Why are Jews so smart?

Answer 1

Many writers have asked this over the centuries. From a religious standpoint, the answer is that God, even during the Jewish exile, continues to fulfill the promise He made in Genesis ch.12, of blessing Abraham and bringing blessing (success) through him.

From a secular viewpoint, many Jews have been successful because they performed functions, such as banking, that were, at least at times, forbidden to Christians and Muslims. However, it should be noted that many Jews lived their entire lives in poverty and cannot be considered to have been "successful" in secular terms.

Answer 2

If we say that this was a gift given to Abraham and his progeny by God, we would expect a similar result among the Arabs who also claim Abrahamic descent, but do not have the Nobel Prizes or Scientific Discoveries to match the Jews, so it must be something else. The culture of repression and hardship that Jews faced in Europe had the effect of pushing them to excel. Additionally, Jewish studies led to high Jewish literacy rates, better capacities for multilingualism, and a greater appreciation for education. These two things combined to make Jews particularly well suited for success in the Modern Western State. This success is perceived as intelligence. However, it should be noted that the Jewish proclivity for intelligence does not preclude the existence of absolutely moronic Jews.

Answer 3

BECAUSE THERE GOD IS JAHOVAH JIRA THERE PROVIDER AKA JESUS CHRIST Many Jewish people work hard and are also clever and have invented many things which are of great benefit technologically and scientifically and medically to the world. They deserve both recognition and reward for these things. Given their dry climate they are also world leaders in irrigation technology, as also in solar technology.

Historically it is also believed that some considered certain financial dealings which almost everyone accepts today as being illegitimate. The Jewish people of the time did not have a problem with this and so were able to be involved in the growing finance sector which others left to them and so have no right now to complain.

Jewish people and others such as Christians who believe in the one true God of The Bible would also see that God has a special place in His heart for His chosen people, although many in Israel today are secular in their thinking, and thus effectively ignore Him. That this special place for the nation of Israel includes prosperity is mentioned in the Old Testament. It is also mentioned as being conditional upon obedience. That some of the the Jewish people are rich is true. There are also poor Jewish people. The riches also do not come without a price. People want to take it away. Riches can bring woes as well.

Answer 4

Jews being rich and successful is simply a stereotype. There are rich Jews and there are poor Jews. There are rich Christians and there are poor Christians. There are rich people and there are poor people.

Answer 5

Generally speaking, Jews excel because Jewish values align with the types of values that lead to economic success, scientific success, strong social relationships. Jews value education, hard work, personal responsibility, curiosity, humility, kindness and compassion, honesty, frugality, spirituality, and behavioral reciprocity. However, it is worth noting that Ultra-Religious Jews are not usually as economically or scientifically successful, often because they do not embrace some of these values like personal responsibility.

Of course, there are a number of Jews, Christians, and others who argue that the success of the Jewish people is a demonstration of God's miraculous will, but this is a non-explanation since it gives no information.

1) 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. 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, did not encourage.

2) Hard Work: Jewish traditions support the idea that there is something valuable in the act of working and being a part of this world. Often, in Reform Jewish circles, this is narrowed to Tikkun Olam or Repairing the World, but in Orthodoxy, this applies to secular work and professionalism in general. Work is not a necessary evil to sustain oneself, but a good in and of itself for the kind of character that it brings about in the Jew performing it. Leading Rabbis will often dissuade fellow Jews from joining the clergy if they have useful skill that they can perform and both improve society and improve themselves.

3) Personal Responsibility: Jews take responsibility for their own actions, as opposed to blaming external conditions. This leads to Jews in difficult situations taking action to ameliorate their own conditions, be that through protests, active presence in political discourse, joining politics, or moving away from discriminatory regimes. Jews assume that their fellow Jews will maintain their own "economic house" and while there is a degree of charity between Jews, charity is seen as a stopgap measure, not something which should be relied on for extended periods of time. This has stopped Jews (outside of Israel) from generally being long-term welfare recipients.

4) Curiosity: Jews are taught from an early age to ask questions and debate serious issues. Religious Jews often do this in the framework of religious study with the long dialectics in the Talmud and other instances of analytic thinking. Rather than stressing dogmatic recitation, Jews stress a critical thought process and curiosity about how the world works. This makes Jews more likely to go into the sciences since this critical and curious mindset is apt for scientific discovery.

5) Humility: Maimonides stressed that it was important to avoid the extremes in midot or personal attributes, with the exception that humility should be pursued in the extreme. A Jew should not exalt himself or consider himself beyond reproach. This means that the Jew must always be attempting to better himself and his lot in life. Jews correspondingly, try to open themselves up to constructive criticism and self-improvement.

6) Kindness and Compassion: Judaism stresses love and generosity towards your kinsman, fostering strong societal bonds and providing increased communal security.

7) Honesty: Judaism values honesty and truth over easy answers, which folds neatly into personal responsibility and humility. Honesty also promotes repeat business and strong interpersonal relationships.

8) Frugality and Spirituality: Judaism teaches against excessive spending, leading to Jews saving more of their wealth and passing it onto the next generation. The preservation of wealth helps to prevent subsequent generations from being poor. Furthermore, Judaism does not value physical possessions, but rather values emotional and spiritual concerns. As a result, a Jewish homes will usually lack all but the necessary appliances to live a decent life.

9) Behavioral Reciprocity: As Rabbi Hillel once said, "The whole Torah is treat your fellow man as yourself and all the rest is commentary". Jews value treating others well in order to be treated well. While there are some Jews who take advantage of others, the majority seek to behave well and treat others well.

Answer 6

The Kuzari (a work by Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) writes that Abraham, besides being strikingly handsome, was gifted with outstanding intelligence. Because he used these gifts in service of God, he was blessed by God for his progeny as well (Genesis ch.12), meaning that his gifts would persist among his seed as well.
This promise was passed on to Isaac only, not Ishmael (Genesis 21:12).See the Related Link.
More about Abraham

Answer 7

That is a stereotype, since not all are rich. But as a whole, God has blessed His inheritance Israel because of a promise made to Abraham in the book of Genesis.

Answer 8

Because they are smart and very bright so they get the good high paying jobs Type your answer here...

Answer 9

This is a common stereotype that is false.

Answer 10

They work harder than most other people.