Transcript Session 2 – Modern Day Judaism

Session 2 – Modern Day Judaism
In this next session we will be looking at
modern day Judaism
We will look at some popular sects of
Judaism, their origins, doctrinal beliefs, and
differences between them
Much of the information for this
presentation was taken from the Christian
Apologetic Research Ministry (CARM.ORG)
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox is the most traditional expression
of modern Judaism.
According to Orthodox
Judaism, the entire Torah
(which includes the
"Written Torah," the
Pentateuch, and the
"Oral," the Talmud) was
given to Moses at Mt. Sinai
The National Jewish Population Survey of
1990 asked 4.5 million adult Jews to identify
their denomination, 6% of American Jews
identified as being Orthodox
American and
Canadian Orthodox
Jews are organized under
the Orthodox Union,
which serves over 1,000
synagogues in North
America
Orthodox Jews do not accept many of the
changes that have crept into reformed
Judaism (which we will examine in a
moment) they do their most to be a true to
the “origin” in their minds as they can
Orthodox Jews hold to practices such as:
Daily Worship
Dietary Laws
Traditional Prayers
Separation of men and women in synagogue
They’re also strict about following the
Sabbath (Israel has Sabbath Elevators)
Which ancient sect of Judaism does this
reflect the most?
The belief that the oral tradition or law is
authoritative would align them with the
Pharisees of the New Testament
Their practices would also match those of
the Pharisees in many areas
The Talmud
Along with the Old Testament, the Talmud
(And therefore the study of it) has been the
all consuming focus of some Jewish people
for the past 1500 years.
The Talmud was written down after the Bible
was complete, between the second and fifth
century AD
However, Jew’s believe it has existed as oral
tradition since Mt. Sinai
Because of this belief the Talmud is know as
the "Oral Torah," with the first five books of
the Tanakh designated the "Written Torah."
To make matters a little more confusing,
there are two Talmuds: the Jerusalem
Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud.
The Jerusalem Talmud was composed
around 500 A.D., and the Babylonian was
completed around 600 A.D. (although the
writing started earlier)
By the time we get to the 11th
century, the Babylonian
Talmud had become supreme
and accepted, and today when
we say “The Talmud” that’s
what we are talking about
The Talmud consists of two parts,
the Mishnah and the Gemara.
The Mishnah on one hand is rabbinic
commentary on the Torah
The Gemara is rabbinic commentary on the
Mishnah. (commentary on commentary)
The Mishnah
Zera'im ("Seeds") - blessings, tithes, temple
offerings, agriculture
Mo'ed ("Set Feasts") - Sabbath laws and
holiday observances
Nashim ("Women") - marriage and divorce
Nezikin ("Damages") - idolatry, matters of
civil law, and the Pirke Avot
Kodashim ("Holy Things") - sacrificial system
in the Temple, dietary laws
Tohorot ("Purities") - ritual purity & impurity
Each Order then contains seven to twelve
subdivisions called tractates. There are a
total of 63 tractates in the Mishnah
The Gemara ("completion") is primarily a
commentary on the Mishnah.
Like the Mishnah, it
pertains to matters
of Jewish law
(halakhah), but the
Gemara also
includes Jewish
stories, legends,
and sermons
There are 2,711
pages in the
Babylonian Talmud
Example Passages:
"Food cooked entirely by Gentiles is
forbidden; but if a third done by a Jew, it
may be finished by a Gentile.” (The
Babylonian Talmud, Complete Soncino
English Translation, Kindle Location 18805).
“The name of the Messiah, as it is written,
His [sc. the Messiah's] name shall endure for
ever, and has exited before the sun!”
"If a husband or wife, or parents, were
crucified in the town, the wife, the husband,
or the children shall not live in that town,
except it be as large as Antioch, and even
then they must remove to another part.
Until what term are they not allowed to live
there? Till the flesh is totally destroyed, and
the bones cannot be recognized any longer."
(Rodkinson, Michael L., transl., The
Babylonian Talmud, Volumes 1-10, 1918)
Reformed Judaism
Reform Judaism is the most liberal
denomination of modern Judaism.
In the U.S., Reform Judaism is organized
under the Union for Reform Judaism (used
to be know as Union of American Hebrew
Congregations)
Their mission: "to create and sustain vibrant
Jewish congregations wherever Reform
Jews live."
Around 1.5 million Jews in 900 synagogues
are members of the Union for
Reform Judaism.
According to the same survey that we
references earlier, 42 percent of American
Jews regard themselves as Reform.
Reform Judaism arose in Germany in the
early 1800s as a reaction to Orthodox
Judaism and the Liberal German views
Reformed Judaism made some changes to
Judaism in the 19th Century
- There was a de-emphasis on Jews as a
united people worldwide
- They no longer prayed for Jews to be
returned to the homeland like others do
- Prayers and sermons recited in German
instead of Hebrew
Addition of organ music to
the synagogue service
A lack of observance of
the dietary laws.
Some Reform rabbis advocated the abolition
of circumcision
Some reformed congregations switched their
Sabbath to Sunday to be more like the
Christians around
In early days, reformed Judaism held
to traditional Jewish monotheism, but would
emphasized ethical behavior almost to the
exclusion of ritual.
For the most part the Talmud was rejected,
Reformed rabbis prefer the ethical
teachings of the Prophets (good for them).
Even though this is the way they got started,
reformed Judaism 100-200 years later
(today) has reformed itself again in areas
Things like the sense of Jewish people being
united has been restored in many places
Some of the practices and religious rituals
have been restored since the beginning
Doctrinally, Reformed Jews affirm the
central doctrines of Judaism, which is God
(monotheistic) the Torah, and Israel
They do however still acknowledge
differences in rituals etc.
Reformed Judaism is more liberal than other
“denominations” of Judaism
Hey allow women to become
rabbis, cantors, and
synagogue presidents
Interfaith families are
welcomed
They’re also: "committed to the full
participation of gays and lesbians in
synagogue life as well as society at large."
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism (also known
as Masorti Judaism outside the U.S.) is a
moderate sect of Judaism that seeks to avoid
the extremes of Orthodox and Reformed.
The teachings of Zacharias Frankel (1801-75)
provide the foundation for conservative
Judaism today
Frankel broke from the Reform
movement in Germany in the
1840s, insisting that Jewish
tradition and rituals could not
be pushed to the side.
He accepted both the Torah and Talmud as
enduring authorities
In 1902, Solomon Schechter reorganized
the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York
City and it became a flagship for
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Jews observe the Sabbath
and dietary laws, although some
modifications have been made to the
dietary laws.
Just like reformed Judaism, women may
become Rabbis in conservative Judaism
In the United States Conservative Judaism
has been relatively successful
Conservative Judaism it is represented by
the United Synagogue of Conservative
Judaism (USCJ).
The USCJ was founded in 1913 and today
has membership of about 1.5 million Jews in
760 congregations.
Different studies have shown that what is
taught by the organization, and what is
believed and practiced by it’s members,
have some level of disconnect
Conservative Judaism teaches that Jewish
law is normative, and that people should
strive to live that way in their daily lives
This would include the Shabbat, the dietary
laws of eating Kosher, and the practice of
prayer each day
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism came about in the 12thcentury (in Germany)
The movement had emphasis on asceticism
and mystical experience which was to be
born out of love and humility before God.
This is different from modern Hasidic
movement which was founded in Poland
in the 18th century by Israel ben Eliezer
He’s commonly known as the Baal Shem Tov
("Master of the Good Name") or "the Besht"
(an acronym for Baal Shem Tov).
Hisidism was heavily influenced by Kabbalah
Judaism, which we’ll see in a moment
The primary difference between modern
Hasidism and its original form is the modern
rejection of asceticism and more emphasis
on everyday holiness
Kabbalah Judaism
Kabbalah is the mystical form of Judaism.
Just as Christianity has it’s mystical side
(New Age Churches) And Islam has Sufi
In general, Kabbalah refers to Jewish
mysticism dating back to the time of the
second Temple, approximately 400 years
before Christ.
It teaches that there is a
divine being, which is
neither male nor
female, that has 10
primary aspects to it
called sephirot which
are represented in the
Tree of Life
Creation took place in a
way/pattern that
involved all aspects
There are different traditions on what the
word means, some say it means “reception”
while others say “tradition”
Kabbalah is also known as cabala, cabalah,
kabala, caballah, qabala, qabalah, etc.
According to the belief, you don’t have to
be Jewish to study Kabbalah, you can even
integrate it into other religions (according to
many who hold to it)
The Kabbalist is supposed to gain
understanding and knowledge of God and
himself by further understanding these 10
aspects of God, their relationship to each
other, and then applying the principles
learned to his own life to help him return
back to God-Kabbalah teaches the soul's pre-existence,
and this goes along with the idea of past
lives (not just future life)
Kabbalah is a way of life, it’s heavily based
experience and not history or doctrine
Kabbalah interprets the first five book of the
OT (and other areas of the OT) in a very
mystical way
They believe there are hidden messages into
the OT, that the shapes of the Hebrew letters
have hidden meaning, that numerical values
of the letters have messages, etc.
The problem is these “messages” often
times contradicts the plain reading, and
because of this you have different beliefs
within Kabbalic Judaism
David A. Cooper, a Kabbalist, says, "Kabbalah
does not lend itself to a straightforward
definition or even a clear-cut history . . . it
teaches us about the mysteries of life, how
the creation works, where we are going, and
how we get there."
Where are the foundations of Kabbalah
found? The Zohar, the Zoar, and the Sepher
Yetzirah, which are mystical commentaries
and interpretations of the Bible (OT)
Many phrases are used when talking about
Kabbalah, which shows it’s mysticism
Connections with other realities
Contemplative exercises
Mystical awareness
Higher awareness
The worlds of awareness integrate along a
continuum
Higher and lower realms of consciousness
Unification of the finite with the infinite
Energy of darkness
Cosmic fluctuation
Inherent light of consciousness
Practicing Kavannah (awareness of the
implications of everything we do)
The path to awareness
Mystical Academy
Kabbalah is popular among celebrities, who
are said to "study" the religion. This would
include people like Madonna, Elizabeth
Taylor, Brittney Spears, and baseball player
Alex Rodriguez.
Kabbalah is
sometimes expressed
by means of a
bracelet worn by
adherents.
The Zohar is the most important book in
Kabbalah, so we will spend a moment on it
It’s allegedly a 2nd century A.D. collection of
Aramaic texts/writings from various authors
(Kabbalists) who were writing commentaries
on the first five books of the OT
Despite the claims, it’s generally believed to
have been authored by a 13th Century
Jewish mystic named Moses De Leon (who
lived 1250-1305 A.D.)
One reason for this late date is it never being
mentioned in the Talmud (which would have
commented on it if it was around)
Some additions were later added to the
Zohar in the 14th Century
The book is said to contain special powers
which you can gain by running a finger over
the text (like you would if you were reading
something in Braille) Christians rightfully
reject the Zohar because of it’s teachings
"The Zohar says,' to create the world, It (Ein
Sof, Infinite Nothingness) emanated a secret
spark (awareness) from which emerged and
radiated all light. The upper world was
constituted of this light. Then a [different
dimension of] light, a light without
brightness (lower consciousness), was
fashioned into the lower world. As it is
composed of unilluminated light, the lower
world is attracted to the upper world."
The Zohar seems to include a prediction that
the Messiah would coming in 1648, which
was “fulfilled” in Shabbetai Zvi from Smyrna
in Asia Minor
He gathered quite a few followers, and it
eventually made the Sultan of the Ottoman
Empire uncomfortable… He gave him the
ultimatum “Convert to Islam or die” and our
“Messiah” converted to Islam
He wasn’t the Messiah
Here is an example passage from the Zohar:
"This end of heaven is called Who. There is
another below, called What. What
distinguishes the two? The first, concealed
one-called Who-can be questioned. Once a
human being questions and searches,
contemplating and knowing rung after rung to
the very last rung - once one reaches there:
What? What do you know? What have you
contemplated? Or what have you searched?
All this concealed, as before."
"When Concealed of all Concealed emerged
on being revealed, it produced at first a
single point, which ascended to become
thought. within, it drew all drawings, grave
to all and ravings, carving within the conceal
the holy lamp a graving of one hidden
design, only of holies, a deep structure
emerging from fat, called Mi, Who, origin of
structure. existent and nonexistent, deep
and hidden, called by no name but Who…
Seeking to be revealed, to be named, it
garbed itself in a splendid, radiant garment
and created (elleh), these. Elleh attained the
name: these letters joined with those,
culimnating in the name Elohim."
Christians should not be caught up in
mystical teachings like these. Kabbalah also
includes things like astrology which are very
connected to the occult.
Memory Verse
Romans 11:25: “Lest you be wise in your
own sight, I do not want you to be unaware
of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening
has come upon Israel, until the fullness of
the Gentiles has come in.”