Judaism For Dummies

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Another Jewish question!?

This is in regards to Orthodox Judaism compared to Reform Judaism. Do the sacred texts hint at God changing the original commands and observances?

Would this be akin to the Orthodox Christian church and Episcopalians in terms of changing observances. lieftstyles, etc to better blend/fit/whatever into society?

Please understand I am a Christian and I have the upmost respect for Jews as God's chosen ones. However, in my worldview God/Jesus doesnt change in terms of His requirements and desires for us, so I really am hoping to be enlightened by someone (perhaps Pb writer or Trish) that can give me a Judaism sects for dummies synopsis to make it clear.

You are asking about relativism, i.e. whether Torah is absolute or can be flexed with the sensibilities of modern society.

Orthodox Judaism holds that the system of halacha (Jewish law) is sourced in the Torah, given by God to Moses. All Jews are obligated in the Law. Its says in Deuteronomy 4:2 that the law may not be added to or subtracted from, but the Torah does vest power in leading rabbinic authorities to make legal enactments, hence we have what is referred to as "Rabbinic Judaism." The system has had to be flexible enough to deal with the period of expulsion after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem approx. 1900 years ago and the current state of exile, as well as various developments in science in medicine. The Jewish legal system gives much weight to the earlier sages and they are rarely if ever over-ruled. Adjustments and new responsa are made but only with great deliberation and fidelity to halacha (for example, approx. 100 years ago leading rabbis in Europe saw the need for a formalized system of Jewish education for girls that did not exist previously). The one thing you will never see in Orthodoxy is relativism.

The Reform movement teaches that halacha is not binding (that is why many on the right argue that this in not authentic Judaism) and generally does not ascribe Divine authorship to the Torah. This appeals to the modern westerner as freedom (who needs obligations?), hence the popularity of the movement. Being liberal-minded and progressive, the Reform movement applies religiously-inspired ideas like morality and social justice to issues of the day, such as gay rights and the war in Iraq. So perhaps they would meet the definition of moral relativists.

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