Hi all, I am an Orthodox Jew - the very strict kind - who has begun to doubt and question parts of what I have been taught, and quietly began to learn about the New Testament and Christ.
I only have a very surface level understanding of the denominations, the differences and controversies, but have felt a draw to Orthodoxy. Perhaps partly because of the intrinsic value I feel in my current life that has an emphasis in tradition, mysticism, and the general ideas espoused by Orthodoxy that I have thus far been exposed to.
I have quite a few questions that I've found it difficult to narrow down an answer for (some I have seen being touched upon in other places), and would appreciate any help with these:
1) Which translation should I follow? A difficult part of Christianity for me has been the translations. I have spent my life reading Torah in lashon hakodesh/Hebrew, gemara in aramaic, but in each case these have been the source languages. There has always been a beauty in understanding the various meanings in each word, verse, based on the trust that we have the original text. I do not know any Greek or Latin, and thus would have to rely on an English translation, but am wary of which one to choose. Is there one which Orthodox Christians prefer? Ones which they avoid?
2) What are standards of modesty in Orthodox Christianity? In Judaism, we have a principle called tznius, which reflects how both men and women should conduct themselves outwardly, part of this is in how one should dress. There are minimum requirements (e.g neckline, elbows, knees covered, not tight clothing, women do not wear trousers, men have a strict uniform of white shirts/black suits, generally speaking). I feel there is a lot of value in such a system - does this exist in the Orthodox Christian world?
3) What does 'Bible Study' look like? My current schedule involves several hours of learning every day, mostly oriented around Jewish law (gemara or 'talmud', Torah, mussar or 'ethics'). This is done either by myself, or with someone else, or infrequently as part of a larger group. What is the Christian approach to learning/studying? In Judaism it is through learning that you become closer to G-d, that you can become to understand the tiniest fraction of his being and draw yourself closer to him.
4) Is biblical commentary in Christianity similar to that in Judaism In Judaism, study of the Torah, gemara, and other texts is beautiful because of the abundance of commentaries/explanations/discussions that accompany it. For every posuk in the Torah, or line of gemara, or topic in a later book, there is a rich accompaniment of comments, critiques, discussions, that go along with it. Is this the case in Christianity? Are there 'gedolim' (great ones? I don't know how to translate this, basically the biggest scholars of each generation) in Christianity who have a tremendous amount of wisdom and have produced books of insight in each generation?
5) What does prayer look like? A religious Jew prays 3 times a day, in a minyan (a group of at least 10 men, almost always in a shul). Morning prayers are the longest (35mins to an hour depending on where you go), afternoon and evening a similar length (15mins roughly). There is a standardised liturgy that all Jews pray from (with some minor variations depending on tradition). Do Orthodox Christians have a rite that they follow? Is there a prayer book? Are there rules for prayer? Following this, how many times a week do you gather in groups/at church to pray?
6) Where to tackle difficult questions on Christ? I won't lie, despite feeling my heart pull me in a certain direction I still have some questions about Christianity and some unanswered questions. E.g, Ezekiel 40-48, third temple, Hashem giving the Torah to Jews as an eternal covenant, the disparity between the G-d of the Tanach and that of the New Testament, the idea of a resurrection and second coming of moshiach. Where can I find satisfying answers to these questions?
Thank you all so much for any help with the above, it means the world to me and I appreciate any and all wisdom you can share.