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Karaite Judaism
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Karaite Judaism or Karaism (; ") is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh as its scripture, and the rejection of Rabbinic Judaism and the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmud) as binding. The movement crystallized in Baghdad, in present day Iraq.
When interpreting the Tanakh, Karaites strive to adhere to the plain meaning (p'shat) of the text. This is in contrast to Rabbinical Judaism, which employs the methods of p'shat, remez (implication or clue), drash (interpretation, exegesis), and sod (secret meaning, identified with the Kabbalah).
At one time Karaites were a significant portion of the Jewish population .
Karaites today
Today it is estimated that there are as many as 30,000 Karaites or more worldwide, with 20,000-25,000 of them living in Israel.
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Encyclopedia
Karaite Judaism or Karaism (; ") is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh as its scripture, and the rejection of Rabbinic Judaism and the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmud) as binding. The movement crystallized in Baghdad, in present day Iraq.
When interpreting the Tanakh, Karaites strive to adhere to the plain meaning (p'shat) of the text. This is in contrast to Rabbinical Judaism, which employs the methods of p'shat, remez (implication or clue), drash (interpretation, exegesis), and sod (secret meaning, identified with the Kabbalah).
At one time Karaites were a significant portion of the Jewish population .
Karaites today
Today it is estimated that there are as many as 30,000 Karaites or more worldwide, with 20,000-25,000 of them living in Israel. Other estimates of the size of the modern Karaite movement put the number at 4,000 Karaites in the United States, about 100 families in Istanbul, and about 12,000 in Israel, most of them living in Ramleh, Ashdod and Beer-Sheva.
In the early 1950s, the Israeli Chief Rabbinate originally objected to the immigration of Karaite Jews to Israel, and unsuccessfully tried to obstruct it. Today, Rabbi David Chayim Chelouche, the chief rabbi of Netayana is quoted in the Jerusalem Post as saying: "A Karaite is a Jew. 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 that today that is not necessary." [May 22, 2007, "Laying down the (Oral) law by Joshua Freeman"]
Moshe Marzouk, one of the Egyptian Jews executed in 1954 for planting bombs at Cairo in the service of Israeli Military Intelligence (the Lavon Affair) was a Karaite. Marzouk was considered a hero and martyr in Israel; however, his Karaite identity was downplayed in official publications, which usually just described him as "an Egyptian Jew".
In Israel, the Karaite Jewish leadership is directed by a group called "Universal Karaite Judaism". Most of the members of its Board of Hakhams are of Egyptian Jewish descent.
There are about 4,000 Karaites living in the United States. The Synagogue, KJA Congregation Bnei Israel, is located in Daly City, California which is a suburb of San Francisco. It is the only Karaite synagogue in the United States with a permanent dedicated facility. See, The leaders of the congregation are of Egyptian Karaite Jewish background. One notable congregant, Mark Kheder, the Synagogue's treasurer, has described his internment in an Egyptian prisoner of war camp during the 1967 Six Day war. The congregation's Hackam Joe Pessah was also amongst those who were arrested by the Egyptian government.
On 1 August 2007, some members of the first graduating class of Karaite Jewish University were converted, representing the first new authorized members into Karaite Judaism in 500 years. At a ceremony in their Northern California synagogue, ten adults and four minors joined the Jewish people by taking the same Oath that Ruth took. Their course of study lasted over one year. This conversion comes 15 years after the Karaite Council of Sages reversed its centuries-old ban on accepting converts.
On 17 February 2009 the second graduating class of converts took the oath this included 11 adults and 8 minors. One of these, Isaac Kight, an attendee of the KJA synagogue in Daly City had previously practiced Rabbinic Judaism.
There are about 80 Karaites living in Istanbul, Turkey, where the only Karaite synagogue in Turkey, the Kahal haKadosh be Sukra bene Mikra, is still functional in the Hasköy neighbourhood in the European part of the city.
Karaite beliefs
Karaites believe they observe the original form of Judaism, as prescribed by God in the Tanakh, and reject what they consider to be later additions to the Tanakh of Rabbinic Judaism, such as the Oral Law. They place the ultimate responsibility of interpreting the Bible on each individual. Karaism does not reject Biblical interpretation but rather holds every interpretation up to the same objective scrutiny regardless of its source.
Karaites believe in an eternal, one, and incorporeal God, Creator of Universe, who gave the Tanakh to humankind, through Moses and the Prophets. Karaites trust in the Divine providence and hope for the coming of the Moshiach.
Views on the Mishnah
Karaites do not accept the Mishnah because:
- The Mishnah quotes many conflicting opinions.
- The Mishnah doesn't go on to say in which opinion the truth lies. Rather, the Mishnah sometimes agrees with neither one nor the other, contradicting both.
- They argue that the truth of the oral law given to Moses could only be in one opinion, not many opinions.
- They question why the Mishnah does not solely speak in the name of Moses.
- The Oral Law is not mentioned even once in the entire Tanakh.
- When God told Moses to come up to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah He said: "Come up to me into the mountain, and be there: and I will give you tablets of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written;" (Ex 24,12). The text states the commands are written, and no mention is made of an Oral Law.
- When Joshua read the Torah to Israel every command Moses had given was read from the written text of Torah. Implying there was no command that Moses gave, which hadn't been written down. “After that, he read all the words of the Law, the Blessing and the Curse, just as is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua failed to read in the presence of the entire assembly of Israel” (Joshua 8:34-8:35)
- The Tanakh reports that the written Torah was both lost and completely forgotten for over 50 years and only rediscovered by the Temple priests (2Ki 22,8; 2Chr 34,15). It is inconceivable that an Oral Law could have been remembered when even the written Law was forgotten.
- The words of the Mishnah and Talmud are clearly the words of men living in the 2nd-5th centuries CE, stating "Rabbi Eliezer says this... while Rabbi Akiva says that..." in contrast to the Torah which states "YHWH spoke to Moses saying, speak to the Children of Israel that I command them saying..."
- The Torah states "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your God which I command you." (Deut 4:2) It is forbidden to add an Oral Law to the Torah, since it's the opinions of rabbis, not commands from God.
Karaite interpretations of the Torah
Theoretically, most historical Karaites would not object to the idea of a body of interpretation of the Torah, along with extensions and development of halakha. In fact, several hundred such books have been written by various Karaite sages throughout the movement's history, though most are lost today. The disagreement arises over the perceived exaltation of the Talmud and the writings of the Rabbis above that of the Torah, so that, in the view of Karaites, many traditions and customs are kept that are in contradiction with those expressed in the Torah. This is seen especially by the fact that the Karaites also have their own traditions that have been passed down from their ancestors and religious authorities. This is known as "Sevel HaYerushah", which means "the yoke of inheritance." It is kept primarily by traditional Egyptian Karaites, and any tradition therein is rejected if it contradicts the simple meaning of the Torah.
For those Karaites who do not have such an "inheritance" or "tradition," they tend to rely heavily upon just the Torah and those practices found within it, as well as adapting Biblical practices into their own cultural context. This lack of tradition could be for many reasons; one is that many modern Karaites are the result of the Karaite revival in large part due to the , a revival group started by Nehemia Gordon and Meir Rekhavi in the early 90's. Another may be the fact that Karaite communities are so small and generally isolated that their members generally adopt the customs of their host country. A prime example of this would be the beginnings of cultural assimilation of traditional Israeli Karaites into mainstream society.
The calendar
Karaites use the observational form of the Hebrew calendar used by Jews in the Land of Israel until at least the end of the Second Temple period. Under that system, a month (Rosh Chodesh) commences with the observation of a new moon in Israel, and the start of new year month of Nisan is based the observation of the ripeness of barley (called the Aviv). Before quick worldwide communication was available, Karaites in the Diaspora used the calculated form of the Hebrew calendar used by Jews in general, for convenience.
The Shabbat
As with other Jews, during the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat), Karaites attend synagogues to worship and to offer prayers. However, most Karaites refrain from sexual relations on that day. Their prayer books are composed almost completely of biblical passages. Karaites often practice full prostration during prayers, while most other Jews only pray in this fashion on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Unlike Rabbinic Jews, Karaites do not practice the ritual of lighting candles before Shabbat (lest one unintentionally violate the Shabbat, as kindling a fire is a prohibition on Shabbat). This ritual may also have been instituted as anti-Karaite Rabbinic 'halachah' in the Middle Ages. [Ref: Jewish Book of Why V.1] The written Torah does not contain the commandment, as the rabbis have decreed, to light Shabbat candles. Additionally, Karaites interpret the biblical prohibition against kindling a fire on the Shabbat as prohibiting a fire from continuing to burn that was lit prior to the Shabbat. Historically Karaites refrained from utilizing or deriving benefit from light until the Sabbath ends, but modern Karaites use fluorescent light power hooked up to a battery that is turned on prior to Shabbat. Many observant Karaites either unplug their refrigerators on shabbat or turn off the circuit breakers. Purchasing electricity that is charged on an incremental basis during the Shabbat is viewed as a commercial transaction that the Tanakh prohibits. Theoretically these practices are not universal, since different readings of the scriptural Sabbath prohibitions could yield a variety of points of view.
Tzitzit
Karaites wear tzitzit with blue threads in them. In contrast to Rabbinic Judaism, they believe that the techelet (the "blue"), does not refer to a specific dye. The traditions of Rabbinic Judaism used in the knotting of the tzitzit are not followed, so the appearance of Karaite tzitzit can be quite different from that of Rabbanite tzitzit. Contrary to some claims, Karaites do not hang tzitzit on their walls.
Tefillin
Contrary to the beliefs of some, Karaites do not wear tefillin in any form. According to the World Karaite Movement, the Biblical passages cited for this practice are metaphorical, and mean to "remember the Torah always and treasure it." This is because the commandment in scripture is "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart"… "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes." (Deuteronomy 6:5,9) Since words cannot be on one's heart, or bound on one's hand, the entire passage is understood metaphorically.
Mezuzot
Like Tefillin, Karaites interpret the scripture that mandates inscribing the Law on doorposts and city gates as a metaphorical admonition, specifically, to keep the Law at home and away. This is because the previous commandment in the same passage is the source for Tefillin for Rabbinic Judaism, and is understood metaphorically due to the language. As a result, the entire passage is understood as a metaphor. Therefore, they do not put up mezuzot, although many Karaites do have a small plaque with the Aseret haDibrot on their doorposts.
However there are exceptions. An account in the 19th century, tells of a Karaite synagogue in Constantinople that had a mezuzah. In Israel, in an effort to make Rabbinic Jews comfortable, many Karaites do put up mezuzot.
Mamzerim
In both Deuteronomy 23:2, and Zechariah 9:6, the Hebrew word "Mamzer" is referenced similar to that of the nations of Ammon, Mo'av, Edom, Egypt, Tyre, Zidon, Ashkelon, Gaza, Philistia, and etc. From such, Karaites have come to consider the most logical understanding of the Hebrew word "Mamzer", which modern Rabbinical Jews tend to translate as "bastard", to actually speak of a nation people. Karaites think that such an understanding fits perfectly into the context of both Deuteronomy 23 and Zechariah 9, and several Medieval Rabbinical Jewish sages felt it necessary to debate this topic with Medieval Karaite Jewish sages.
See Etrog haKuschi.
Karaite Conversion
In order to convert to Karaite Judaism you must accept the three fundamental principles of Karaism as expressed in the Karaite Confession
1. I believe in YHWH of Hosts as the only God, and renounce all others.
2. I believe in the Tanakh, as the word of YHWH and the only religious authority and renounce all other writings, creeds, and doctrines as the words of men.
3. I undertake to study and keep the Tanakh, striving to interpret it according to its "plain meaning".
- You must also accept the principles expressed in the ancient Karaite Vow: "By the covenant of Mt. Sinai and the statutes of Mt. Horeb I will keep the holy appointed times of YHWH according to the New Moon and the finding of the Aviv in the Holy Land of Israel."
- If the believer is a male he must be circumcised. Circumcision can be performed by any qualified health-care professional. It does not need to be performed by a religious leader or ‘Rabbi’.
Declaration of faith:
1. The uniqueness and oneness of YHWH as God and Creator.
2. The truth of the Torah given to Moses and perfect nature of the Torah which requires no additions or supplement.
3. The concept of an ultimate reward for those who keep the Torah.
4. The holiness of the Temple in Jerusalem and its status as a place to turn in prayer.
5. The beginning of months in the biblical calendar according to the visibility of the crescent new Moon.
6. The beginning of years in the biblical calendar according to the state of the barley crops (Aviv) in the Land of Israel.
7. The truth and prophetic nature of the entire Tanakh.
8. The truth and holiness of the biblical Holidays and Feasts.
9. The eternal nature of YHWH who rules the universe.
10. The belief in a future era in which all mankind will worship the one true God.
Rabbinic opinions
Rabbinic Judaism's scholars, such as Maimonides, write that people who deny the Godly source of the Oral Torah are to be considered among the heretics. However, at the same time Maimonides holds (Hilchot Mamrim 3:3) that most of the Karaites and others who claim to deny the "oral teaching" are not to be held accountable for their errors in the law because they are led into error by their parents and are thus referred to as a tinok shenishba, or a captive baby.
Rabbinic scholars have traditionally held that, because the Karaites do not observe the rabbinic law on divorce, there is a strong presumption that they are mamzerim (adulterine bastards), so that marriage with them is forbidden even if they return to Rabbinic Judaism. Some recent scholars have held that Karaites should be regarded as Gentiles in all respects, though this is not universally accepted. They hasten to add that this opinion is not intended to insult the Karaites, but only to give individual Karaites the option of integrating into mainstream Judaism by way of conversion.
In response to the position taken by the Karaites in regards to the authority of the Talmud, Orthodox Judaism counters by pointing to the innumerable examples of biblical commandments that are either too ambiguous or documented in such a concise fashion that proper adherence is absolutely impossible without the details provided by the Talmud.
- Tefillin: As indicated in Deuteronomy 6:8 among other places, tefillin are to be placed on the arm and on the head between the eyes. However, there are no details provided regarding what tefillin are or how they are to be constructed.
- Kosher laws: As indicated in Exodus 23:19 among other places, a kid may not be boiled in its mother's milk. In addition to numerous other problems with understanding the ambiguous nature of this law, there are no vowelization characters in the Torah; they are provided by the masoretic tradition. This is particularly relevant to this law, as the Hebrew word for milk is identical to the word for fat when vowels are absent. Without the oral tradition, it is not known whether the violation is in mixing meat with milk or with fat.
- Shabbat laws: With the severity of Sabbath violation, namely the death penalty, one would assume that direction would be provided as to how exactly such a serious and core commandment should be upheld. However, there is little to no information as to what can and cannot be performed on the Sabbath. Karaites, nonetheless, do keep the Shabbat according to their own, different traditions and interpretations, as described in detail in the special section above.
For Karaites, in sum, the rabbinic interpretations above, as codified in oral law, are only one form of interpretation. They are definitley not divinely ordained for them, and therefore are also not binding as 'halacha' or practical conduct religious 'law.'
History of Karaism
Karaism appears to be a combination from various Jewish groups in Mesopotamia, that rejected the Talmudic tradition as an innovation. Some suggest that the major impetus for the formation of Karaism was a reaction to the rise of Islam, which recognized Judaism as a fellow monotheistic faith, but claimed that it detracted from this monotheism by deferring to rabbinical authority.
In the 9th century CE Anan ben David and his followers absorbed sects such the Isawites (followers of Abu Isa al-Isfahani), Yudghanites and the remnants of the pre-Talmudic Sadducees and Boethusians. It must be noted that the Boethusians were an offshoot movement of the Sadducees that differed on issues of purity, and calendarical issues. Anan led a polemic with the rabbinical establishment and later non-Ananist sects emerged, like the Ukbarites.
The dispute between rabbi Gaon Saadiah and the Karaites helped to consolidate the split between them.
Karaites, Sadducees, and Philo
Abraham Geiger posited a connection between the Karaites and the Sadducees based on comparison between Karaite and Sadducee halakha. However Dr. Bernard Revel in his dissertation on "Karaite Halacha" rejects many of Geiger's proofs. Dr. Revel also points to the many correlations between Karaite halakha and theology and the interpretations of the Alexandrian philosopher Philo. He also points to the writings of a 10th century Karaite who brings down the writings of Philo showing that the Karaites made use of Philo's writings in the development of their movement.
The Golden Age of Karaism
The "Golden Age of Karaism" was between 10th-11th centuries CE in which a large number of Karaitic works were produced in the central and eastern parts of the Muslim world. Karaite Jews were able to obtain autonomy from Rabbinical Judaism in the Muslim world and establish their own institutions. Karaites in the Muslim world also obtained high social positions such as tax collectors, doctors, and clerks, and even received special positions in the Egyptian courts. Karaite scholars were among the most conspicuous practitioners in the philosophical school known as Jewish Kalam.
According to historian Salo Wittmayer Baron, at one time the number of Jews affiliating with Karaism comprised as much as 40 percent of world Jewry, and debates between Rabbinic and Karaitic leaders were not uncommon.
Most notable among the opposition to Karaitic thought and practice at this time are the writings of Rabbi Saadia Gaon, which eventually led to a permanent split between some Karaitic and Rabbinic communities.
Russian Karaites
During the 18th century, Russian Karaites spread many myths externally, which freed them from various anti-Semitic laws that affected other Jews. Avraham Firkovich helped establish these ideas by referring to the tombstones in Crimea that bear inscriptions stating that those buried were descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Other deflections included claiming to be among those Jews with a Khazar origin, or claiming that Karaites were otherwise not strictly Jewish descended. These actions were intended to convince the Russian Czar that Karaite ancestors could not have killed Jesus; that thus their descendants were free of familial guilt (which was an underlying reason or pretext given at that time for anti-Semitic laws). In 1897, the Russian census counted 12,894 Karaites in the Russian Empire.
Crimean and Lithuanian Karaites
The Karaim (Turkish Qaraylar) are a distinctive Karaite community from the Crimea. Their Turkic language is called Karaim. According to a Karaite tradition several hundred Crimean Karaites were invited to Lithuania by Grand Duke Vytautas to settle in Trakai ca. 1397. A small community remains there to this day, which has preserved its language and distinctive customs, such as its traditional dish called "kibinai", a sort of meat pastry, and its houses with three windows, one for God, one for the family, and one for Grand Duke Vytautas. This community has access to two Kenessas. Until recent years the vast majority of Karaites in the world were Qaraylar. Qaraylar might be the only group which most authentically preserves the ancient Karaite ideas of Abu Isa and Jacob Qirqisani. As a result of Karaites divorcing their movement from Judaism at large in previous centuries, the Moetzet Chachamim committee promotes the exclusion of the Karaylar Jews from Universal Karaism and Aliyah.
Spanish Karaites
During the 10th and 11th Centuries, Karaite Jews in Spain had become "a force to be reckoned with." In Castile, high-ranking Rabbinical Jews such as Joseph Ferrizuel persuaded the king to allow the persecution and expulsion of Karaite Jews. With royal assistance, Rabbi Todros Halevi and Joseph ibn Alfakhar successfully drove out a large portion of the surviving Karaite population.
Karaite writings
Karaism has produced a vast library of commentaries and polemics, especially during its "Golden Age." These writings prompted new and complete defenses of the Talmud and Mishna, the culmination of these in the writings of Saadia Gaon and his criticisms of Karaism. Though he opposed Karaism, the Rabbinic commentator Abraham Ibn Ezra regularly quoted Karaite commentators, particularly Yefet ben Ali, to the degree that a legend exists among some Karaites that Ibn Ezra was ben Ali's student.
The most well-known Karaite polemic is Isaac Troki's ?izzu? Emunah (????? ?????) (Faith Strengthened), a comprehensive Counter-Missionary polemic, which was later translated into Latin by Wagenseil as part of a larger collection of Jewish anti-Christian polemics entitled Tela Ignea Satanæ, sive Arcani et Horribiles Judæorum Adversus Christum, Deum, et Christianam Religionem Libri (Altdorf, 1681) (translation: 'The Fiery Darts of Satan, or the Arcane and Horrible Books of the Jews Against Christ, God, and the Christian Religion'). Many Counter-Missionary materials produced today are based upon or cover the same themes as this book.
Scholarly studies of Karaite writings are still in their infancy.
See also
Further reading
- Karaite Anthology (Leon Nemoy) ISBN 0-300-03929-8
- Karaite Jews of Egypt (Mourad el-Kodsi) (1987)
- Karaite Separatism in 19th Century Russia (Philip Miller)
- An Introduction to Karaite Judaism (Yaron, et al.) ISBN 0-9700775-4-8
- Karaite Judaism and Historical Understanding (Fred Astren) ISBN 1-57003-518-0
- Just for the record in the history of the Karaite Jews of Egypt in modern times (Mourad el-Kodsi) (2002)
- The Dead Sea Scrolls in the Historiography and Self-Image of Contemporary Karaites (Daniel J. Lasker) Dead Sea Discoveries, Nov 2002, Vol. 9 Issue 3, p281, 14p-294; DOI: 10.1163/156851702320917832; (AN 8688101)
- Karaites of Christendom--Karaites of Islam (W.M. Brinner) from "The Islamic World: Essays in Honor of Bernard Lewis" Princeton University Press 1989
- Heir to the Glimmering World (Cynthia Ozick) A fictional story about a historian of the Karaism.
- A History of the Jews in Christian Spain (Yitzhak Baer) Vol 1
- The Jews of Spain, A History of the Sephardic Experience (Jane S. Gerber)
- The Written' as the Vocation of Conceiving Jewishly (John W McGinley) ISBN 059540488X
- The History of the Jewish People: Volume II, the Early Middle Ages (Moses A. Shulvass)
- “Remarks on Avraham Firkowicz and the Hebrew Mejelis 'Document'.” (Dan Shapira). Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 59:2 (2006): 131-180.
- Karaite Judaism: Introduction to Karaite Studies. Edited by M.Polliack. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2004.
- Kizilov, Mikhail. “Faithful Unto Death: Language, Tradition, and the Disappearance of the East European Karaite Communities.” East European Jewish Affairs 36:1 (2006): 73–93.
- Avraham Firkowicz in Istanbul (1830-1832). Paving the Way for Turkic Nationalism. (Shapira, Dan) .Ankara: KaraM, 2003.
- Karaites through the Travelers’ Eyes. Ethnic History, Traditional Culture and Everyday Life of the Crimean Karaites According to Descriptions of the Travelers (Kizilov, Mikhail). New York: al-Qirqisani, 2003.
See also
External links
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- The Jewish History Resource Center, Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- in Hebrew
- This site is not accessible on Shabbat and is thus unavailable from 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time (6:00 UTC) on Friday until 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time (6:00 UTC) on Sunday in order to account for the differences in time zones.
- The Simon Wiesenthal Center
- Information about Turkic/Crimean Karaites
- in Czech
- in Polish
- in Czech
- in Polish
- by Jose Faur, contrasting the intuitive theology of the medieval Rabbanites with the hyper-rationalism of the Karaites
Spanish persecution of Karaites
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