The question was asked does a Jewish person remain Jewish when he puts his faith in Jesus as Messiah. The Talmudic scholars at ask Aish HaTorah, an organization that does not officially recognize Jesus as Messiah and God, answered the question this way.
"Shalom!
Yes it is true!
In the book of Joshua, G-d
declares that "Israel has sinned" (Joshua7: 11) due to a severe transgression
done by the nation. The Talmud commenting on this verse writes, "Even though G-d
says that Israel has sinned, he still calls them by the name 'Israel. Thus,
the common expression - Even though a myrtle stands amongst a bunch of reeds -
it is still called a myrtle!"
(Talmud - Sanhedrin 44a)
In other words, even though the Jewish people were considered as sinners, they were still considered as Jews! And that is how we know that a Jew is always a Jew no matter what.
May the Almighty guide us on a path of truth and long life!"(1)
We know from the New Testament that there were many Jews who believed in Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus' disciples were Jewish and so were the authors of the New Testament such as the Apostle Paul. These Jews all continued remaining Jewish in identity even though their worship was now focused on their Messiah - God Himself. Later, with the destruction of the temple, the traditional sacrificial system was destroyed and Judaism had a split. The Christ followers, (known as the sect - the way) were referred to as Christians while the other sects - the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes either ceased to exist or became what is now known as Rabbinical Judaism.
Paul, in the Book of Romans gives a definition of what a Jew is from a New Testament perspective.
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
(Romans 2:28-29).
Other articles related to this subject that may be of interest include:
1). Answer reprinted with permission from its original source. Shraga Simmons The Aish Rabbi.
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