Download Orthodox Judaism Conservative Judaism Reformed Judaism

Orthodox Judaism
TORAH
And
Modern Orthodoxy
Haredi Judaism
Hasidic Judaism
It comes directly from G-d and so cannot
be changed.
G-d
Being Jewish is based on halahah (Jewish
law). The 613 commandments include
"positive commandments", to perform an
act (mitzvot aseh), and "negative
commandments", to abstain from certain
acts (mitzvot lo taaseh). The negative
commandments number 365, which
coincides with the number of days in the
solar year, and the positive
commandments number 248, a number
ascribed to the number of bones and main
organs in the human body (Babylonian
Talmud, Makkot 23b-24a).
Conservative Judaism
Reformed Judaism
Masorti Judaism
Liberal or Progressive Judaism
Acts as a sort of middle position between
Orthodox and Reform groups.
Torah is the G-d-inspired attempt by
Hebrews/Israelites/ Jews to understand their
surroundings and their relationship with G-d.
While it is a holy document, the Torah is
rooted in the past, and we can even
sometimes discern the circumstances under
which certain sections were written down.
*There is no such thing as divine intervention;
Judaism is an evolving religious civilization.
When Reform Jews relate to G-d, they do so
on a more personal and less mechanistic
level.
The Torah was not inspired by G-d; it only
comes from the social and historical
development of Jewish people.
An original, verbal revelation did occur in
Sinai, but the text itself was composed by
later authors. The latter, classified by
Dorff as a relatively moderate
metamorphosis of the old one, is still
espoused by few traditionalist right-wing
Conservative rabbis, though it is
marginalized among senior leadership.
Reconstructionist Judaism
Zionism and aliyah (immigration to Israel) are
encouraged. Reconstructionist Judaism is based
on a democratic community where the laity can
make decisions, not just rabbis.
The classical view of G-d is rejected. G-d is
redefined as the sum of natural powers or
processes that allows mankind to gain selffulfillment and moral improvement. The idea
that G-d chose the Jewish people for any
purpose, in any way, is "morally untenable",
because anyone who has such beliefs "implies
the superiority of the elect community and the
rejection of others."
Moredcai Kaplan's philosophy that denied
any form of revelation but viewed all
scripture as a purely human product.
Most Reconstructionists do not believe
in revelation (the idea that God reveals his will to
human beings). This is dismissed
as supernaturalism.
The
Messiah
The Messiah is a personal, superhuman
being who is not divine. He will restore
the Jewish kingdom and extend his
righteous rule over the earth. He will
execute judgement and right all wrongs.
Similar to the Reformed theology.
Instead of a belief in the Messiah being a
single person or divine being, they favor the
concept of a Utopian age toward which
mankind is progressing.
“Even though we say we are waiting, we are not
waiting passively to be rescued. We are actively
working to hasten the arrival of the messianic era
by increasing justice and peace, by fighting
oppression and human suffering. Our awareness
of the unredeemed state of the world moves us to
work to make things better. I believe that this is a
major reason why so many Jewish people
become social, political, and economic activists,
why Jews in the USA vote more liberally than
others in the same economic brackets. Our
interest in helping the less fortunate derives from
a vision of what the world redeemed looks like”
– Rabbi Jacob Staub is Professor of Jewish
Philosophy and Spirituality at the
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in
Wyncote, PA, where he directs the program in
Jewish Spiritual Direction.
Death
and the
Afterlife
There will be a physical resurrection. The
righteous will exist forever with God in
the Garden of Eden. The unrighteous will
suffer, but disagreement exists over their
ultimate destiny.
Tend towards the Reform view, but are
less influenced by Eastern thought.
Generally, reformed Judaism has no concept
of personal life after death. They say a
person lives on in the accomplishments or in
the minds of others. There is some influence
of Eastern thought, where souls merge into
one great impersonal life force.
Angels and Heavenly hosts are also a foreign
superstitious influence, especially from early
Zoroastrian sources, and denied.
Rabbinic wisdom reminds us that it is improper
and impious for us to serve God in the hope of
receiving the reward of entering heaven (Avot
1:3). For most Jews, our ultimate concern rests
on the legacy we leave behind -- the people
whose lives we touched and, hopefully, changed
for the better -- and not our possible enjoyment
of heavenly bliss.
As the people of God, our task is to enhance
God's sacred presence by working for the
material and spiritual betterment of our world
which, according to the Kaddish prayer, was
fashioned according to God's will.”
- Rabbi Lewis Eron, Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College
Marriage
Orthodox and Conservative streams do not
accept as Jewish a person whose mother is
not Jewish, nor a convert whose
conversion was conducted under the
authority of a more liberal stream.
Congregations are beginning to describe
gentile family members (spouses) as
K'rov Yisrael (Kin of Israel) and be more
open toward them.
Conservative and Orthodox Judaism do
not recognize civil law as overriding
religious law, and thus do not view a civil
divorce as sufficient. Thus, a man or
woman may be considered divorced by the
Reform Jewish community, but still
married by the Conservative community.
Those who are Ultra-Orthodox and are of
marriageable age generally go through
shadchunim, or matchmakers. Shadchanim
can be professional matchmakers or make
a match only once, but their responsibility
is great.
Divorce
According to biblical law, a married
couple is released from the bonds of
matrimony only through the transmission
of a bill of divorce from the husband to the
wife. Without a get, no matter how long
the couple is separated, and no matter how
many civil documents they may have in
their file cabinet, in the eyes of Jewish law
Judaism has always accepted divorce as a
fact of life, albeit an unfortunate one, and
permits divorce for any reason, but
discourages divorce.
While opposed to interfaith marriage in
principle, CCAR officials estimated in 2012
that about half of their rabbis partake in such
ceremonies.
80% of all Reform-raised Jews in the United
States wed between 2000 and 2013 were
intermarried led to the recognition
of patrilineal descent: all children born to a
couple in which a single member was
Jewish, whether mother or father, was
accepted as a Jew on condition that they
received corresponding education and
committed themselves as such.
Judaism has always accepted divorce as a
fact of life, albeit an unfortunate one, and
permits divorce for any reason, but
discourages divorce.
“Mixed Jewish/Non-Jewish couples are welcome
in Reconstructionist congregations. In 2015 the
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College voted to
accept rabbinical students in interfaith
relationships, making Reconstructionist Judaism
the first type of Judaism to officially allow rabbis
in relationships with non-Jewish partners.
The Reconstructionist movement has instituted
three types of get ceremonies for those seeking a
Reconstructionist divorce. The first type is
parallel to the traditional get, which the husband
initiates and delivers to the wife. The second
Reconstructionist get allows the wife to initiate
and deliver it to her husband. The third option is
a get that is mutually initiated by both partners
the couple is still 100% married. The
entire get procedure is performed in front
of a beth din (rabbinical court consisting
of three rabbis). Though technically only
the presence of the husband, wife, and two
witnesses is required to effect the divorce,
practically, the get process is so complex
that it cannot be done correctly unless
done in the presence of experts in the field.
In fact, rabbinic law automatically
invalidates any get which was not written
and transmitted in front of experts.
Gender
Separation of men and women in the
synagogue.
and delivered to each other with complete
equality. These options are also available for gay
and lesbian couples.- Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College
Men and women are allowed to sit
together during the services.
Women can be rabbis and cantors, and most
of the services are in vernacular (everyday)
languages.
We have always been dedicated to being fully
and consistently egalitarian. We pride ourselves
in being the only movement that has always
ordained women and the first Jewish community
to hold a formal bat mitzvah ceremony in
synagogue over 70 years ago. All our
prayerbooks are gender neutral. In all areas of
ritual, hiring and governance, our member
communities must demonstrate a full
commitment to egalitarian principles. Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
In June 2012, the American branch
of Conservative Judaism formally
approved same-sex marriage ceremonies
in a 13-0 vote
Tolerance for LGBT and ordination of
LGBT rabbis were also pioneered by this
movement.
The Reconstructionist Rabbinical
Association (RRA) encourages its members to
officiate at same-sex marriages, though it does
not require it of them.
Orthodox women dress modestly by
keeping most of their skin covered.
Additionally, married women cover their
hair, most commonly in the form of a
scarf, also in the form of hats, bandanas,
berets, snoods or, sometimes, wigs.
Orthodox men wear a skullcap known as a
kipa and often fringes called "tzitzit".
Haredi men often grow beards and always
wear black hats and suits, indoors and
outdoors. However, Modern Orthodox
Jews are commonly indistinguishable in
their dress from those around them
LGBTQ
Commun
ity
Traditionally, Judaism has understood
homosexual male intercourse as contrary
to Judaism, and this opinion is still
maintained by Orthodox Judaism.
JONAH is a Jewish ex-gay organization
that focuses on "prevention, intervention,
and healing of the underlying issues
causing same-sex attractions." It is a
world-wide organization, with the majority
of its membership in the United States,
Israel, Canada and Europe. It uses a
variety of psycho-educational methods,
including live support group meetings, Email list-serv groups, networking, therapy
referrals, and experiential weekend
programs.
Intercourse between consenting adults was
declared as legitimate by the Central
Conference of American Rabbis in 1977,
and openly gay clergy were admitted by the
end of the 1980s.
Same-sex marriage were sanctioned by the
end of the following decade. In 2015 the
URJ adopted a Resolution on the Rights of
Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming
People, urging clergy and synagogue
attendants to actively promote tolerance and
inclusion of such individuals.
We were the first movement to publicly address
this issue in our 1988 report on homosexuality.
In addition the Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College was the first Jewish seminary to accept
openly gay and lesbian students. We retain an
unwavering commitment to forming inclusive
communities, welcoming to gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered Jews as well as
multicultural families, Jews of color, and other
groups traditionally excluded from full
participation in Jewish communal life. Material
about gay and lesbian families is included in
religious school curricula. Our rabbis are free to
perform same-sex commitment or marriage
ceremonies if it is their practice to do so. Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Conversi
on
Judaism does not seek out converts, and
actively discourages converts (because a
person does not need to be a Jew to be
righteous in G-d's eyes), but conversion to
Judaism is possible.
Judaism does not seek out converts, and
actively discourages converts (because a
person does not need to be a Jew to be
righteous in G-d's eyes), but conversion to
Judaism is possible.
Judaism does not seek out converts, and
actively discourages converts (because a
person does not need to be a Jew to be
righteous in G-d's eyes), but conversion to
Judaism is possible.
Judaism does not seek out converts, and actively
discourages converts (because a person does not
need to be a Jew to be righteous in G-d's eyes),
but conversion to Judaism is possible.
*DIVORCE: Judaism recognized the concept of "no-fault" divorce thousands of years ago. Judaism generally maintains that it is better for a couple to divorce than to remain together in a state of
constant bitterness and strife.
Under Jewish law, a man can divorce a woman for any reason or no reason. The Talmud specifically says that a man can divorce a woman because she spoiled his dinner or simply because he finds
another woman more attractive, and the woman's consent to the divorce is not required. In fact, Jewish law requires divorce in some circumstances: when the wife commits a sexual transgression, a
man must divorce her, even if he is inclined to forgive her.
This does not mean that Judaism takes divorce lightly. Many aspects of Jewish law discourage divorce. The procedural details involved in arranging a divorce are complex and exacting. Except in
certain cases of misconduct by the wife, a man who divorces his wife is required to pay her substantial sums of money, as specified in the ketubah (marriage contract). In addition, Jewish law
prohibits a man from remarrying his ex-wife after she has married another man. Kohanim cannot marry divorcees at all.
*Messianic Judaism- Most Messianic Jews celebrate the Biblical holidays such as Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost), Rosh HaShanah (the traditional Jewish New Year, but actually the Feast of
Trumpets), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), Chanukkah (the Feast of Dedication) and Purim. We celebrate the holidays because it is written in the Torah for
Israel to observe these festivals forever (Leviticus 23:21, 31, 41; Exodus 12:14). Yeshua observed these festivals, as did the early Messianic Jews and apostles such as Rabbi Paul (Acts 20:16, 27:9; 1
Corinthians 16:8). We also believe that when Messiah Yeshua returns to Earth, some of these holidays will be reestablished worldwide (Zechariah 14:11-21). As Messianic Jews celebrate the
holidays, we do so with the understanding that Yeshua is the fulfillment of each of them. For example, He is our Passover Lamb, who died on Passover. He is the Firstfruits of the resurrection, who
came back to life on the holiday of Firstfruits. He is our Atonement on Yom Kippur, etc.