09/20/10: VIDEO: Defiance at the Western Wall
chabad.org and organizations quoted on chabad.org are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.
"Echoes of a Shofar" recounts the amazing story of Jewish pride at the Western Wall during the years 1930-1947 when British law made it illegal to blow the shofar at the Kotel, pray loudly there, or even bring Torah scrolls, so as not to offend the hostile Arab population.
Despite this restriction, for the final seventeen years of the British Mandate, the shofar was sounded at the Wall at the conclusion of every Yom Kippur, in defiance of the ban.
Marina Rustow of The Jewish Theological Seminary, and the people and organizations quoted on jtsa.edu, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.
Exhibit at the JTS Library
December 14, 2000 - April 5, 2001
Online selections available indefinitely
Who are the Samaritans and the Karaites? The Samaritans claim descent from the biblical Israelites of the Northern Kingdom in Samaria, while the Jews trace their origins to Judeans of the Southern Kingdom who were exiled to Babylonia. The Samaritans furthermore accept only the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, as their sacred text. The Karaites accept all twenty-four books of the Hebrew Bible, and in this they agree with the Jews. But ever since their origins in eighth-century Iraq, they have rejected rabbinic law as expressed in the Talmud. They maintain instead that the Bible is the sole authentic source of Jewish law.
The Samaritans and the Karaites do not have much in common beyond their special relationship to Scripture. While the two groups had some limited contact and even influence on each other during the Middle Ages, their histories have taken completely different paths. The Samaritans have always lived within pilgimage distance of their place of worship, Mount Gerizim, near Shechem in Samaria. Although during ancient and medieval times, Samaritans lived as far away from Mount Gerizim as Cairo, Damascus, and the Greek isles, the Samaritan diaspora rarely rivaled the Shechem community in religious and cultural importance.
The Karaites, by contrast, never lived in or near one particular place. For much of their history, they maintained a group of representatives in Jerusalem. But the majority of Karaites have always lived among the rest of the Jews. In the Middle Ages, the major communities of Karaites were in Iraq, Syria-Palestine, Egypt, North Africa and Spain. From there they migrated to the Balkans and Turkey, and then to the Crimean peninsula, Russia, Poland, and Lithuania. Until the twentieth century, western Europe was the only major Jewish habitation without Karaites.
Exhibit at the JTS Library
December 14, 2000 - April 5, 2001
Online selections available indefinitely
Who are the Samaritans and the Karaites? The Samaritans claim descent from the biblical Israelites of the Northern Kingdom in Samaria, while the Jews trace their origins to Judeans of the Southern Kingdom who were exiled to Babylonia. The Samaritans furthermore accept only the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, as their sacred text. The Karaites accept all twenty-four books of the Hebrew Bible, and in this they agree with the Jews. But ever since their origins in eighth-century Iraq, they have rejected rabbinic law as expressed in the Talmud. They maintain instead that the Bible is the sole authentic source of Jewish law.
| Deuteronomy Chapter 31 24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of YHWH, saying: 26 'Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of YHWH your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against YHWH; and how much more after my death? 28 Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death ye will in any wise deal corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the end of days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of YHWH, to provoke Him through the work of your hands.' | ||
The Samaritans and the Karaites do not have much in common beyond their special relationship to Scripture. While the two groups had some limited contact and even influence on each other during the Middle Ages, their histories have taken completely different paths. The Samaritans have always lived within pilgimage distance of their place of worship, Mount Gerizim, near Shechem in Samaria. Although during ancient and medieval times, Samaritans lived as far away from Mount Gerizim as Cairo, Damascus, and the Greek isles, the Samaritan diaspora rarely rivaled the Shechem community in religious and cultural importance.
The Karaites, by contrast, never lived in or near one particular place. For much of their history, they maintained a group of representatives in Jerusalem. But the majority of Karaites have always lived among the rest of the Jews. In the Middle Ages, the major communities of Karaites were in Iraq, Syria-Palestine, Egypt, North Africa and Spain. From there they migrated to the Balkans and Turkey, and then to the Crimean peninsula, Russia, Poland, and Lithuania. Until the twentieth century, western Europe was the only major Jewish habitation without Karaites.
02/17/09: Karaite Jewish University - Class 2009
Karaite Jewish University, and the people and organizations quoted on kjuonline.com, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.
My friends, it is an honor and a privilege to report another successful year for Karaite Jewish University. The staff at KJU and each proud member of class 2009 can and should stand up to take a bow. I can not express enough gratitude for those involved. Todah!
Baruch atah, YHWH Eloheinu, melech ha-olam oseh ma'aseh vereshit.
Blessed is you, YHWH our God, King of the Universe, the source of creation and its wonders.
My friends, it is an honor and a privilege to report another successful year for Karaite Jewish University. The staff at KJU and each proud member of class 2009 can and should stand up to take a bow. I can not express enough gratitude for those involved. Todah!
Baruch atah, YHWH Eloheinu, melech ha-olam oseh ma'aseh vereshit.
Blessed is you, YHWH our God, King of the Universe, the source of creation and its wonders.
10/24/08: VIDEO: Does God Exist?
Dr. Gerald Schroeder, and the people and organizations quoted on ScienceFindsGod.com, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.
by Dr. Gerald Schroeder
http://www.sciencefindsgod.com
Does God Exist? | Message of Modern Science.
Dr. Gerald Schroeder sets forth a powerful argument for a Creator of the cosmos that goes beyond Intelligent Design theory to the radical rationality in nature. Dr. Gerald Schroeder holds a dual doctorate in Nuclear Physics and Oceanography from MIT along with high-level research in chemistry and planetary sciences. Dr. Schroeder's argument was so powerful it played a part in influencing the worlds leading atheist, Antony Flew to accept the existence of an infinitely intelligent Creator. This video is a part of the documentary entitled "Has Science Discovered God?" that made world headline news because it shows how Antony Flew changed his mind about atheism on the basis of the message of modern science, a message that testifies to the inherently intelligent infrastructure that underlies the universe.
noevolution.org is in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.
Another fascinating must see video is found at
http://www.noevolution.org:
Evolution: Fact or Belief ?
Is the Theory of Evolution a scientific fact or a mere belief? This is the only question this documentary seeks to answer. Five world top scientific minds give their answer on Evolution. A ground breaking video sold all round the world, acclaimed in international festivals, now available for all to see.
| Wonderful video... definitely worth seeing. Hope you enjoy it. Might need windows media player. It is a *.wmv format file. | ||
by Dr. Gerald Schroeder
http://www.sciencefindsgod.com
Does God Exist? | Message of Modern Science.
Dr. Gerald Schroeder sets forth a powerful argument for a Creator of the cosmos that goes beyond Intelligent Design theory to the radical rationality in nature. Dr. Gerald Schroeder holds a dual doctorate in Nuclear Physics and Oceanography from MIT along with high-level research in chemistry and planetary sciences. Dr. Schroeder's argument was so powerful it played a part in influencing the worlds leading atheist, Antony Flew to accept the existence of an infinitely intelligent Creator. This video is a part of the documentary entitled "Has Science Discovered God?" that made world headline news because it shows how Antony Flew changed his mind about atheism on the basis of the message of modern science, a message that testifies to the inherently intelligent infrastructure that underlies the universe.
noevolution.org is in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.
Another fascinating must see video is found at
http://www.noevolution.org:
Evolution: Fact or Belief ?
Is the Theory of Evolution a scientific fact or a mere belief? This is the only question this documentary seeks to answer. Five world top scientific minds give their answer on Evolution. A ground breaking video sold all round the world, acclaimed in international festivals, now available for all to see.
Ezra HaLevi, and the people and organizations quoted on Israeli National News, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.
Israeli National News
24 Adar Bet 5768, March 31, '08
Hebrew Garments and the Restoration of Biblical Blue
by Ezra HaLevi
(IsraelNN.com) After three days of Purim, Jerusalemites young and old came out of one more night of revelry as Tuesday Night Live focused on Biblical Jewish fashion.
The evening featured Reuven Prager, who pioneered a movement of producing Beged Ivri (Hebrew garb) for Jews who have returned to the Land of Israel, as well as Dr. Ari Greenspan, who has reintroduced the Biblical blue tekhelet dye, used to fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of tzitzit (fringes placed on four-cornered garments).
"Ever since 135 CE, when Hadrian forbade, under death, the wearing of tzitzit, we have attached our tzitzit to a little garment hidden beneath our gentile attire," Prager told hosts Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel. "It became just a zecher (a remembrance)," he said, emphasizing that now that the Jewish people are a sovereign nation in the Land of Israel it behooves us not only to dress like it, but to return to the full observance of the Biblical laws governing Jewish dress.
"A garment is something that you put on when you go outside to protect you from the elements or for the sake of modesty," he explained. "Every Jews would wear a haluk - which our neighbors and cousins, who still wear them, call a jalabiya. It was the Middle Eastern undergarment. An Israelite could be distinguished by his tallit."
On returning your right to attach fringe (tzi-tzi's) containing blue strands to your four cornered garments... | ||
Israeli National News
24 Adar Bet 5768, March 31, '08
Hebrew Garments and the Restoration of Biblical Blue
by Ezra HaLevi
(IsraelNN.com) After three days of Purim, Jerusalemites young and old came out of one more night of revelry as Tuesday Night Live focused on Biblical Jewish fashion.
The evening featured Reuven Prager, who pioneered a movement of producing Beged Ivri (Hebrew garb) for Jews who have returned to the Land of Israel, as well as Dr. Ari Greenspan, who has reintroduced the Biblical blue tekhelet dye, used to fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of tzitzit (fringes placed on four-cornered garments).
"Ever since 135 CE, when Hadrian forbade, under death, the wearing of tzitzit, we have attached our tzitzit to a little garment hidden beneath our gentile attire," Prager told hosts Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel. "It became just a zecher (a remembrance)," he said, emphasizing that now that the Jewish people are a sovereign nation in the Land of Israel it behooves us not only to dress like it, but to return to the full observance of the Biblical laws governing Jewish dress.
| Who is Hadrian and under what authority did he forbid the wearing of tzi-tzi's -- a command of YHWH's? From Wikipedia: Hadrian, "Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus (January 24, 76 - July 10, 138 ), known as Hadrian in English, was emperor of Rome from 117 to 138 AD." 37 And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying: 38 'Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them throughout their generations fringes in the corners of their garments, and that they put with the fringe of each corner a thread of blue. 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of YHWH, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray; 40 that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41 I am YHWH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am YHWH your God.' | ||
"A garment is something that you put on when you go outside to protect you from the elements or for the sake of modesty," he explained. "Every Jews would wear a haluk - which our neighbors and cousins, who still wear them, call a jalabiya. It was the Middle Eastern undergarment. An Israelite could be distinguished by his tallit."
Jews Against Zionism, and the people and organizations quoted on their site, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.
The Central Rabbinical Congress of the U.S.A. and Canada placed a quarter-page ad in today's New York Times, affirming the opposition of hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Jews to Zionism and Jewish rule over the Holy Land during exile, and denouncing religious Zionist groups as falsifiers of the Torah. The ad appeared in the newspaper on page A-20.
The text of the ad was as follows:
A Clarification of Torah Doctrine
Consistently, throughout the peace process in the Middle East, various Jewish religious organizations and parties have raised their voices in opposition to the return of territories to the Arabs, issuing statements that, according to the Torah, Jews are forbidden to give up any land in the Holy Land (especially part of Jerusalem).
Accordingly, it has become a commonplace that religious Jews are supportive of stopping the peace process. In the public mind, the policies of these parties became synonymous with Torah Doctrine. Moreover, they are portrayed in the media as "ultra-nationalists" willing to exchange "peace" for "land".
This impression is utterly false. All forms of Zionism, be they secular or religious, are inherently antithetical to the teaching of our faith! The great sages and saints of our people have always been opposed to the existence of the Zionist State. Indeed, when an obscure Viennese journalist first challenged the Torah approach to exile and redemption, over one hundred years ago, he was immediately attacked by the Torah sages of that time. Those orthodox Jews who support the Israeli state and "Greater Israel" are falsifiers of Torah doctrine. They have abandoned the principles of their predecessors.
The Central Rabbinical Congress of the U.S.A. and Canada placed a quarter-page ad in today's New York Times, affirming the opposition of hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Jews to Zionism and Jewish rule over the Holy Land during exile, and denouncing religious Zionist groups as falsifiers of the Torah. The ad appeared in the newspaper on page A-20.
The text of the ad was as follows:
A Clarification of Torah Doctrine
Consistently, throughout the peace process in the Middle East, various Jewish religious organizations and parties have raised their voices in opposition to the return of territories to the Arabs, issuing statements that, according to the Torah, Jews are forbidden to give up any land in the Holy Land (especially part of Jerusalem).
| Land sold returns to the original owner on the Year of Return - Jubilee. The timing of the next Jubilee year appears to be debatable. Leviticus Chapter 27 24 In the year of jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongeth. | ||
Accordingly, it has become a commonplace that religious Jews are supportive of stopping the peace process. In the public mind, the policies of these parties became synonymous with Torah Doctrine. Moreover, they are portrayed in the media as "ultra-nationalists" willing to exchange "peace" for "land".
This impression is utterly false. All forms of Zionism, be they secular or religious, are inherently antithetical to the teaching of our faith! The great sages and saints of our people have always been opposed to the existence of the Zionist State. Indeed, when an obscure Viennese journalist first challenged the Torah approach to exile and redemption, over one hundred years ago, he was immediately attacked by the Torah sages of that time. Those orthodox Jews who support the Israeli state and "Greater Israel" are falsifiers of Torah doctrine. They have abandoned the principles of their predecessors.
01/06/08: Karaites are Jews
Go here for the Karaite Declaration of Faith: The Karaite "Declaration of Faith"
The Karaite Synagogue is the oldest Synagogue in Jerusalem. It was built between 760-920 A.D. by the Karaite Jews.
VIDEO:
Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef statements:
Jews of the Amazon By Ariel Segal Freilich
The long standing dispute between Karaites and Orthodox Jews continued until 1973 when the chief rabbi of the Sephardic community of Israel, Ovadia Yosef, recognized Karaites as full-fledged Jews. This proclamation has not altered the agreement that allows the Karaites to conduct their own civil affairs.
Chief Rabbi David Chayim Chelouche statements:
The Jerusalem Post: Laying down the (Oral) law By JOSHUA FREEMAN
Rabbi David Chayim Chelouche, the chief rabbi of Netanya, agrees. "A Karaite is a Jew," says Chelouche, who has written a great deal about the Karaites. "We accept them as Jews and every one of them who wishes to come back [to mainstream Judaism] we accept back. (There was once a question about whether Karaites needed to undergo a token circumcision in order to switch to rabbinic Judaism, but the rabbinate agrees today that it is not necessary.) He cautions, however, that the acceptance of Karaites as Jews should not be confused with acceptance of their practice of excluding the Oral Law. "A person cannot make his own Torah," he says.
Rabbinic Assembly
http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/20012004/49.pdf?phpMyAdmin=G0Is7ZE%2CH7O%2Ct%2CZ1sDHpI8UAVD6
Rabbi David H. Lincoln
This paper was adopted on March 28, 1984 by a vote of 12-1-1. Members voting in favor: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Isidoro Aizenberg, Salamon Faber, David M Feldman, Morris Feldman, Robert Gordis, David H Lincoln, Mayer E Rabinowitz, Phillip Sigal, Israel N Silverman, Harry Z Sky and Henry A Sosland. Voting in opposition: Rabbi Morris M Shapiro. Abstaining: Rabbi Joel Roth.
The Karaite Synagogue is the oldest Synagogue in Jerusalem. It was built between 760-920 A.D. by the Karaite Jews.
VIDEO:
Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef statements:
Jews of the Amazon By Ariel Segal Freilich
The long standing dispute between Karaites and Orthodox Jews continued until 1973 when the chief rabbi of the Sephardic community of Israel, Ovadia Yosef, recognized Karaites as full-fledged Jews. This proclamation has not altered the agreement that allows the Karaites to conduct their own civil affairs.
JPost.com: Ask the Rabbi: O brother
In the 20th century, the State of Israel recognized the right of Karaites to immigrate under the Law of Return. The rabbinate, however, remains sharply divided over the ability of Karaites and their descendents to marry Jewish Israelis. While prominent Ashkenazi decisors Rabbi Avraham Sherman (Tehumin 19) and Rabbi Eliezer Waldenburg (Tzitz Eliezer 5:16) harshly criticized such marriages, two former Sephardi chief rabbis, Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer EH 8:12) and Eliahu Bakshi-Doron (Tehumin 18, 20) adopted more lenient positions, especially in cases when these Karaite descendants had no loyalty toward their ancestor's rituals. While such cases remain rare, they nonetheless represent a fascinating chapter in the ongoing struggles over personal status and marriage in Israel.
Chief Rabbi David Chayim Chelouche statements:
The Jerusalem Post: Laying down the (Oral) law By JOSHUA FREEMAN
Rabbi David Chayim Chelouche, the chief rabbi of Netanya, agrees. "A Karaite is a Jew," says Chelouche, who has written a great deal about the Karaites. "We accept them as Jews and every one of them who wishes to come back [to mainstream Judaism] we accept back. (There was once a question about whether Karaites needed to undergo a token circumcision in order to switch to rabbinic Judaism, but the rabbinate agrees today that it is not necessary.) He cautions, however, that the acceptance of Karaites as Jews should not be confused with acceptance of their practice of excluding the Oral Law. "A person cannot make his own Torah," he says.
| "A person cannot make his own Torah," -- Funny, Karaites say the same thing... | ||
Rabbinic Assembly
http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/20012004/49.pdf?phpMyAdmin=G0Is7ZE%2CH7O%2Ct%2CZ1sDHpI8UAVD6
Rabbi David H. Lincoln
This paper was adopted on March 28, 1984 by a vote of 12-1-1. Members voting in favor: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Isidoro Aizenberg, Salamon Faber, David M Feldman, Morris Feldman, Robert Gordis, David H Lincoln, Mayer E Rabinowitz, Phillip Sigal, Israel N Silverman, Harry Z Sky and Henry A Sosland. Voting in opposition: Rabbi Morris M Shapiro. Abstaining: Rabbi Joel Roth.
CONCLUSION
In answer to Rabbi Skopitz's questions, I would therefore say the following:
(1) Their personal status should not be questioned. I would, with adequate halakhic support, dismiss the question of safek mamzerut.
(2) Yes, they are Jewish in every respect!
(3) I am not certain what is meant by the query regarding the State of Israel. In Israel, they have a separate Beit Din to administer marriage and divorce. Neither the Karaite nor the rabbinic communities have permitted "intermarriages". Rabbi Isaac Klein quotes sources indicating exceptions even in Israel, which he felt may portend a new trend there. Our situation in the Diaspora is very different. It has been the lesson of history that sects (whether Jewish or gentile) who leave their natural surroundings or are separated from the main body of followers, usually assimilate and disappear. This is true of the Druze outside of their Syrian-Lebanese-Israeli villages, or the Donmeh outside of Salonika or Istanbul. Here in the United States, Karaites mostly wish to identify with the rabbanite community -- in Israel they are a more numerous independent group. Should we abandon them, they would probably disappear and more Jews would be lost to us at a period in our history when we can ill afford such a loss.
I therefore recommend that we accept them without reservation.
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