Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is the stream of
Judaism which adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the
Talmud ("
The Oral Law") and later codified in the
Shulchan Aruch ("Code of Jewish Law"). It is governed by these works and the
Rabbinical commentary of the last 1,000+ years.
Orthodox Judaism is characterized by:
*The belief that the
Torah (i.e. the
Pentateuch) and its pertaining
laws are Divine: Transmitted by
God to
Moses who then wrote it down, and cannot be changed by a human being.
*God has made an exclusive unbreakable covenant with the
Children of Israel, the ancestors of the Jewish people, to be governed by the Torah.
*The belief that there is also an
oral law in Judaism, embodied mainly in the Talmud and
Aggadah, which is intrinsically and inherently entwined with the written law of the Torah.
*Adherence to
Halakha (code/s of Jewish law), as codified mainly in the Shulchan Aruch, as an expression of both the written and oral laws.
*Judging the world outside, at any point in history and time, by the principles and guidance of what is presented and taught in the Torah/Talmud/Aggadah/Halakha primarily through the viewpoint of
rabbis and their
rabbinical literature.
*The centrality of
yeshivas as schools of Talmudic study and learning.
*A traditional teaching and acceptance of the
Jewish principles of faith by all Jews.
*Belief in the thirteen principles as stated by the
Rambam (
Maimonides).
Orthodox Judaism's central belief is that the Torah, including both the
Written Law and the
Oral Law, was given directly from
God to Moses and can never be altered or rejected in any way. Resultantly, all Jews are required to live in accordance with the
Commandments and
Jewish law.
While belief in the divinity of the Torah and the right of the Sages and Rabbis to fully interpret and apply it is the primary unifying tenet of Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jews can be classified into several subgroups. These groups maintain significant social differences, and differences in understanding Halakha due to their varying "attitudes" to various issues. The greatest differences are over:
#the degree to which an Orthodox Jew should integrate and/or disengage from
modern secular society;#the weight assigned to
Torah study versus secular studies or other pursuits;#the importance of a central spiritual guide in areas outside of Halakhic decision;#the importance of maintaining non-Halakhic customs, such as dress, language, and music;#the relationship of the modern state of
Israel to Judaism;#the role of women in (religious) society.
Broadly, the subgroups of Orthodoxy comprise
Modern Orthodox Judaism and
Haredi Judaism, the latter comprising
Hasidic Judaism and Litvish (non-Hasidic Hareidi) Judaism. Modern Orthodoxy advocates increased integration with non-Jewish society, and regards secular knowledge as inherently valuable.
Religious Zionism, characterized by belief in the importance of the modern state of Israel to Judaism, often intersects with Modern Orthodoxy. Haredi Judaism advocates segregation from non-Jewish culture, although not from non-Jewish society entirely. It is characterized by its focus on community-wide Torah study (in contrast with Modern Orthodoxy, which decentralizes the role of Torah study for
lay people). Hasidic Judaism places great emphasis on all Jewish traditions, including the
mystical, and, generally, prefers separation from all non-Jewish society. Haredi and Hasidic Judaism are at best ambivalent about the modern
state of Israel.
Since there is no one unifying Orthodox body, there is no one official statement of principles of faith. Rather, each Orthodox group claims to be a non-exclusive heir to the received tradition of Jewish theology, usually affirming a literal acceptance of
Maimonides's thirteen principles as the only acceptable position. Some within Modern Orthodoxy take the more liberal position that these principles only represent one particular formulation of
Jewish principles of faith, and that others are possible.
Practices are largely standardised amongst the groups. For example,
Sephardic Orthodox Jews base most of their practices on the
Shulchan Aruch, the 16th century legal index written by Rabbi
Yosef Karo;
Ashkenazic Orthodox Jews base most of their practices on the
Rema, the
gloss on this work by Rabbi
Moses Isserles. In the postwar period, the
Mishnah Berurah (a commentary on the
Orach Chayim section) has become the authoritative halakhic guide for much of Orthodox Ashkenazic Jewry;
Kaf HaChaim and
Ben Ish Chai fill a similar role in Sephardi communities.
While many Orthodox Jews accept the label "Orthodox", others reject and criticize it because it was never traditionally applied to Jews in ancient times or the Middle Ages. Many Orthodox Jews prefer to call their faith
Torah Judaism. The word "orthodox" itself is derived from the
Greek orthos meaning "straight" and
doxa meaning "opinion".
Use of the "Orthodox" label seems to have begun towards the beginning of the 19th century. Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch wrote in 1854 that::...it was not "Orthodox" Jews who introduced the word "orthodox" into Jewish discussion. It was the modern "progressive" Jews who first applied the name to "old," "backward" Jews as a derogatory term. This name was... resented by "old" Jews. And rightfully so...
Others, however, say that Rabbi
Isaac Leeser was the first to use the term in the US in his journal "The Occident," whose target audience was the more "traditional" or Orthodox Jew.
Orthodoxy is not a single movement or school of thought. There is no single rabbinic body to which all its rabbis are expected to belong, or any one organization representing its member congregations. In the United States at the present time, there are a number of Orthodox congregational organizations such as, for example,
Agudath Israel, the
Orthodox Union, and the
National Council of Young Israel— none of which can claim to represent even a majority of all Orthodox congregations.
What the exact forms of Judaism were during the times of Moses or during the eras of the
Mishnah and
Talmud cannot be exactly known today in all its details, but Orthodox Jews maintain that contemporary Orthodox Judaism maintains the same basic philosophy and
legalistic framework that existed throughout
Jewish history—whereas the other denominations depart from it. It may be said that Orthodox Judaism, as it exists today, is an outgrowth that stretches from the time of Moses, to the time of the Mishnah and Talmud, through the
oral law, and
rabbinic literature ongoing until the present time.
In the early 1800s, elements within
German Jewry sought to reform Jewish belief and practice in response to
The Age of Enlightenment and the
Jewish Emancipation. In light of "modern scholarship", they denied divine authorship of the Torah, declared only those biblical laws concerning ethics to be binding, and stated that the rest of halakha (Jewish law) need no longer be viewed as normative (see
Reform Judaism).
At the same time, there were those German Jews who actively maintained their traditions and adherence to
Jewish law while simultaneously engaging with a post-Enlightenment society. This camp was best represented by the work and thought of Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch. Hirsch held that Judaism demands an application of Torah thought to the entire realm of human experience- including the secular disciplines. This philosophy is termed
"Torah im Derech Eretz". While insisting on strict adherence to Jewish beliefs and practices, he held that Jews should attempt to engage and influence the modern world, and encouraged those secular studies compatible with Torah thought. This form of Judaism is sometimes termed "
neo-Orthodoxy". The religious and social realities of Western European Jewry are considered by some to be the precursors to
Modern Orthodoxy. While Modern Orthodoxy is considered traditional by most Jews today, some within the Orthodox community groups to its right consider it of questionable validity, and the
neo-Orthodox movement of today holds that Hirsch's views are unalike in essence to those of Modern Orthodoxy.[See
Torah im Derech Eretz and
Torah Umadda "Relationship with Torah im Derech Eretz" for more extensive listing]
In the twentieth century, a large segment of the Orthodox population (notably as represented by
World Agudath Israel movement formally established in
1912) disagreed, and took a stricter approach. For a few of them, the motto "Modifications are forbidden by Torah" was appealing, but they too followed various routes of observance and practice. The leading rabbis of Orthodoxy viewed innovations and modifications within Jewish law and customs with extreme care and caution. Some today refer to this form of Judaism a "
Haredi Judaism", or (controversially) "Ultra-Orthodox Judaism". In some circles, the label "Haredi" is considered pejorative, as is certainly the case of the label "ultra-Orthodox".
The various approaches have proved resilient. It is estimated that presently there are more Jews studying in
yeshivot (
Talmudical schools) and
Kollelim (post-graduate Talmudical colleges for married students) than at any other time in history. In 1915 Yeshiva College (later
Yeshiva University) and its
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary was established in
New York City for training in a Modern Orthodox milieu. Eventually a school branch was established in
Los Angeles, CA. A number of other smaller but influential Orthodox seminaries, mostly
Haredi, were also established throughout the country, most notably in
New York City,
Baltimore, and
Chicago. The Haredi yeshiva in
Lakewood, New Jersey is the largest institution of its kind.
Orthodox Judaism is composed of different groups with intertwining beliefs, practices and theologies, although in their core beliefs, all Orthodox movements share the same principles.
Orthodoxy collectively considers itself the only true heir to the Jewish tradition. Orthodox Judaism considers all other Jewish movements to be unacceptable deviations from authentic Judaism; both because of other denomination's dubiety of the verbal revelation of Written and Oral Torah, and because of their rejection of
Halakhic (Jewish legal) precedent as binding. As such, most Orthodox groups characterize non-Orthodox forms of Judaism as heretical; see the article on
Relationships between Jewish religious movements.
Orthodox Judaism affirms monotheism, the belief in one God. Among the in-depth explanations of that belief are:
Maimonidean rationalism;
Kabbalistic mysticism; Hasidic panentheism. A few affirm self-limited omniscience (the theology elucidated by
Gersonides in "The Wars of the Lord".)
Orthodox Judaism maintains the historical understanding of Jewish identity. A Jew is someone who was born to a Jewish mother, or who converts to Judaism in accordance with Jewish law and tradition. Orthodoxy thus rejects
patrilineal descent. Similarly, Orthodoxy does not allow intermarriage. Intermarriage is seen as a deliberate rejection of Judaism, and an intermarried person is effectively cut off from most of the Orthodox community. However, some Chabad
Lubavitch and Modern Orthodox Jews do reach out to intermarried Jews.
Beliefs about Jewish law and tradition
Orthodox Judaism holds that on
Mount Sinai the Written Law was transmitted along with an Oral Law. The words of the Torah (Pentateuch) were
spoken to Moses by God; the laws contained in this Written Torah,
the Mitzvot, were given along with detailed explanations (
the oral tradition) as to how to apply and interpret them. Furthermore, The Oral law includes principles designed to create new rules. The Oral law is held to be transmitted with an extremely high degree of accuracy.
According to Orthodox Judaism, Jewish Law today is based on the
commandments in the Torah, as viewed through the discussions and debates contained in classical
rabbinic literature, especially the
Mishnah and the
Talmud. Orthodox Judaism thus holds that the Halakha ("Jewish law") represents the "will of God", either directly, or as closely to directly as possible. If the laws are not the word of God
per se, they are nonetheless derived from the literal word of God in the Torah, using a set of rules also revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, and have been derived with the utmost accuracy and care. If some of the details of Jewish Law may have been lost over the millennia, they were reconstructed in accordance with internally consistent rules; see
The thirteen rules by which Jewish law was derived.
In this world view, the Mishnaic and Talmudic rabbis are closer to the Divine revelation; by corollary, one must be extremely conservative in changing or adapting Jewish law. Furthermore, Orthodox Judaism holds that, given Jewish law's Divine origin, no underlying principle may be compromised in accounting for changing political, social or economic conditions; in this sense, "creativity" and development in Jewish law is held to have been limited. Thus, Orthodox Jews study the Talmud in depth, but Talmudic legal methodology is rarely used to alter Jewish law as codified in later compendia. Orthodox Jews will also study the Talmud for its own sake; this is considered to be the greatest
mitzvah of all; see
Torah study.
As above, it is held virtually as a principle of belief among many Orthodox Jews that halakha ("Jewish law") never changes. Haredi Judaism thus views higher criticism of the Talmud as inappropriate, and almost certainly heretical. At the same time, many within Modern Orthodox Judaism do not have a problem with historical scholarship in this area. See the entry on
Higher criticism of the Talmud.
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the
Orthodox Union, or more simply as the "OU", and the
Rabbinical Council of America, "RCA" are organizations which represent Modern Orthodox Judaism, a large segment of Orthodoxy in America, Canada and England. These groups should not be confused with the similarly named
Union of Orthodox Rabbis (described below).
The
National Council of Young Israel, and the
Council of Young Israel Rabbis are smaller groups that were originally founded as Modern Orthodox organizations and are militantly Zionistic and right wing in their orientation. It strongly supports and allies itself with the settlement movement in Israel. Israeli government leaders typically refuse to deal with the NCYI, preferring to work with the more moderate and mainstream Orthodox Union. While the lay membership of synagogues affiliated with the NCYI are almost exclusively Modern Orthodox in orientation, the Rabbinical leadership of the synagogues ranges from Modern Orthodox to Haredi.
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel was originally founded with the intention of representing all of Judaism within the State of Israel, and has two chief rabbis: One is
Ashkenazic (of the East European and Russian Jewish tradition) and one is
Sephardic (of the Spanish, North African and middle-eastern Jewish tradition.) The rabbinate has never been accepted by most Israeli Haredi groups. Since the 1960s the Chief rabbinate of Israel has moved somewhat closer to the positions of Haredi Judaism.
Chief Rabbinate of IsraelChabad Lubavitch is a vast international educational, outreach, community-building movement of
Hasidic Judaism. In over 40 years, they have sent throughout the world about 5,000 young men who are all accompanied by equally motivated spouses with typically large families, all of whom aim to fulfill their mandate of Jewish outreach, education, and revival. They look for and recruit people who want to join them, and they are major players in, the
Teshuva movement, which encourages Jews alienated from their religion to become more Jewishly aware and religiously observant.
Agudath Israel of America (also: Agudat Yisrael or Agudas Yisroel) is a large and influential Haredi group in America. Its roots go back to the establishment of the original founding of the Agudath Israel movement in
1912 in Kattowitz (
Katowice),
Germany (now
Poland). The American Agudath Israel was founded in
1939. There is an
Agudat Israel (Hasidic) in Israel, and also
Degel HaTorah (non-Hasidic "
Lithuanian"), as well as an
Agudath Israel of Europe in
Europe. These groups are loosely affiliated through the
World Agudath Israel, which from time to time holds a major gathering in Israel called a
knessiah gathering. Agudah unites many rabbinic leaders from the
Hasidic Judaism wing with those of the non-Hasidic "
Yeshiva" world. In Israel it shares a similar agenda with the
Sephardic Shas political party.
Agudath Yisrael,
More on Agudath Yisrael.
The Agudath HaRabonim (Agudas HaRabbonim), also known as the
Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, is a small Haredi-leaning organization that was founded in
1902. It should not be confused with "The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America" (see above) which is a separate organization. While at one time influential within Orthodox Judaism, the Agudath HaRabonnim in the last several decades it has progressively moved further to the right; its membership has been dropping and it has been relatively inactive. Some of its members are rabbis from Chabad (Lubavitch) Judaism; some are also members of the RCA (see above). It is currently most famous for its 1997 declaration (citing Israeli Chief Rabbi
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog,
Lubavitcher Rebbe
Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and Modern Orthodox Rabbi
Joseph Soloveitchik) that the
Conservative and
Reform movements are "not Judaism at all."
The Igud HaRabonim (also: Igud HaRabanim), the Rabbinical Alliance of America, is a small
anti-Zionist Haredi organization. Founded in
1944, it claims over 650 rabbis; recent estimates indicate that less than 100 of its members worldwide actually work as rabbis.
The Hisachdus HaRabbonim (also: Hisachduth HaRabbonim), Central Rabbinical Congress (CRC) of the U.S.A. &
Canada, was established in
1952. It is a relatively small anti-Israel Haredi organization, consisting only of
Satmar and other like-minded Hasidic rabbis.
Edah is a new left-wing Modern Orthodox advocacy group, consisting of American Modern Orthodox rabbis. Most of its membership comes from synagogues affiliated with the Union of Orthodox Congregations and RCA (above). Their motto is "The courage to be Modern and Orthodox".
EdahThe
Bais Yaakov movement, begun in 1917, introduced the concept of formal Judaic schooling for Orthodox women.
*
Conservative Judaism*
Divine Providence in contemporary Orthodox thought*
Haredi Judaism*
Hasidic Judaism*
Jewish denominations*
List of Orthodox rabbis*
Modern Orthodox Judaism*
Reform Judaism*
Religious Zionism*
Torah Judaism*
Archive of articles and lectures by leading contemporary Orthodox rabbis*
Origins of Orthodox Judaism*
The different Orthodox Jewish groups*
The Variety of Orthodox Attitudes to Selected Ideological Issues*
Role of women in Orthodox Judaism*
All about the Shulkhan Arukh*
The State of Orthodox Judaism Today*
Orthodox Judaism in Israel*
The Union of Orthodox Congregations*
The Jews of Yemen Homepage*
GoDaven.com - The Worldwide Orthodox Minyan Database*
Global Chabad-Lubavitch Centers and Institutions Directory
