Jyothish's Notes

Judah-ism

May 20, 20255 min read

The Scriptures

The defining texts of the religion are the Tanakh and the Talmud

  • TaNaKh (The Hebrew Bible / The Masoretic Text)

    • Torah (The Pentateuch / The Original Book of Commandments from Moses)
    • Nevi’im (Prophets)
    • Ketuvim (Writings)

  • Talmud (Jerusalem Talmud + the later Babylonian Talmud)

    • Mishnah (Legal Schools)
      • Shisha Sedarim (Six Orders) (Acronym: Z’MaN NaKaT)
        • Zeraim (Seeds) - Berakhot, Pe’ah, Demai, Kil’ayim, Shevi’it, Terumot, Ma’aserot, Ma’aser Sheni, Challah, Orlah, Bikkurim
        • Moed (Festival) - Shabbat, Eruvin, Pesahim, Shekalim, Yoma, Sukkah, Beitza, Rosh Hashanah, Ta’anit, Megillah, Mo’ed Katan, Hagigah
        • Nashim (Women) - Yevamot, Ketubot, Nedarim, Nazir, Sotah, Gittin, Kiddushin
        • Nezikin (Damages) - Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, Bava Batra, Sanhedrin, Makkot, Shevu’ot, Eduyot, Avodah Zarah, Avot, Horayot
        • Kodashim (Holy Things) - Zevachim, Menachot, Hullin, Bekhorot, Arakhin, Temurah, Keritot, Me’ilah, Tamid, Middot, Kinnim
        • Tohorot (Purities) - Keilim, Oholot, Nega’im, Parah, Tohorot, Mikva’ot, Niddah, Makhshirin, Zavim, Tevul Yom, Yadayim, Uktzim
      • Baraita (Outside the Six Orders)
    • Gemara (Discussion and Analysis by Rabbis)

  • Midrash refers to early TaNaKh interpretations, which are not currently of importance. Midrasha refers to learning, and is cognate with the Arabic word Madrasa.

    • Midrash Halakha (Laws)
    • Midrash Aggadah (Tales)

Active Law (Halakha)

  • Mishneh Torah by Rambam (or Maimonides) (12th century legal code which is one of the most organized pillars of Hebrew Legal Code)
  • The Tur (The 14th century legal code which formed the basis for The Shulchan Arukh, by Rabbi Yakov Ben Asher)
    • The Beit Yosef by Rabbi Joseph Karo (Commentary)
  • The Shulchan Arukh (Set Table) (A simplified version of The Beit Yosef compiled in the 16th century by Rav Yosef Karo) (The most widely accepted legal code)
    • Turei Zahav (or Taz) by Rabbi David HaLevi Segal (or Taz) (Commentary)
    • Siftei Kohen (or Shach) by Rabbi Shabbatai Hakohen (or Shach) (Commentary)
    • Mishna Berura by Rambam (or Maimonides) (Commentary)
  • Shulchan Arukh HaRav (18th century legal code practiced by ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews, a subset of Haredi Jews. A third of it remains after a fire.)
  • Works of Rambam (or Maimonides) - Including Mishneh Torah

Variants

  • Old

    • Tribes
      • Levites (sons of Aaron, chosen to be priests)
      • Other tribes
    • Roman Era
      • Pharisees (a philosophical group, followed the Oral Torah. Mostly the common people and Rabbis. Jesus would’ve been a Pharisee.)
      • Essenes (they believed the others corrupted the city and the Temple, and kinda followed the Oral Torah. They were Isolationists)
      • Sadducees (They wanted to be the priestly caste, and rejected the Oral Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim (and hence notions of afterlife and the Temple rites). They were the wealthy people.)
      • Zealots (Anti-Roman group which led to the Great Revolt, or the “fourth group”, as described by Josephus)
        • Sicarii (Assassins) (Josephus described them as bandits who killed Jews who sympathized with Romans)
    • Samaritans (Excluded by Jews)
      • They were the ones who lived with Assyrians when Jews were exiled, and when the Jews returned, they accused them of associating partners to God and corrupting the Torah.
        • 2 Kings 17:24-41 (They were brought to Assyrian Samaria because the God of Israel sent lions to kill the Assyrians who settled in Samaria, since they did not worship the God of Israel)
      • They worship at Mount Gerizim, while Jews worship at Temple Mount.
        • Their Ten Commandments tell them to build an altar at Mount Gerizim.
        • Same goes in Deuteronomy, where Jews were asked to build an altar at Mount Ebal, while Samaritans were to build it at Mount Gerizim.
        • 1946 Dead Sea Scrolls (Second Temple Era writings) that read Gerizim which suggests that the Samaritans had the correct reading.
        • The Temple at Mount Gerizim was destroyed by John Hyrcanus in 108 BCE, to set Jerusalem as the only place of worship.
        • John 4:21–24 (Jesus said neither temple will matter)
      • They follow a different Samaritan Pentateuch, as opposed to the Masoretic Text
      • Jesus was accused of being a demon-possessed Samaritan (John 8:44)
      • About 900 of them remain

  • Current

    • Karaites (Readers / non-Rabbinites)
      • “Qaaraa” means “read”. So they follow the school of literalism.
      • They only follow the written Torah. Some say they could be from the Sadducees.
      • They do not follow the Rabbinic tradition.
    • Reform (Progressive and social justice oriented)
      • They consider the Oral Torah to be man-made and not legally binding
    • Conservative (Mid-way between Reform and Orthodox)
      • They consider the Oral Torah authoritative, but allow a lot of flexibility
    • Orthodox
      • They consider the Oral Torah authoritative and legally binding, as it was codified in the Mishneh Torah and Shulchan Arukh, and consider it to be exactly the same as the tradition followed from the revelation at Sinai.
      • Types
        • Modern Orthodox (In Harmony with other religions)
        • Haredi (Those who Tremble) / Ultra-Orthodox
          • Hasidic (Devotional)
          • Yeshivish (Academic)
        • Open Orthodox (Supports women’s leadership and openness to non-Orthodox Jews)
    • Smaller
      • Reconstructionist (First to support gays)
      • Jewish Renewal (Gender Equality, Eco-conscious, Secular)
      • Humanistic Judaism (Non-theistic)

Backgrounds

  • Assimilation
  • Atheists
  • Buddhists
  • Israeli Jews
  • Karaites
  • Samaritans
  • Lists of Jews
  • Persecution
  • Xueta Christianity
  • Zionism, race and genetics

Diaspora

  • Ashkenazim
  • Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews)
  • Desi Jews
  • Dönmeh Gruzínim
  • Italkim
  • Kaifeng Jews
  • Karaites
  • Kurdish Jews
  • Krymchaks
  • Lemba
  • Maghrebi (including Berber Jews)
  • Mizrahi
  • Mustaʿravim (Arabian)
  • Romaniote
  • Sephardim (ex-Iberian Jews, including Paradesi Jews)

Rabbinical Eras

  • Chazal
    • Zugot
    • Tannaim (Mishna, Tosefta)
    • Amoraim (Talmud)
    • Savoraim
  • Geonim
  • Rishonim
  • Acharonim

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