Rabbinic Judaism

Rabbinic Judaism (or in Hebrew "Yahadut Rabanit" - יהדות רבנית) was the successor to the Pharisees after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70CE. It developed through the second to sixth centuris CE, by which time it had become esablished as normative Judaism. The only other competing Jewish denomination is Karaite Judaism, a relatively small group that rejects the authority of rabbinic interpretation.

Related Topics:
Hebrew - Pharisees - Second Temple - 70CE - Jewish denomination - Karaite Judaism

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Like the Pharisees, Rabbinic Judaism claims that the law (Torah) revealed at Sinai had both a written and oral form. The written form can be found in the Torah, or the five books of Moses. The oral revelation was revealed to those present and transmitted orally through the generations to the time of the second Temple in Jerusalem. Its propositional content is evident in prophetic and other biblical writings, has been codified in the Mishna and Gemarah, and finds interpretation in subsequent rabbinic decisions and writings. The premise for this is that the Written Torah can not be understood without the benefit of knowing the Oral Torah and is therefore characterized by reliance on the written Torah as well as the Oral Law (the Mishnah, Talmuds and subsequent rabbinic decisions) as halakha (Legally Binding, i.e. required religious practice).

Related Topics:
Torah - Moses - Temple in Jerusalem - Subsequent rabbinic decisions and writings - Oral Law - Mishnah - Talmuds - Halakha

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Rabbinic Judaism represents the largest group of Judaism and is in most vernacular forms used interchangeably with the term "Judaism." There are, however, different interpretations among religious groups within Rabbinic Judaism about the nature of revelation and the function of rabbinic decisions. The three main divisions are:

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• Orthodox Judaism, which views the Written and Oral Torah as immutable; and considers medieval codifications of Jewish law such as the Mishneh Torah, Tur, and, most important (because it is the most recent), the Shulkhan Arukh.
• Conservative Judaism, which holds that revelation is continuous through the halakhic process of precedence and consideration of new facts. Conservative rabbis reject the absolute authority of law codes such as the Shulchan Aruch and identify with the Amoraim, whose discussions were later compiled into the Talmud.
• Reform Judaism, which considers the Torah to be the work of humans, though possibly inspired by the divine, and who identify with the ethical and moral missions of the prophets.