Apostasy in Judaism
Apostasy in Judaism is the rejection of Judaism and possible conversion to another religion by a Jew. The term apostasy is derived from, meaning 'rebellious'. Equivalent expressions for apostate in Hebrew that are used by rabbinical scholars include mumar, poshea Yisrael, and kofer. Similar terms are meshumad, and min or epikoros, which denote heresy and the negation of God and Judaism, implying atheism.
Classes of apostates and relevance
A mumar is someone who does not observe a certain mitzvah or who observes no mitzvot at all. Rabbinic categories differentiate between a mumar ledavar echad —one who foregoes observance a certain mitzvah—and a mumar lekhol hatorah kulah —one who observes none of the Torah. Likewise, they differentiate between a mumar l'teyavon, who transgresses mitzvah wantonly due to craving or convenience, versus a mumar l'hakh`is, meaning one who transgresses out of spite, who defies the mitzvah willfully.Some halakhic aspects of the status of a mumar include the following: a mumar is considered akin to a gentile in matters related to commerce; it is prohibited to lead them into actions that are forbidden; in the context of matrimony, ritual purity, and inheritance, they are classified as an Israelite; and the sages established that there is no mourning for a mumar.
However, today, another category, tinok shenishba, a Jew who sins as a result of having been raised without sufficient knowledge and understanding of Judaism, is widely applied and should be considered. A tinok shenishba is not halakhically classified as a mumar, regardless of how much of Halakha they observe.
Examples
In the Bible
The first recorded reference to apostasy from Judaism is in, which states:In the Talmud
In the Talmud, Elisha ben Abuyah is singled out as an apostate by the rabbis.Medieval Spain
In Medieval Spain, a systematic conversion of Jews to Christianity took place, largely under duress. The apostasy of these conversos provoked the indignation of some Jews in Spain and it was made illegal to call a converso by the epithet tornadizo.Some Spanish Jews, however, remained crypto-Jews despite being compelled to convert to Christianity. They are also called Marranos.
Sabbatai Zevi and Jacob Frank
In 1648 Sabbatai Zevi claimed to be the Jewish Messiah. His Jewish followers were known as Sabbateans. Zevi converted to Islam in 1666. Afterwards, some of his followers willingly converted but continued to practise Sabbatean rituals. These people became known as the Dönmeh.In the 1750s Jacob Frank claimed he was the reincarnation of Zevi and attracted many followers in Poland, known as Frankists. In 1759, with Frank's encouragement, more than 500 Frankists were baptized as Catholics. Frank himself was also baptized, with the King of Poland as his godfather.