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A friend and colleague was the rabbi in a suburban New York synagogue. An outstanding scholar, he was displeased with several aspects of his congregation's liturgical practices. Some were peculiarities of that particular community, which he felt...
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At the return from Babylonian Exile in about 500 BCE, the leaders of the Jewish People, Ezra and Nehemiah, with the assistance of a body of Torah scholars, including the last of the Prophets, carefully reconstructed Jewish life. This body is known...
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In the eight century, a new movement arose on the scene of Jewish history. It was called Karaism. Its heyday was from the ninth to eleventh centuries, but it survives to this day, with some 40,000 adherents world wide. It is considered a heresy by...
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We have seen how the great Karaite schism deeply divided the Jewish people, and continues to do so until this very day. While rejecting, in its entirety or in part, the Oral Torah, Karaism developed their own "Oral Torah", known as "Sevel...
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The Rabbinite and Karaite communities lived largely apart since the twelfth century. Although questions were raised as to the legal status of the Karaites, these discussions were mostly theoretical. The issues were whether or not the Karaites were...
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With the establishment of the State of Israel, the question of who is and who isn't a Jew became very pressing. Would Jews who practiced another faith still be considered Jews, with the right to immigrate and receive full citizenship? According to...
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When i was in college in the late '60s, the feminist movement was just beginning. Ongoing debates were common in and out of class, as to the nature of femininity. Do women think and react differently from men by nature, or because the two sexes...
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First of all, we need to be clear that Torah is NOT an egalitarian document. There is a difference between an Israelite and a non-Israelite, between and Israelite and a Levi, between a Levi and a Kohen. I am a Levi. Only a Kohen may arise and do...
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About a year ago, I wrote a series on the history and beliefs of non-Orthodox groups. If there is interest, I can post it here as well. My intention in this article is not to bash or condemn, but rather to learn from history.The Conservative...
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Conservatism took a huge dive in membership after adopting the idea of ordaining women, and the subsequent acceptance of full female participation at religious services. But why? There is no doubt that much of this was plain sexism. But it goes...
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