The Hebrew Religion

The Scriptures

The defining texts of the religion are the Tanakh and the Talmud

• TaNaKh (The Hebrew Bible / The Masoretic Text)

  • Torah (The Pentateuch / The Original Book of Commandments from Moses)
  • Nevi'im (Prophets)
  • Ketuvim (Writings)

• Talmud (Jerusalem Talmud + the later Babylonian Talmud)

  • Mishnah (Legal Schools)
    • Shisha Sedarim (Six Orders) (Acronym: Z'MaN NaKaT)
      • Zeraim (Seeds) - Berakhot, Pe'ah, Demai, Kil'ayim, Shevi'it, Terumot, Ma'aserot, Ma'aser Sheni, Challah, Orlah, Bikkurim
      • Moed (Festival) - Shabbat, Eruvin, Pesahim, Shekalim, Yoma, Sukkah, Beitza, Rosh Hashanah, Ta'anit, Megillah, Mo'ed Katan, Hagigah
      • Nashim (Women) - Yevamot, Ketubot, Nedarim, Nazir, Sotah, Gittin, Kiddushin
      • Nezikin (Damages) - Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, Bava Batra, Sanhedrin, Makkot, Shevu'ot, Eduyot, Avodah Zarah, Avot, Horayot
      • Kodashim (Holy Things) - Zevachim, Menachot, Hullin, Bekhorot, Arakhin, Temurah, Keritot, Me'ilah, Tamid, Middot, Kinnim
      • Tohorot (Purities) - Keilim, Oholot, Nega'im, Parah, Tohorot, Mikva'ot, Niddah, Makhshirin, Zavim, Tevul Yom, Yadayim, Uktzim
    • Baraita (Outside the Six Orders)
  • Gemara (Discussion and Analysis by Rabbis)

• Midrash refers to early TaNaKh interpretations, which are not currently of importance.

  • Midrash Halakha (Laws)
  • Midrash Aggada (Biblical Narratives)

Active Law (Halakha)

• Mishneh Torah by Rambam (or Maimonides) (12th century legal code which is one of the most organized pillars of Hebrew Legal Code)
• The Tur (The 14th century legal code which formed the basis for The Shulchan Arukh, by Rabbi Yakov Ben Asher)
  • The Beit Yosef by Rabbi Joseph Karo (Commentary)
• The Shulchan Arukh (A simplified version of The Beit Yosef compiled in the 16th century by Rav Yosef Karo) (The most widely accepted legal code)
  • Turei Zahav (or Taz) by Rabbi David HaLevi Segal (or Taz) (Commentary)
  • Siftei Kohen (or Shach) by Rabbi Shabbatai Hakohen (or Shach) (Commentary)
  • Mishna Berura by Rambam (or Maimonides) (Commentary)
• Shulchan Arukh HaRav (18th century legal code practiced by ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews, a subset of Haredi Jews. A third of it remains after a fire.)
• Works of Rambam (or Maimonides) - Including Mishneh Torah

Variants

• Old

  • Tribes
    • Levites (sons of Aaron, chosen to be preists)
    • Other tribes
  • Roman Era
    • Pharisees (a philosophical group, followed the Oral Torah. Mostly the common people and Rabbis. Jesus would've been a Pharisee.)
    • Essenes (they believed the others corrupted the city and the Temple, and kinda followed the Oral Torah. They were Isolationists)
    • Sadducees (They wanted to be the priestly caste, and rejected the Oral Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim (and hence notions of afterlife and the Temple rites). They were the wealthy people.)
    • Zealots (Anti-Roman group which led to the Great Revolt, or the "fourth group", as described by Josephus)
      • Sicarii (Assassins) (Josephus described them as bandits who killed Jews who sympathized with Romans)
  • Samaritans (Excluded by Jews)
    • They were the ones who lived with Assyrians when Jews were exiled, and when the Jews returned, they accused them of associating partners to God and corrupting the Torah.
      • 2 Kings 17:24-41 (They were brought to Assyrian Samaria because the God of Israel sent lions to kill the Assyrians who settled in Samaria, since they did not worship the God of Israel)
    • They worship at Mount Gerizim, while Jews worship at Temple Mount.
      • Their Ten Commandments tell them to build an altar at Mount Gerizim.
      • Same goes in Deuteronomy, where Jews were asked to build an altar at Mount Ebal, while Samaritans were to build it at Mount Gerizim.
      • 1946 Dead Sea Scrolls (Second Temple Era writings) that read Gerizim which suggests that the Samaritans had the correct reading.
      • The Temple at Mount Gerizim was destroyed by John Hyrcanus in 108 BCE, to set Jerusalem as the only place of worship.
      • John 4:21–24 (Jesus said neither temple will matter)
    • They follow a different Samaritan Pentateuch, as opposed to the Masoretic Text
    • Jesus was accused of being a demon-possessed Samaritan (John 8:44)
    • About 900 of them remain

• Current

  • Karaites (non-Rabbinites)
    • They only follow the written Torah. Some say they could be from the Sadducees.
  • Reform (Progressive and social justice oriented)
  • Conservative (Mid-way between Reform and Orthodox)
  • Orthodox
    • Modern Orthodox (In Harmony with other religions)
    • Haredi / Ultra-Orthodox
      • Hasidic (Devotional)
      • Yeshivish (Academic)
    • Open Orthodox (Supports womens leadership and openness to non-Orthodox Jews)
  • Smaller
    • Reconstructionist (First to support gays)
    • Jewish Renewal (Gender Equality, Eco-conscious, Secular)
    • Humanistic Judaism (Non-theistic)

Backgrounds

• Assimilation
• Atheists
• Buddhists
• Israeli Jews
• Karaites
• Samaritans
• Lists of Jews
• Persecution
• Xueta Christianity
• Zionism, race and genetics

Diaspora

• Ashkenazim
• Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews)
• Desi Jews
• Dönmeh Gruzínim
• Italkim
• Kaifeng Jews
• Karaites
• Kurdish Jews
• Krymchaks
• Lemba
• Maghrebi (including Berber Jews)
• Mizrahi
• Mustaʿravim (Arabian)
• Romaniote
• Sephardim (ex-Iberian Jews, including Paradesi Jews)

Rabbinical Eras

• Chazal
  • Zugot
  • Tannaim (Mishna, Tosefta)
  • Amoraim (Talmud)
  • Savoraim
• Geonim
• Rishonim
• Acharonim