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I have a strange and unusual problem and it's bothering me. My best friend has offered some help but I really want to make sure I'm not alone in this, or that at least I'm not doing something wrong by feeling this way.

I have this feeling in my heart, that surfaces rarely. And as I began to read Romans and hearing Paul discuss Jews and Gentiles, it surfaced again. The only way I can explain it is... I wish I was ethnically Jewish...

This is the oddest, weirdest and most unusual wish I've ever heard of, and I really don't know what to think that some part of me is searching for some way to, even though I'm a gentile by birth, make some legitimate connection between myself and Israel.

I convinced my family to celebrate Hanukkah for a short time as a child which I enjoyed immensely, and I will probably end up naming nearly all of my children with Hebrew names from the Bible because of their superior sound and meaning.

This is probably the weirdest advice you've ever given, but I hope you can give me some advice.

What is your opinion regarding my dilemma.

I agree with Rob here.

You should get to the bottom of exactly why you feel so drawn to it.

...and, you might remember that there are 10 lost tribes, and God told Abraham that his progeny would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of the modern world have a bit Jewish decent within their family tree...

...but, that doesn't necessarily mean much, especially if you can't pinpoint why exactly you feel so drawn to Hebraic traditions. It could be a conviction on your life, or it could just be a personal fancy (like people who really want to believe they are descended from angels, or vampires, or elves, etc).

As a Christian though, we have been accepted and chosen to be a part of the body of Christ. We have been given the power to overcome sin as defined by the Law through the New Covenant. That is the most important fact in the world. It wasn't extended strictly to Isreal, and in fact, the Chosen as a general whole rejected it. God knew it would happen, so you may find solace in the fact that as a gentile, you were chosen to have this knowledge and the ability to accept it.

`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

@1upMushroomCloud: If you feel it helps you get closer to God then I don't see any problem with practicing some of the Jewish rituals though you'd have to understand that these rituals will have a totally different meaning looking through a Christian lens. Just understand that practicing them doesn't make you Jewish and God isn't going to require it from ya since that's not covenant with him wink . I'm like incorporating rituals in daily devotions personally so I know where you're coming from on that.

The title of Chosen people in the Christian context means that they were the first people given favor by YHVH to prepare the way for Christ to come so everyone could be included in the World to Come. If Church tradition is true, Christianity is more based off of the Noachide Laws, the Laws given to Noah that apply to both Hebrews and Gentiles and adds in the 10 Commandments to give a more solid foundation since the Noachide Laws are pretty vague and debated among Rabbis even today still.

By less than favorable I mean becoming Jewish means a whole life style change. No more cheese burgers, no more mixed fabric clothing, no more shellfish,... 613 laws are quite a bit to adhere to 613 Mitzot. Most of these are already in Christianity, just severely lessened or no longer applicable. Also you kinda need a Jewish community to understand the context of these laws since different communities have different levels of strictness and interpretations concerning these laws.

Edit: Some Christians like myself would argue that only 10 of these Laws apply at all. ninja

You might want to look at your Gentile roots and see what traditions your ancestors had and how you can fit them into the context of Christian worship. Plus it's not stealing since it comes from your heritage. A book I would personally recommend and you might be able to get it from Inter-Library Loan is "Meditations on the Tarot" by Valentin Tomberg. If you can look past is blatant pro-Catholic stance (not that there's any wrong with Catholicism, it's just obvious by his enthusiasm that he had recently converted) and ironically his references to reincarnation, you might find some things of value in it in finding a way to feel that deeper connection or at least a clue maybe where you could start looking.

Just remember the Kingdom is inside you, it doesn't lie in any foreign treasure. If it helps you grow closer to Christ, go for it. If it drives you away from Christ or becomes a burden, drop it.

I'll admit 'tis a strange problem I've never thought about. I don't think it really matters, really, Jesus died for us all. Myself, I don't really see the Jews in any better light than Christians, Nor Muslims, nor Hindus, nor anyone else. I never read anywhere that Jesus died for anything but the sins of all. He loved us all, just the way we are, the way we were born, the way we grow up, the way we make mistakes, everything. We are worth the world to Him as we are and will be.