Orthodox Judaism - Orthodox Judaism is not a single movement. It is the name given to all those branches of the Jewish faith that did not substantially modify their beliefs and practices after the emancipation of the Jews. In the USA Orthodox Jews account for about 10% Jews among adult religious Jews according to data from 2000-2001 and only about 5% among all adult Jews by a different measure. But Orthodox Jews account for the overwhelming majority of religious Jews outside of the USA and Canada.
Two misconceptions about Orthodox Judaism are that it is
monolithic and that its practices and beliefs are necessarily ancient. "Orthodox
Judaism" comprises all the varieties of the Jewish religion that exist outside
the United States and certain European countries, as opposed to
Conservative Judaism,
Reform
Judaism
and similar denominations, but Orthodox Judaism includes the
modernizing Mizrachi movement begun in 1902 by Rabbi
Isaac SReines.
Many "Orthodox" beliefs and practices evolved
at or after the time of Maimonides (about 1200 ACE) in the codification of the
Shulhan Aruch (16th century) or even later. The dress codes of certain Orthodox
Ashkenasi traditions are based on the style of 16th century Eastern Europe.
In Israel the state recognizes the Orthodox stream
exclusively. since
Conservative Judaism,
Reform
Judaism are belief systems which flourish in North
America, with relatively new branches in Israel.
It is virtually impossible to provide an
exhaustive list of Orthodox Jewish Groups, Sine each small community and each
Rabbi and his followers may constitute a separate group following somewhat
different laws. Some of the larger and more interesting groupings are: Ashkenazic
Orthodox Jews - Orthodox Jews
of Eastern and Central European origin have a somewhat different set of customs
from other Jews. They are much more zealous about separation of women for
example. Orthodox Jews from Australia, Britain and Western Europe who are not
refugges of from the East tend to be more liberal.
Mizrachi,
Yemenite and Sephardic Jews
usually follow different and more lenient customs than their European
counterparts.
A great center of learning evolved in Lithuania,
and with it a style of Judaism based on Talmud
scholarship and dry learning, and largely unsuited to
the mass of semi-literate Jews. A popular movement , known as
Hasidism, was founded by Israel ben Eliezer,known as
the Baal Shem Tov or the Besht, arose about 1760.
Chasidism originally emphasized other, more personal
experiences and mysticism as alternative routes to God.
Chasidism was opposed by the more traditional schools od
learning centered in Lithuania. Those who opposed Chasidism became known
as mitnagdim (opponents), and disputes between the Chasidim and the mitnagdim
were often brutal. Hassidim are simply followers of a rabbi,
regardless of religious ideology. A system of Judaism evolved around different
rabbis and their students and followers. Leadership of these communities was
almost always handed down in dynastic succession rather by merit or
democratically. Sects, particularly Hassidic ones,
were organized around a spiritual leader
called a Rebbe or a tzaddik, a person considered to be
more enlightened than other Jews and often thought to have
miracle working and prophetic powers. A Hassid
consults his Rebbe about all major life decisions,
The Lubavitcher Hasidim, followers
of rabbi Zalman Schneiur of Miladi and his descendants, are
very
active and well known. They are probably the closest in
spirit to the original Hassidic teaching and try to "convert" other Jews through
their Chabad charitable organization.. Agudath Yisrael
- This group was originally formed to combat modernization and
Zionism. Over the years it has proven less reactionary than some other groups and
passively tolerant of Israel. The Mizrachi movement - This should
not be confused with Mizrachi
(non-European) Jews. It is a progressive "liberal" Orthodox movement founded in
1902 by Rabbi Isaac Reines to modernize Orthodoxy and in particular Orthodox
education and support Zionism. It's youth movement is the B'nei Akiva movement
and its political party is the National Religious Party (NRP). Though originally
dovish, members of the movement tend to support the extreme right in Israel.
Haredi or Ultra-Orthodox or "Hassidic": These
are the zealously religious Jews, sometimes ant-Zionist such as the "Edah
Haharedit" in Israel, and the Satmar group and the Neturei Karta.
Masorti - These Orthodox Jews should not be confused
with the newer Masorti movement, which is the Israeli branch of
Conservative Judaism.
"Masorti" Israeli Jews are usually Jews from Arab countries who partly adhere to
the Orthodox Sephardic Jewish religion. For example, they profess a belief in God, wear a
Yarmulke and keep kosher, but they will travel on Shabbat to a football game.
All Orthodox Jewish denominations believe
that the Torah (five books of Moses) was written by God and given to Moses along
with the oral tradition of the Mishnah. They follow the
Talmud
and for the most part the Shulkhan Aruch either in its
Sephardic or
Ashkenazic
form and practice strict adherence to the
Halachah
law as interpreted by their own rabbis. Most Orthodox groups have accepted the
book of the Zohar as well. The creed of Maimonides sums up the detailed beliefs
shared by most Orthodox Jewish groups. Some hold to beliefs and practices that
were condemned or dismissed by Maimonides, such as beliefs in physical
resurrection of soul, worship of "saints" and similar customs
1. I believe absolutely that God is the Creator and Ruler
of all things. He alone has made, does make, and will make all things. 2.
I believe absolutely that God is One. There is no unity that is in any way
like His. He alone is our God. He was, He is, and He will be. 6. I believe absolutely that all the
words of the prophets are true. 8. I believe
absolutely that the entire Torah that we now have is that which was given to
Moses. 10. I believe absolutely that God
knows all of man's deeds and thoughts. It is thus written (Psalm 33:15), "He
has molded every heart together, He understands what each one does." 12. I believe absolutely in the
coming of the Messiah. Though he may tarry, I will await His coming every
day. 13. I believe absolutely that the dead will be brought back to life when
God wills it to happen. In the Orthodox Jewish faith the Messiah, like the faith,
is national and not universal or personal. He will restore the Jewish people
to their land, rebuild the temple and raise the dead, but he is evidently
unrelated to absolution or personal "salvation." Other branches of Judaism
and particularly
Reform Judaism
Judaism, apparently believe in a more universal and personal concept of
Messiah. Orthodox Jewish communities, and particularly followers
(Hassidim) of specific
Ashkenazic
rabbis often maintain an absolutely uniform outward appearance based on
their interpretation of
Halachah
law with an arbitrary admixture of customs that are probably borrowed from
their non-Jewish neighbors and frozen in time. Hungarian ultra-Orthodox
sects may wear the fur hats of 17th century Hungarian noblemen.
Married Orthodox women may wear styles associated with the 1950s or even the
1930s. The range of costumes and treatment of beard and ear locks (peyot)
is shown below for contemporary Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Ami Isseroff February 17, 2011
Synonyms and alternate spellings: Further Information: Judaism, Conservative Judaism,
Reconstructionist
Judaism,
Reform Judaism,
Humanistic Judaism
Jewish Renewal Hebrew/Arabic pronunciation and
transliteration conventions:
'H - ('het) a guttural sound made deep in the throat. To Western ears
it may sound like the "ch" in loch. In Arabic there are several letters
that have similar sounds. Examples: 'hanukah, 'hamas, 'haredi. Formerly, this
sound was often represented by ch, especially in German transliterations
of Hebrew. Thus, 'hanukah is often rendered as Chanuka for example. ch
- (chaf) a sound like "ch" in loch or the Russian Kh
as in Khruschev or German Ach, made by putting the tongue against
the roof of the mouth. In Hebrew, a chaf can never occur at the beginning of a
word. At the beginning of a word, it has a dot in it and is pronounced "Kaf."
u - usually between oo as in spoon and u as in put. a-
sounded like a in arm
ah- used to represent an a sound made by the letter hey at the end of
a word. It is the same sound as a. Haganah and Hagana are alternative
acceptable transliterations. 'a-notation
used for Hebrew and Arabic
ayin, a guttural ah sound. o
- close to the French o as in homme. th
- (taf without a dot) - Th was formerly used to transliterate the Hebrew
taf sound for taf without a dot. However in modern Hebrew there is no
detectable difference in standard pronunciation of taf with or without a dot,
and therefore Histadruth and Histadrut, Rehovoth and Rehovot are all acceptable. q-
(quf) - In transliteration of Hebrew and Arabic, it is best to
consistently use the letter q for the quf, to avoid confusion with similar
sounding words that might be spelled with a kaf, which should be transliterated
as K. Thus, Hatiqva is preferable to Hatikva for example.
Definitions of Zionism
General History of Zionism and the Creation of Israel
History of Israel and Zionism
Historical Source
Documents of Israel and Zionism
Back to main page:
http://www.zionism-israel.com
Zionism and Israel Information Center
This site is a part of the
Zionism and
Israel on the Web Project Copyright
This work and individual entries are copyright © 2005 by Ami Isseroff and
Zionism and Israel Information Center
and may not reproduced in any form without permission unless explicitly noted
otherwise. Individual entries may be cited with credit to
The Encyclopedia and Dictionary of
Zionism and Israel
ZioNation - Zionism-Israel Web Log
Zionism & Israel News
Israel: like this, as if
Bible
Bible
Quotes History
of Zionism Zionism FAQ
Zionism Israel Center
Maps of Israel Jew Israel
Advocacy
Zionism and its Impact
Israel
Christian Zionism
Site Map
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
