Rabbinic Judaism: history, principles, and practices

Rabbinic Judaism began after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and developed over the next four centuries to become the normative form of Judaism (Rabbinic Judaism). To this day, Rabbinic Judaism is considered the normative form of Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism differs from Messianic Judaism in the belief that the law revealed to Moses at Sinai had two components: a written law, which can be found in the Torah, and an oral law which was been codified in the Mishna and Gemarah and interpreted in later rabbinic decisions and writings (Rabbinic Judaism). Although Rabbinic Judaism teaches that Jewish law cannot be determined solely by resorting to the written law of the Torah, there are three different variations of Rabbinic Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Reform Judaism, and each variant differs on the emphasis placed on oral law.

Although there are three variations of Rabbinic Judaism, they are characterized by a common belief that Jewish law has two components: the written law and oral law. The written component of Jewish law is found primarily in the Torah, which is composed of those commandments handed down to Moses at Mount Sinai. Jewish written law is also found elsewhere in the Tanakh. The oral law was handed down simultaneously with the written law. Therefore, Rabbinic Jews believe that Jewish law cannot be interpreted solely by resorting to the Tanakh, but must be based on a consideration of the combined oral and written tradition. While Jews were initially prohibited from committing the oral law to writing, it was eventually codified in the Talmud. According to Rabbinic Jews, the use of the Talmud facilitates the interpretation of ambiguous or missing terms in the written law. To different degrees, all three forms of Rabbinic Judaism is based on adherence to these Jewish laws; they differ in their interpretation of what constitutes the oral law that is to be used along with the Torah and Tanakh to determine the current laws governing Jewish life.

In addition to the belief that Jewish law is to be interpreted using an oral tradition, the three forms of Rabbinic Judaism share some additional common beliefs. For example, all three forms of Rabbinic Judaism are strictly monotheistic, believe that God is the creator of the universe, and believe that God is the source of law. Rabbinic Jews believe that God is all-powerful and, therefore, capable of intervening in the events in the world. Finally, Rabbinic Jews believe in the truth of the words of the prophets; however, this belief does not mean that Rabbinic Jews are restricted to a literal interpretation of the written word, because there is recognition that the prophets were human and might use analogies or metaphors.

Orthodox Judaism is the most conservative of the three types of Rabbinic Judaism and, of the three variants, places the most emphasis on oral law. Orthodox Judaism is characterized by a strict adherence to Jewish laws, including those based on oral law (Orthodox Judaism). In addition, some Orthodox Jews reject non-Jewish scholarship and consider deviations from traditional forms of life to be heretical (Orthodox Judaism). There is no single accepted form of Orthodox Judaism; the most significant differences among groups relate to the role of women in Judaism and relations with non-Orthodox Jews and the modern world. However, Orthodox Jews share the belief that they are "the only true heir(s) to the Jewish tradition" and that non-Orthodox Jews are heretics (Orthodox Judaism). Orthodox Judaism also adheres to the traditional definition of a Jew, and maintains that only those who were born to a Jewish mother or who have converted to Judaism are Jewish and most hold that a Jew who intermarries with a non-Jew should be shunned by the Orthodox community (Orthodox Judaism).

Conservative Judaism is a more moderate form of Rabbinic Judaism. Although it shares a belief in oral law with Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Jews embrace modern scholarship and commentary on Jewish law (Conservative Judaism). However, like Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews are committed to following traditional Jewish laws and customs. The term Conservative refers to the fact that Conservative Jews are committed to preserving Jewish traditions (Conservative Judaism).

Conservative Judaism is a unified movement, and rabbis are ordained under the Rabbinical Assembly. While Conservative Judaism believes that the laws in the Torah cannot be interpreted without resorting to Jewish oral law, it differs from Orthodox Judaism in its belief that Jewish law is "not static," but "has always developed in response to changing conditions" (Conservative Judaism). Instead of adhering to older laws, which may have been based on conditions that no longer apply to members of the modern world, Conservative Jews are urged to develop Jewish law and thought in the same way that they have historically been developed. While Conservative Judaism respects both Orthodox and Reform Judaism, it has theological differences from both of the other variants of Rabbinic Judaism. Conservative Jews believe that Orthodox Jews have hampered the natural and necessary evolution of Jewish law by adhering to traditions and laws that developed in a context outside of the modern world. Furthermore, Conservative Jews believe that Reform Jews have made a major break with the historic definition of Judaism, and therefore have abandoned the method of evolution of Jewish law. While Conservative Jews do not condemn Reform Jews for their interpretations of Jewish law, they do not necessarily feel that Reform Jews' beliefs are valid (Conservative Jews). Furthermore, like Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews adhere to the traditional definition of Jewish identity, but feel that Jews who intermarry should not be excommunicated.

Reform Judaism is the least traditional of the three forms of Rabbinic Judaism. In contrast to the other two forms of Rabbinic Judaism, Reform Judaism is characterized by "the belief that an individual's personal autonomy overrides traditional Jewish law and custom" (Reform Judaism). This belief leads to a much greater acceptance of modern culture than is found in Orthodox Judaism. In addition, Reform Jews believe that Jewish law, as found in the Torah and in rabbinic literature, can be studied using both the traditional rabbinic modes of study and textual analysis (Reform Judaism).

In addition, Reforms Jews believes that individuals are capable of exercising personal discretion in determining the principles of their personal faith. To Reform Jews, rejection of some principles of traditional Jewish law cannot be equated with a rejection of the Jewish faith. In fact, Reform theologists believed that it was an error for Judaism and Law to be considered interchangeable and interdependent terms (Reform Judaism). Therefore, Reform Jews began to draw a distinction between moral and ceremonial laws, which was a major departure from traditional Judaism because the Torah neither draws such a distinction nor delineates guidelines by which such distinctions could be drawn (Reform Judaism). In fact, such a belief signals a significant departure from the traditional practice of Judaism, because historically "infractions of certain ceremonial statutes were punished more severely than moral lapses" (Reform Judaism). Reform Judaism does not have a unified position on Jewish identity or the concept of intermarriage; however, in America, many Reform rabbis will perform mixed-faith marriages and one is considered a Jew if born to a Jewish parent of either sex and raised in a Jewish household.