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One of the difficulties in translating from one language to another, is that a word in the original language, may have more than one meaning. Sometimes, the meanings of one word could be opposites. This is the case with the word "cleave" in...
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There are many differences between the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds not only in halachah, but also in ideology. This is especially evident in the area of Mesorah. Both Talmuds recognize the immutability of the laws given to Moses, both in...
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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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