Orthodox Judaism

Overview: Orthodox Judaism is a traditional form of Judaism that understands the written Torah and the oral Torah as normative and binding for religious life. Its identity revolves around the covenant between God and Israel, observance of halacha, textual study, and continuity of rabbinic traditions.

Origin and development: Its roots lie in biblical Judaism and in the development of rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple, especially through the Mishnah, the Talmud, and later halachic literature. The designation Orthodox gained prominence in modernity in contrast to Reform and Conservative movements, but the tradition understands itself as continuity with historical fidelity to inherited law and practice.

Central beliefs: Among its best-known points are the absolute unity of God, the election and covenant of Israel, the revelation of the Torah to Moses, the authority of the oral Torah, the obligatoriness of the commandments, the sanctification of the Sabbath, dietary laws, liturgical prayer, family purity, messianic hope, and the resurrection of the dead in classical formulations.

Texts and authority: The Hebrew Bible, especially the Torah, occupies a central place, accompanied by the Mishnah, the Talmud, midrashim, codes such as the Mishneh Torah and the Shulchan Aruch, rabbinic responsa, and communal custom. Religious authority is distributed among rabbis, batei din, schools, and study lineages, with significant differences among Haredi currents, Modern Orthodoxy, Hasidism, and Sephardic, Ashkenazi, and Yemenite traditions.

Practices: Orthodox life is strongly structured by everyday mitzvot: prayer, blessings, kashrut, Sabbath observance, festivals, circumcision, study, charity, and rules of family and communal life. The religious calendar and household order play especially strong roles.

Internal and external debates: There are relevant internal differences regarding religious Zionism, secular education, the relationship with the modern state, women's place in ritual life, technology on Shabbat, rabbinic authority, mysticism, Hasidism, and historical reading of texts. In comparative studies, it is useful to distinguish between doctrine, custom, and legal discipline, and to avoid treating all Orthodox Judaism as a homogeneous block.