Mesorah 5

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 traditional Jews, with some even declaring them to no longer be Jews. (This point had been debated since the 16th century, and is currently a "hot topic" in the Israeli Chief Rabbinate). The origins of Karaism are obscure. The founder of the movement was Anan Ben David. Traditional Jewish sources assert that he was in line to receive the position of "Resh Galuta", the Exilarch, who ruled over Babylonian Jewry for over fifteen hundred years, and was seen as the last remnant of the Davidic Kingdom. Anan was passed over for the position in favor of a relative, and rebelled against the entire system, including Talmud and rabbinic law. The Karaites themselves claim an ancient origin, shortly after the reign of Solomon. Historians grant that Anan was the founder, but question the details of the traditional story. They are divided as to whether, and to what extent, Karaism is somehow connected to the ancient Sadducees, or even the enigmatic Essenes. Although Karaites bear similarities to these groups, the essential doctrines diverge profoundly. There were many small anti-rabbinic groups in the Middle East at that time. Anan may have made an "umbrella group" to include all, or at least many, of these. The rise of Islam may have been an impetus, as the Muslim clerics, while recognizing Judaism as a monotheistic faith (People of the Book) nevertheless made claims that we had altered the text of the Torah in order to remove prophecies predicting Mohammad, and had rejected the "true teachings" in favor of the rabbis of the Talmud. Anan's motto was "don't believe ME, but rather search the Torah carefully". He taught that the Torah must NOT be interpreted literally, but we must endeavor to try to understand what the words must have meant in Biblical times. His methods did not make a more lenient Judaism. On the contrary. It was far stricter...but different. Strictures relating to Shabbat observance, the dietary laws, prohibited marriages, went much further than anything dreamed of in the Talmud. All children who have been weaned, must fast the entire day of Yom Kippur! Yet, the differences introduced by Anan and his followers were so divergent, as to not fulfill the requirements of the Torah as understood by the Oral Mesorah. Practices differed widely between Karaite groups. One tenth century Karaite leader quipped that it is impossible to find two Karaites agreeing on what is and isn't to be done. For example, some Karaites have the same rules as we do in regard to the forbidden grains on Passover. Others regard ANY fermented, or otherwise "risen" food as hametz, including wine vinegar, a non-grain dish with baking powder, and cheese. Their observances of menstrual restrictions are much more far reaching than ours, but they do not include immersion in a mikveh. Some Karaites maintain the same calendar as we do, although they observe Shavuot on a different date. Some have a different calendar altogether, meaning that we will be celebrating the same holidays, but not at the same time. Most Kararites regard the pronouncing of the Divine Name as blasphemous, just as we do. Others do pronounce the Name. Still others have no theoretical problem with pronouncing the Name, but, as we have no idea of the Name's proper vocalization, refrain from pronouncing it out of fear of mispronouncing it. Karaites do not celebrate Hanukkah, as it is post Biblical, although many Israeli Karaites celebrate it as a "national" holiday. Many of the classical Karaite sources reject the Talmud outright. Many accepted the Talmud, except where its understanding seems to contradict the literal meaning of Scripture. Although most Karaites claim to be 95% in line with our Mesorah, still there are no Tefillin, Mezzuzot (although some keep a metal plate inscribed with the Ten Commandments on their doors), no "four species" on Sukkot. Circumcision is practiced, but only by removing the foreskin, not the mucosa layer (pri'ah) required by the Oral Torah. Most practice patrilineal decent for determining Jewishness, and have a totally different definition of a "Mamzer", who is forbidden from marrying within the Jewish people. This has made intermarriage between them and rabbinite Jews problematic, to say the least.
These ideas and practices put the Karaites at odds with the main Jewish community. Needless to say the two groups could celebrate few things together, or even worship in the same synagogues.. Tolerance prevailed at some points in time and place. At others, there was bitter rivalry. More on that next time.

Sociology

A friend of mine had enrolled his daughter in a Beit Yaakov school in a small Israeli city. He was called by the principal, who informed him that his daughter was being suspended. When he asked for the reason, the principal said "It's a problem with the way she dresses." "What is the problem?" "She wears a maxi-skirt. Our rule is a knee length skirt or dress". "But maxi should be better! What's the problem" "We can't tell if she is wearing the right stockings!"
Conformity seems to be the keyword in most communities. My wife, and some of the other women in my family, resist the trend to sheitels (wigs) and wear headscarves. Their feelings are that scarves are more modest, more comfortable, and there is no need to take out a second mortgage in order to buy one. Yet, people do talk behind their backs saying that "they apparently don't care about their appearance". That this is lashon hara should be obvious. But they don't see it as such because they feel that my wife (and others) are violating a community standard. The attitude of many is that "if you are more lenient than I, you are not a good Jew. But if you are more strict than I, you are a fanatic rebel". A good friend asked me several years ago about this attitude. I said "You must do what you feel is right. At some point, you must choose between the community's values and G-d's values, as you understand them." He said "Every other rabbi I have ever spoken to has said that you can't come to G-d without following the community!"
Another problem is the desire to maintain a certain type of community. While most Jews are happy that someone has chosen the path of Torah, there is still a malaise at what they will be bringing into the community. People don't want what they have built to be "watered down". Way back when I was single, it was not uncommon for the parents of a young "frum from birth" woman to forbid their daughter from dating me, as I am a baal teshuvah. I even had the horrible experience of meeting a girl's parents and having them get up and walk out of the room when they learned of my background. I had a bit of a karmic "payback" when some twenty years later a grandson of those parents became my student! (I never mentioned it to my student, though.) I did not let these things deter me from my chosen path. I will not allow people to decide my worth and make decisions for my life. We are answerable to G-d, not to sociology.

Choose Joy

Just a thought: There is a beautiful book called "How To Stop Worrying and Start Living", by Dale Carnegie. It was written more than half a century ago, but contains a great deal of sound advice. It occurred to me that we rarely refer to "worry" anymore, but we prefer the term "stress". I began to think about what this means. Then I realized...worry is inside me, stress is something done to me. It is essentially blaming others for the emotions within me. There is a Buddhist saying "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional". This is in line with Torah as well. We are called upon to live, to worship, to love, to be happy...independent of what is happening around us. The only thing we can always control is what happens inside. We have but limited influenced on the world around us. Let us choose to be happy and holy!

Mesorah 4

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 as the Kenesset Hagedolah; the Great Assembly. They not only chose which books belonged in the Tanakh and which did not, but also composed prayers, blessings, and the correct forms for many ceremonies, such as Kiddush and Havdalah. Ezra was a Priest and Scribe. He essentially saved the beleaguered returnees from physical and spiritual destruction. He is sometimes called  "the Second Moses".
Unfortunately, we have little reliable information concerning the period between about 400 BCE until about 150 BCE. We have no primary sources; only traditions, legends, and some clues from secondary sources. When light again is shed on Jewish history in the second century BCE, we find several different factions. One is the Pharisees. These were the rabbis (although the term didn't come in to existence for another hundred years) and their disciples. These were the guardians of both the Written and Oral Torah. The vast majority of the common people loved them and followed them. All traditional Judaism is based on their teachings and enactments. One twentieth century historian aptly referred to Jews as "Heirs to the Pharisees".
Another group arose, however. They were called the Sadducees. They accepted the Written Torah, but not the Oral. They denied doctrines that had always been part of Judaism, but were obscure in the Written Torah, especially regarding the Afterlife. They rejected the immortality of the soul, as well as the Resurrection of the Dead. Their almost total focus was the Temple. They believed that the sacrifices and other Temple rituals would insure wealth and happiness in this world. From all accounts, they were not particularly careful about Jewish observances in areas outside of the Temple rules. Their constituency was the upper class, as well as large parts of the Priesthood. We have records of violent reactions on the part of the people when Sadducee Priests would attempt to alter Temple rituals in accordance with their own concepts.
Another group was the Essenes. We know little about them, except that they felt that everyone else was corrupt. They rejected Jerusalem and the Temple. They lived in small desert communes. They had their own set of rituals, in some ways like our own, in some ways different. They expected an imminent war between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness. They considered the revolts against Rome in the first and second centuries of the Common Era to be that war. Although there is as yet no proof, it is widely accepted that the group that left us the Dead Sea Scrolls was none other than the Essenes. "New Age" groups have produced many fanciful writings purporting to be Essene, but composed in the last twenty five years. Some connect them with early Christianity, but there is no solid evidence for this.
With the destruction of Jerusalem in about the year 70 CE (Jewish tradition asserts 68 CE), the Sadducees lost their base. With no Temple, no functioning priesthood, there was no Judaism. The movement seems to have just vanished, although there is evidence that small pockets existed for several more centuries. The Essenes disappear from history some time after the Bar Kochba revolt in the second century. Only the Pharisees survive. Why? Immediately after the Destruction, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai reconstructed the Sanhedrin, now more a spiritual focal point than a judicial one, in the sleepy backwater town of Yavneh. Although subsequently moving several times in order to avoid Roman scrutiny, it survived for another three centuries, well into Talmudic times. Phariseeism had succeeded in making Judaism "portable". Although Jerusalem was, and always will be, the center of our world, Torah is beyond geography. Wherever a Jew may wander, the Torah...and G-d. are always with him. Those ancient movements that challenged the Oral Torah and our Mesorah, simply lay down and died.
There were, however, later challenges. That will be the topic of my next post.

Community part 2

 I once went in to a health food store and asked for a good bottle of soy sauce. The store owner pointed to a shelf, where there were two kinds of soy sauce. i asked him what the difference was. He said "This one is like a musical note played on an instrument. This one is like a symphony!"
This idea goes for Judaism as well. There are almost no hard-and-fast doctrines either in Scripture or Talmud. In Tractate Sanhedrin, there is a thorough discussion about the coming of Mashiach. many views are presented, none are indicated as conclusive. Throughout our history, many notes have been played by many great musicians. The symphony of Torah and Jewish history is almost unbearably beautiful. Attempts to clarify ideas, such as Maimonides principles, met with much opposition. We take it for granted that they are universal and beyond question. Yet nearly every one of them had great rabbis who disagreed. There is more than one way to play Mozart.  Even without changing a note, different musicians will have different interpretations. My impression is that this is no longer welcome in many circles. There is a one-size-fits-all Judaism that is becoming more and more standardized and codified. Translations and commentaries abound, that were unavailable when I began my Jewish journey in the mid '60s, These works are marvelous for beginners. The depth may at last be seen...to a degree. But, for purposes of simplicity, there is only one note. All classical authorities are made to agree...artificially. People who are not primarily historians write...or rewrite...history. Even basic works like RASHI's commentary on the Torah undergo censorship where they don't fit the newly made "Mesorah" ("Tradition"). When I have asked these authors for an explanation, I have been told "we can't confuse the people". I have had the profound privilege of studying under several great rabbis. With each, there was no "party line", but a constant learning, unlearning, and relearning process. Sure, when I teach children, there is a need to simplify...even oversimplify. But there comes a time for the child to become an adult. The qualified teacher must provide the tools for further learning, growth and experience. The child must ultimately find himself, his path in Torah, his way to G-d. We can only provide the map, and the benefit of experience. We simply cannot take the journey for him.

Community part 1

Community is vital. In the famous story of Choni Hame'agel, in which he slept for seventy years and all his friends and family were already gone, He prayed "Either give me friendship or give me death". (I like that much better than Patrick Henry;s version). When my two oldest kids were little, someone gave them a gift of the biography of a famous rabbi. It said that this rabbi allegedly avoided having friends, because he feared that love of friends would take him away from love of G-d. To me, the love of friends is a central pillar in my life. I decided not to let my kids see that book. RAMBAM (Maimonides) writes that we gain our values primarily from out friends, and therefore we need to pick good ones. If our society fails in morality and ethics, move! If all societies are corrupt, go into the desert and live in a cave! Society can make us, and society can break us. it is a two edged sword. In Jewish society, there are many safe guards. The Torah requires us to look out for one another. The Torah tells us not to gossip, and to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.Two years ago I was ill, and was essentially bedridden for six months. When I finally began to recover, I still couldn't leave my home, as I could not negotiate the stairs. A generous man in the next town over heard about his, and spent $2,000 to build be a ramp! On the other hand, the Jewish community can be very judgmental if we fail to conform.In the early '80s. I lived in a community where nearly all the Jews voted for one party. When I registered to vote, i registered with the other party. The next day, I got an angry visit from one of the heads of the local Jewish community! This is wrong, and probably illegal. There is often criticism for one who keeps either a a lower or a higher standard of observance. Some (including yours truly) keep a low profile and a large degree of anonymity. We live at the periphery of the community, but avoid the ever present and ever shifting controversies. The fact that I lived in Israel for seventeen years, but returned because of extremely bad experiences, makes me persona non grata in many circles. I love Torah. I love Judaism. But sometimes the community is a great asset. Sometimes it is oppressive. These are my experiences. I will write more on this topic, but look forward to hearing your experiences with this as well.