What are the disadvantages of being Jewish?

Answer 1

Being religious includes accepting certain responsibilities and limitations upon oneself. Hasidim have a code of dress that may bring stares or remarks; and, like all religious Jews, there are observances that require time and outlay.

Jews keep the Torah and the customs of their communities not for convenience, but in order to fulfill the Torah and traditions as best they can.

Answer 2

This is the anti-Semitic answer---"being a Jew,you must have to deny others's religions.one must recpect and understand ther other religion's fact and they ways the followers think but as being a Jew one can only stuck to one fact of life and has to deny and have hatred for other religions which can be responsible for the lack of peace in a society.:)

ANSWER 2:

Since this gentile has never in my life met a Jew hateful of other religions and even know a few married to non-Jews, my response would have to be that, spiritually, there are no disadvantages to being Jewish if following Mosaic law. Materially, the disadvantage has always been that Jews have been maligned and/or persecuted by Christians for millennia.

Answer 3

In order to approach this topic properly, we should consider:

1) What are the advantages of being a religious person?

2) What are the advantages of being a religious Jew?

And then,

3) What does being a Hasid add to the above?

1) What are the advantages of being religious?

Religion connects you to the majority of mankind, past and present. No ancient society ever existed that believed only in natural causes. Those who dismiss belief may be compared to an astronaut floating away from the lifeline. Also:

a) Religion may assist you in overcoming peer pressure.

b) Religion will often add to your self-discipline, whose lack has led Western society to epidemic obesity, drunkenness, depression and ennui, divorce rates, violence etc.

c) Religion may provide you with a whole additional layer of education.

d) Religion may provide emotional fortitude, helping one overcome hardships.

e) Religion will provide a sense of identity.

f) Religion provides a sense of purpose. See also:

Can you show me that God exists?

Is there evidence against Evolution?

2) What are the advantages of being a religious Jew?

a) An identity and tradition. Jews have an unbroken tradition stretching back for 3800 years to our founder, Abraham. We possess the exact same text of the Torah that God gave to Moses over 3300 years ago. We have the names, dates, and teachings of the leading sages in every generation since Abraham. See: Jewish history timeline

b) A life. Some might consider the laws of Judaism as being too much, but for us they are a life, with happy festivals, structured family life, and daily activities. Judaism is famous for its ambiance and its optimism. See: The Jewish holidays

c) Community; friends. Every Jewish community has individuals and groups who give free help in loans of money or useful items, visiting the sick, preparing the dead for burial, assisting young mothers, etc. This is done voluntarily and is not for profit.

Jewish communities have free daily and weekly classes in Torah-subjects, both in synagogues and in other public and home-venues. In these settings, lay-people can ask questions in topics such as halakha (Torah-laws) and Talmud.

d) Eternity. Rabbi Jacob Emden (1697-1776) once said that the survival of the Jewish people is the greatest of miracles. It can be explained only as a fulfillment of God's covenant.

Though it could be argued that this applies to non-religious Jews as well, history has shown us how the Essenes, Hellenizing Jews, Sadducees, and other non-traditional groups disappeared from Judaism.

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 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?"

3) What does being a Hasid add to the above?

a) The Hassidic communities are even more tightly-knit than most of the wider religious Jewish world. In each Hassidic group, everyone knows everyone, which amplifies the advantages of community that were listed above.

b) Each Hassidic group has its leading Rabbi (Rebbe), who provides teaching and guidance. They also have an internal tradition and published books of their Torah-thoughts.

Answer 4

The following are some challenges (not necessarily disadvantages):
1) In matters of belief, some religious Jews are worried that theories of evolution or Biblical-criticism might undermine what they have been taught about God, Creation, the truth of the Torah, etc.(See: Is there evidence against Evolution?

And: Debunking the Bible-critics)

2) Anti-Semitism is still very much alive; and observant Jews, with their kippah and/or hat, and possibly a beard and other signs of Jewishness, may be subject to attack.

(See: Why are Jews hated?)

3) In the workplace or school, traditional Jews have to find a way to be allowed a leave of absence on Jewish holidays. They also need to make arrangements for a kosher lunch.

4) With today's changing moral attitudes, the Jewish laws of decency cannot be taken for granted. There is more immodest dress and flirting in the workplace (and everywhere else) than ever before. One who minds his own business may be ridiculed as aloof.

5) Every new invention needs to be reviewed for possible halakhic ramifications. Here's just one example: refrigerators used to be simple machines whose only issue was disconnecting the light bulb before the Sabbath. Some new refrigerators, however, with their hyper-sensitive temperature maintenance and built-in computer-chip self-awareness, need to be purchased with a Sabbath-mode.

Answer 5

a) Jews face antisemitism, which at times is murderous. b) Jewish tradition holds Jews to the 613 commandments found in the Torah, while it holds non Jews to only 7 of these, the commandments inferred to be the terms of God's covenant with Noah after the story of the Flood in Genesis. The extra commandments Jews are held to include complex dietary laws and Sabbath observance, both of which put a real crimp on one's lifestyle. c) Jews are in a very small minority worldwide. As a result, Jews outside of Jewish areas such as Israel and parts of New York frequently find themselves the object of curiosity, misunderstanding and ignorance. This can be annoying even when no unfriendliness is intended. d) Other religions, notably Christianity and Islam, have a considerable amount to say about Jews in their holy books. Sometimes what they say about Jews is at odds with Jewish self-understanding and Jewish history as recorded in Jewish texts. At best, this is awkward. At worst, it is insulting -- as when someone says "according to our texts, this is what you are! If you define yourself differently, you are wrong."