How did judaism survive the diaspora?

Answer 1

Because the Jews were a persecuted minority, scattered among many far-flung nations. The fact that Judaism did stay alive was remarked upon with admiration in a famous quote by Mark Twain; and Rabbi Jacob Emden called it the greatest of miracles.

In addition to frequent persecutions which made maintaining Judaism difficult, the amount of orthopractical requirements in Judaism (as opposed to Christianity) make living a Jewish lifestyle much more difficult in times of peace as well.

Answer 2

1) Through reading the Torah in the synagogue and studying and teaching it at other times.2) Through keeping the laws and beliefs of the Torah. Those who didn't do this, such as the Hellenizers and Sadducees, went lost.

3) Maintaining vibrant Jewish communities, with communal prayer and study, mutual help, maintaining ties between the various communities, etc.

4) Remembering God's covenant and promise that the Jews and Judaism will never cease.

Rabbi Jacob Emden (1697-1776) once said that the survival of the Jewish people through the long diaspora is the greatest of miracles and a fulfillment of God's covenant.

Consider also this famous quote from Mark Twain:

"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one quarter of one percent of the human race. The Jew ought hardly to be heard of; but he is heard of, has always been heard of.

The Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greeks and Romans followed and made a vast noise, and then they were gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished.

The Jew saw them all, survived them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no dulling of his alert mind. All things are mortal but the Jews; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"

See also:

God's covenant

More about the diaspora

Answer 3

Recently, on TV, I saw Elie Wiesel relating an incident from his life. I'll try to repeat it:

Wiesel tells that on a certain occasion, he received a phone call in his office, asking for an appointment for the Dalai Lama to meet with him. He of course agreed, and the two men met. Wiesel asked the Dalai Lama why he had wanted to meet, and the Dalai Lama answered Elie Wiesel: "Your people have been in exile for two thousand years, and you have survived. My people have been recently exiled, and I know that it will be a long exile. I want to know how you have survived."

It's been suggested that since Judaism is primarily a system of ideas and concepts, it has been possible for it to adapt to changes, both in the Jews' own national experience and in their social environment, as they were dispersed among the nations. One example is the process by which the structure of worship services was established to substitute for the Temple sacrifices, after the destruction of the Temple.

But that's just a hint of a suggestion. The question is of paramount importance today, because just now, when the Jews have achieved an unusual measure of security in many places, and even a homeland where Judaism can be openly and proudly pursued without fear ... just now, the pressures on Judaism and the forces toward its dissipation seem in some ways greater than ever.

So, just now, we have to try and finally understand how, really, survival has been accomplished in the past, in order to understand why it seems most threatened now, and how it can be guaranteed for the future.

Answer 4

There are numerous interrelated reasons that the Jews and their religion survived despite being deprived of their homeland and being almost consistently persecuted to varying degrees, regardless of whether the miracle-argument is convincing or not.

1) Identity and Distinctiveness: Both Jews and non-Jews perceived Jews as a unique ethnic group of people with specific religious beliefs. Historically, parts of the Jewish and parts of the non-Jewish communities have strongly resisted integration and legal equality between Jews and non-Jews. This distinctive identity was further reinforced by the various forms of persecution that Jews suffered. They realized that nobody would look out for their interests consistently other than themselves, which made them more resilient and inward-looking as a community with distinct customs and beliefs.

It is worth noting that in countries with more persistent persecution (but not genocide) of Jews, that Jews tend to be more religious than in countries were Jews feel less persecuted. This is not to encourage persecution, but there is a strong correlation between stronger persecution (that does not rise to genocides or massacres) and a more religious Jewish population.

2) High Degree of Literacy and Education: Jews have historically had high literacy rates and a determination to be educated. This resulted in Jews being able to more effectively preserve their traditions than the general Christian or Muslim populations with which they lived. This prevented cultural diffusion, where it did occur, from obfuscating Jewish traditions because the latter could always be reread and discussed.

3) Usefulness: Since Jews were more educated, they were able to branch out into numerous more skilled professions. Additionally, many of the professions in artisanry were forbidden to Jews. This led to many Jews becoming lawyers, doctors, bankers, and bureaucrats. Their abilities to help Gentile leaders effectively rule their states made the Jews worth protecting in a way that other minorities, such as the Romani who were much less useful to Gentile leaders, did not encourage.

4) Mobility: Unlike most minorities, the Jews were able to migrate from areas with increasing persecution and hardship to areas where these things were lessened. This moblity was enhanced by the above three benefits. Since Jews were distinct, it fostered a strong sense of brotherhood, meaning that a migrant Jew would be welcomed by the extant Jewish community. Additionally, the shared literacy of the Jewish communities meant that even if the migrants did not speak the vernacular, they could at least communicate with Jews using written Hebrew in a pinch. However, more useful were Jewish languages like Yiddish, Ladino, Yevanic, or Judeo-Arabic which had a larger geographic dispersions than most spoken languages of the time. Also, given that Jews were very useful, they posed less of welfare problem than non-Jewish migrants with equal resources.

Answer 5

It survived because it changed from a location-based religion with a system of Temple sacrifices, to a portable religion, based on study and prayer.

Answer 6

Judaism survived the Diaspora by having their children learn the Torah so they won't lose their belief.

Answer 7

Instead of Temple sacrifice, community prayer was instituted.