The word "Jew" for the people of Israel/Jacob derives from Genesis 29:35, which states that the matriarch Leah, Judah's mother, named him Yehudah (in Hebrew), which is Judah in English. Still, the word's etymology also connects to one of two of Esau's wives in Gen. 26:34, who were not accepted by Issac, showing the concept used among Canaanites as a name. Such derivations later deviated into nationalist connections with the Kingdom of Judah. On the other hand, Esau did not find favor in marrying the Canaanites due to their actions, not necessarily their race, as he later found favor from his parents in taking one of Ishmael's children as his wife. Still, Leah named him after some word, action, or concept, so the word existed before Judah, Jacob's fourth son. So the word Judah means "praise" and "thanks" because Leah wanted to "praise and thank God" for giving birth to so many sons. "She said, 'This time let me praise God,' and named the child Judah," thus combining "praise" and "God" into one new name. Such background helps unravel the conflations of meaning today and to ascertain the proper definition of Israel and Jew.
In Hebrew, the name "Judah" contains the four letters of the Tetragrammaton — the unique, holy, and ineffable name of the Jewish God. The very holiness of the name of Judah attests to its importance as an alternate name for "Israelites" that it ultimately replaced. When the northern kingdom of Israel no longer existed, the kingdom of Judah stood as a Jewish state but still copied the nations around them. Perhaps then the term in Hebrew, Yehudi, translated as "Jew," was applied to all Jews BUT let it harken back to etymology; otherwise, sacred seed doctrines arise which are prevalent in Zionist nationalist and Chardali attitudes, plus the Kiruv project of the savvy Chabad from Brooklyn. In the process of defining, Messianic Jews are not technically Jews, just Messianic Hebrews. To pray for the peace of Jerusalem, one must not overlook the evil of the current Zionist state that usurps the name Israel. These Charedim, who represent Israel/Jacob, are Esau, who better describes a land beholden Zionist as his ancestor, King Herod.
Still, the very concept of 'Praise and Thanksgiving' is inherent in the word "Jew," but it must be based upon the religion (Yahadut), as Jews are reminded of Thanksgiving when they celebrate the Sabbath. From the earliest record, within Judaism, two significant groups of people are covered by the religion of Mount Sinai and the revelation of the Torah. One is the Ezrah (אזרח) group, and the other is the Ger (גר) group, and from the erev rav (mixed multitude) comes the word Arab.
The Ezrah (אזרח) group covers anyone whose Mother is recognized as Jewish by the Scribes and Pharisees. The Ger (גר) group covers anyone who believes in Judaism but whose Mother is not recognized as Jewish by the Scribes and Pharisees. All Am Israel are brethren, both Ger and Ezrah alike, but it is better to be a believing Ger than a non-believing Ezrah; thus, the Am concept in Ephesians as the Commonwealth of Israel (Eph .2:12,13) is identical in Islam with Umma, yet with plenty of confusion.
Jews as an ethnicity exist as a culture from a gene pool, the bottleneck of the Ashkenazi groups as remnants from the holocaust. The Sephardic and Mizrachi groups make of the majority of the current state of Israel. But this modern cultural status deviates, as the state of Israel demonstrates toward the nationalistic religious, so it's better to hold it nominally.
When the Ezrahim think they are more Jewish than Gerim or anyone who believes that only an Ezrah is a child of God, such views blasphemed the Ruakh haQodesh (Holy Spirit). The only true promised seed in Judaism is thus spiritual. Thus, the ethnic designation negates the whole meaning of Jew not only through Judaizing (Evangelical Zionists, Messianics, and Hebrew Rooters) but also by paying no heed to the current evils of Zionism.
There are only two ways in Orthodox Judaism: either the Scribe and Pharisee Halakhah of the Qehal or the Noahide/Ger Derekh Eretz of the Edah, the church. Any Ezrah who will not come to one or the other is outside of the folds of Judaism and is considered Apikorus (a Heretic Apostate). Although the Law commands Kiruv to all lost Ezrahim so that they might at least return to the Derekh Eretz (the way of the Land, Noahide Laws, Acts 15, Sura 42), nevertheless demonstrates that for a believing Ezrah, it is better to socialize with Gerim and other believers (if possible) to keep yourself grounded and practice spiritual Zionism, the Heavenly Jerusalem.
However, this is yet to begin, as the project of the Nascent Sanhedrin is not without its opposition from Evangelical Zionists, who make up the majority of Christian believers, or those that cling to dispensational eschatological promulgation prevalent by those who define ‘Messianic Jews’ outside the Gamaliel Pauline Charhedim who understand Jesus of Nazareth as Yeshua Sar Haphanim (The Prince of the Presence), something that Chabad denies as evidenced in its recent revision of Machzorim (prayer books) and the shortage of such teaching after the Holocaust from which Zoharist and Maimonidean interpretations bolster the ‘physical seed’ and belief system. No easy answer exists if one wants to understand the church’s historical ‘parting of ways’ out of Judaism or Christianity. As both have religions have still not grasped the universal nature of humanity, as ‘gene pools’ do NOT represent pedigree.
However, as A.B. Simpson speculated in his last eschatological focus, perhaps we’re on the verge of an era when proper unity comes into focus with authentic Messianic Orthodox Judaism providing an interpretative legacy and futurist thrust, for it is their Edah HaCharedis that have already shown the way to beat Esau’s sword into Plows providing the Messianic age its purpose in studying war no more. Is this up to us? I believe so. Ultimately our destination is the Heavenly Jerusalem. Thus the question: does this imply something totally ‘other’ spiritual? Perhaps not! As Isaiah 66 states: Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Think how the ancients viewed the heavens. It was a place (UP THERE IN THE STARRY SKY) just like the land (HaEretz).
May these musings be built upon such a verifiable lineage to glorify HaShem through Yeshua Sar HaPanim, to whom Orthodox Jews genuinely pray for the forgiveness of sins as found in their machzorim and edify the Lord and His people. So the church, as Edah, will love all people and respect the historical Qehel (proper ecclesiastical authority) sealed in the record as the keepers of the oracles of G-d. Most importantly, Christian believers will indeed do what the New Testament teaches. Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled and made a way as the religious destination, as we identify with Him and truly follow His New Testament.
