Apostasy in Judaism


In Judaism, apostasy refers to the rejection of Judaism and possible defection to another religion by a Jew. The term apostasy is derived from ἀποστάτης, 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 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 doesn't observe any mitzvot at all. Rabbinic categories differentiate between a mumar ledavar echad who doesn't observe a certain mitzvah, and a mumar lekhol hatorah kulah who doesn't observe any 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 this status include: a mumar is treated as a gentile in regards to commerce; it is forbidden to cause him to stumble into doing something forbidden; regarding matrimony, ritual purity, and inheritance he is an Israelite; the sages prescribed no mourning for a mumar.
However today another category, Tinok shenishba, a Jew who sins inadvertently as a result of having been raised without an appreciation for the thought and practices of Judaism, is widely applied and should be considered.

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 threats and force. 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.
Several inquisitors of the Spanish Inquisition, such as Tomás de Torquemada and Francisco de Quiñones the Bishop of Coria, are thought to be descendants of apostate Jews. Known apostates who made their mark in history by attempting to convert other Jews in the 14th and 15th centuries include Juan de Valladolid and Astruc Remoch.
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.