only through faith in Jesus can you come to God. Judaism looks at this problem differently. And as stated earlier, anyone, even a non-Judaist, can approach God directly.

The difference in the perception of good and evil

Jews and Christians have completely different perceptions of good and evil. What is the difference? In Christianity, the concept of Satan, the Devil, plays an important role. This huge, powerful force is the source of evil and all the ills of the earth. In Christianity, Satan is presented as a force opposite to God.

This is the next difference, since the main conviction of Judaism is faith in one almighty God. From the point of view of the Jews, there can be no other higher power than God. Accordingly, a Jew will not divide good according to God's will, and evil to the machinations of evil spirits. He sees God as a just judge, rewarding good deeds and punishing sins.

Attitude to original sin

In Christianity, there is such a thing as original sin. The ancestors of mankind disobeyed God's will in the Garden of Eden, for which they were expelled from paradise. Because of this, all newborns are initially considered sinful. In Judaism, it is believed that a child is born innocent and can safely receive benefits in this world. And only the person himself determines whether he will sin or will live righteously.

Attitude towards worldly life and worldly comforts

Also, Jews and Christians have completely different attitudes to worldly life and consolations. What is the difference? In Christianity, the very purpose of human existence is considered to be life for the sake of the next world. Of course, the Jews believe in the world to come, but the main task of a person's life is to improve the existing one.

These concepts are clearly visible in the attitude of both religions to worldly desires, the desires of the body. In Christianity, they are equated with wicked temptations and sin. People believe that only a pure soul, not subject to temptations, can enter the next world. This means that a person should nourish the spiritual as much as possible, thereby neglecting worldly desires. Therefore, the Pope and the priests take a vow of celibacy, abandon worldly pleasures in order to achieve greater holiness.

Jews also recognize that the soul is more important, but they do not consider it right to completely abandon the desires of their body. Instead, they make their performance sacred. Therefore, the Christian vow of celibacy seems to the Jews a strong departure from religious canons. After all, creating a family and procreation is a holy act for a Jew.

The two religions have the same different attitude towards material goods and wealth. For Christianity, taking a vow of poverty is the ideal of holiness. Whereas for Judah, the accumulation of wealth is a positive quality.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Jews and Christians, the differences between which we have considered, should not be opposed to each other. In the modern world, everyone can understand the holy scriptures in their own way. And he has every right to do so.