Friday, April 1, 2016

I try to know the three branches of Judaism, my Jewish friend

I try to understand where people are coming from. I hate to say this but my hobby is learning new information. I have interest in the Jewish people because I follow the Bible.
The non-Jews are engrafted in completed Judaism. God called the Jews to write down his very words on paper so people know the heart of the Lord.
Jesus died on the cross and arose so that people can know him, the Jewish people and the non-Jews.
So I am very interesting in how many of my Jewish friends think. I know that many Jews don't believe in God but there are some that follow a form of Judaism.
I will begin with  Orthodox Judaism is distinguished by its maintenance of the traditional forms of worship in the Hebrew language, and of the traditional observances as prescribed by the Torah. Men and women sit separately in Orthodox synagogues and women do not participate in some of the rituals. 
 The Orthodox view is that the Biblical law may be developed and interpreted only by processes of reasoning which maintain respect for its Divine origin. These processes include the codification of the “Oral Law” in the Talmud from the third to the seventh centuries of the Common Era, and a continuing stream of books of interpretation and commentary, and rulings in individual cases.
Orthodox Judaism is not administered by any central authority. Synagogues are established by groups of Jews who raise their own funds and construct their own buildings. The congregation usually elects a voluntary board of management, which employs (and occasionally dismisses) rabbis and other officials.
There is the 'Ultra-Orthodox'. The long black coats, flowing beards and picturesque hats seen in news films of Jerusalem within Orthodox Judaism. Many of the costumes are the uniforms of particular religious movements, and some originate in eighteenth century Eastern Europe. Some, but not all, of these movements are Chassidic. Chassidism is characterized by a search for ecstasy in prayer, an interest in medieval mysticism and an emphasis on the possible imminence of a Messianic era. The Chassidim represent a very small but very active minority within Orthodox Judaism.
There is Conservative Judaism.
Conservative Judaism fosters the practice of traditional Judaism while embracing modernity. Developed during the twentieth century in the United States, it comes midway between Orthodoxy and Reform, intellectually liberal in matters of belief, but conservative in matters of religious practice. It attempts to “combine a positive attitude to modern culture, acceptance of critical secular scholarship regarding Judaism’s sacred texts, and also commitment to Jewish observance”. Conservative study of the holy texts is embedded in the belief that Judaism is constantly evolving to meet the contemporary needs of the Jewish people.
The Conservative service follows the traditional liturgy, and it is mainly in Hebrew and similar to Orthodox services. However, men and women sit together and women participate fully in the synagogue services, prayers and rituals.

The movement believes that God's will is made known to humanity through revelation. The revelation at Sinai was the clearest and most public of such Divine revelations, but revelation also took place through the Prophets, and can, in a more subtle form, happen even today.

In 1960 the Rabbinical Assembly of America agreed to modify Orthodox halacha (Jewish law) to permit the use of electrical appliances on the Sabbath and drive to synagogue by car. In 1985 it permitted the ordination of women rabbis. 
There is  Liberal Judaism. A new element entered the Jewish world in the early nineteenth century, a movement which is variously described as Progressive, Reform or Liberal Judaism. The Progressive concept originated with the emancipation of the Jews of the various German states. Granted equal rights and released from the ghettos to which they had been confined for centuries, Jews sought full acceptance in the German cultural milieu to which they had finally been admitted. Many were influenced by the philosophy of the eighteenth century Enlightenment.
European Liberal Judaism soon spread to North America where it became more radical and less traditional. Many of the Jews from central Europe who migrated to North America in the 1850s were political liberals who were eager to cast off the shadows of reactionary Europe. By the late 19th Century the ‘Science of Judaism’ (Wissenschaft des Judentums) reflected the developing understanding of evolution, history and biblical scholarship. Non-Orthodox rabbinical seminaries were founded in both Europe and the United States. National rabbinical associations were formed and changes to religious practice were sanctioned.
Progressive Jews regard the “sacred heritage” of the Torah as evolving and adapting over the centuries and continuing to do so. However the Progressive movement has gradually modified its original revolutionary stance, and now places somewhat more emphasis on traditional observance. In its first platform in 1885, for example, the American Reform movement emphasized a distinction between the divinity of the “moral laws and statutes” and laws of ritual observance which “no longer impress us with the character of Divine institutions.” The most recent Progressive Statement of Principles, made in 1999, on the other hand, calls for “ongoing study of the mitzvot, the sacred obligations, and the fulfillment of those that address us as individuals and as a community”. The 1999 Statement also emphasized the study of the Hebrew language and the sacred texts, commitment to Israel, the full equality of women and the acceptance of all regardless of sexual orientation.
The ideological distinctions between the Progressive and the Orthodox are reflected in the form of temple service. The English language is used for parts of the Progressive services, which often features a mixed choir. Progressive services are adapted and shortened and are conducted with somewhat more decorum than Orthodox services, which often accommodate individual praying and occasional conversation. Men and women sit together in the Progressive Temple, both participate in all aspects of the service, and women rabbis may officiate.
I don't want to forget about the secular Jews.
Many Jews who would not describe themselves as religious believers, still identify as part of the Jewish people. Most such secular Jews accept Jewish values, ethics and concerns as well as some rituals as part of their cultural Jewish heritage. Many belong to synagogues or temples. 
Here is a little lesson on the Jewish world, there are many Jewish that believe in Jesus as the Messiah. They are called Messianic-Jews, they are small in numbers but are growing.
I want to be like the Apostle Paul. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 says, " Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."



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