Krista Dalton, a Christian graduate student of Jewish studies, only wants you to study Judaism as long as you give it the respect it deserves:
Does that mean one can understand early Christianity without understanding early Judaism? No! The same as early Jewish studies is enhanced by an understanding of Christianity. But when we begin the dialogue, it should not be from a position of “reclaiming.” Frankly, the time for that ended a little under 2,000 years ago. Since then “jewishness” and “christianness” has evolved into two large and separate religious traditions.
Thus understanding Israelite and Judean religious practice is not the equivalent of understanding modern Jewish practice.
This attempt to reclaim Judaism is foreign to my experience, but Krista knows what she’s talking about.