Orthodox Branch Of Judaism Research Paper

Victor Romero

Professor Emmett

History Of God

16 October 2017

Judaism

Judaism is among the world’s leading organized religions with more than millions adherents associating with it. It is the oldest religion still in practice and the initial monotheistic recorded faith. The development of the religion as is evident in its tradition is through a covenant between Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish religion and God (Sanders). The basis of the religion is on the ethics and principles presented in the Talmud and the Hebrew Bible. The religion differs significantly from other religions because unlike the rest of the religions where power is vested in one individual group, the Jews identify power to be embodied in sacred traditions and texts. The

For instance, the orthodox branch takes a literal interpretation of the Torah, the conservative branch subscribes to the divine authority of the book but also holds respect for the various biblical scholarships. The reconstructionists believe that the Torah is not given by God and instead they emphasize on the history and culture of the Jews. The reform branch views the Torah as a repository of ethical teachings rather than divine revelations. In reference to the Torah, reformists will ignore any commandments that lack in moral purpose (Plaut). The differences are not only present in the adherence to the Torah but the Judaism observances each branch associates

While the reform will eliminate the traditional observances, the conservative branch will permit modernization and modification of these observances. Reconstructionists will work on the reflection of what the community needs rather than a strict prescription of the observances, unlike reformists who disregard these observances. The Judaism observances also include the equality of men and women. The reform branch views men and women to be equal. The conservative branch believes that there is no separation between men and women while the orthodox branch identifies a separation between and women, especially during worship. The Orthodox branch encourages the wearing of traditional clothing including the phylacteries, scullcap, and the prayer shawl. The reform branch, however, preserves the uniqueness of the Jewish traditional dress for services only (Plaut).

All the branches have their view towards the Jewish law and teaching, and the reform branch may be different in one way or the other. The Orthodox branch views these laws and teachings to be binding. The reconstructionist branch believes that the laws are only created by the people and thus favor them. The reform branch, however, views these laws and traditions not to have a divine origin and therefore are not as binding as the other groups view the laws and teachings