Karaite Judaism is a Jewish denomination characterized by reliance on the Tanakh as the resole scripture, and rejection of the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmuds) as halakha (Legally Binding, i.e. expected religious practice). A word "Karaite" comes from either a Hebrew word קְרָאִים (Standard Hebrew Qəraʾim; Tiberian Hebrew Qərāʾîm), meaning "Readers (of Scripture)". This title was chosen per disciple of Karaite Judaism to distinguish themselves from either a disciple of Rabbinic Judaism.

A disciple of Karaite Judaism rely on the Tanakh as the resole scripture. Whilst interpreting scripture Karaites strive to adhere simply to the ''p'shat (plain meaning) of the text. This is inside direct contrast to Rabbinical Judiasm, which employs a methods of p'shat, remez (implication or even clue), drash ("deep interpretation," according to changing a meaning of a words & the way it is review to an additional meaning) & sod'' ("secret," a occult meaning of the text, drawing on the Kabbalah). There are roughly 50,000 disciple to Karaite Judaism, virtually all of whom reside inside Israel. Karaite Judaism is inside the period of incubation & renewal in the America. Still, accurate statistics are non known, when virtually all Karaites keep close at hand non participated in any religious nose count.

Karaite beliefs

Karaites and the Rabbinic Oral law
Karaites don't assume a Rabbinic Oral Law as halakha because: It don't guess that a Oral Law is mentioned in the Tanakh. It suppose that all a Torah was written down when you took the life-time of Moses & Joshua, & that there exists exclusively a single Torah. It think a Oral Law "adds to" or even "takes away from" a plain meaning of the text. It think it to contradict a text at days. A Mishnah and Talmud record the opinions of Rabbis who disagree with both more. A Rabbis tell you that if there are such disagreements, "both opinions are the words of the living God". Karaites maintain that these are undue to suppose that God would contradict Himself. A Tanach reports that a written Torah was lost & forgotten for all over L years & sole rediscovered per Temple priests (2Ki 22:8, 2Chr 34:15). Karaites guess that these are impossible that an Oral Law could have been remembered when a written Law was forgotten.

Theoretically, virtually all historical Karaites would non object to the idethe of a body of interpretation of the Torah, along by having extensions & development of halakha. A disagreement arises above a perceived exaltation of a Talmud & the writings of the Rabbis above that of the Torah, thus that, around the review of Karaites, numerous traditions & customs come saved which are then in contradiction sustaining victims expressed in the Torah. This is seen especially per fact that a Karaites as well own their own traditions which have been passed down from either their antecedent & religious authorities. This is referred to as "Sevel HaYerushah", which means " the yoke of inheritance." These are saved primarily by traditional Egyptian Karaites, & any tradition within this is rejected whenever these are noticed to exist as in disagreement by owning a Bible. For victims Karaites world health organization don't stand such an "inheritance" or even "tradition," it tend to swear heavy upon a Tanakh & victims practices obtained in it, too when adapting Biblical practices into their have ethnic context. This want of tradition can be for several reasons; of these is that numerous modern Karaites come a effect of the Karaite revival within big a share imputable the [http://www.karaite-korner.org/ World Karaite Movement], the revival class action began by Nehemia Gordon and Meir Rekhavi in the early 90's. A second can be a fact that Karaite communities come little & typically isolated that its members typically adopt a customs of their carrier united states. a prime case of this would exist as the beginnings of ethnical assimilation of traditional Israeli Karaites into mainstream society.

Rabbinic opinions

Maimonides wrote that the Karaites (likewise when similar factions world health organization deny the Godly source of the Oral Torah) come to become considered among the heretics, & that 1 world health organization kills a heretic is afforded a wow mitzvah for removing a stumbling prevent for a god-fearing (Hilchos Mamrim 3:2) Still, Maimonidies admits (around 3:3) that virtually all of the Karaites & others world health organization deny the "Oral Torah" come not to exist as held accountable for their sins because it is led into error by their parents & are so known as the ''tinok she'nishba, or even the captive binky users. Apparently, says Maimonidies, soul raised by evildoer just can not exist as held accountable for their have sins because it were never involved to the truth. A effectual dying-penalty defined above would so there are no hanker use.

The Calendar
Karaites rely in observations of the Moon to begin their months, and in observations of barley (called a Aviv'') to run their years, as deduced from either statements in the Torah (Aviv is both a marker for a foremost year of a Biblical Hebrew calendar, & the next-to-go stage in the incubation of barley, which occurred in the period of the plague of hail shortly prior to the number 1 Passover). Prior to promptly worldwide communication was available, Karaites in the Diaspora used a kind of methods to determine a calendar, including observation & calculation, along by owning reports from either Jerusalem.

The Sabbath

When by using more Jews, in a period of the Jewish Sabbath Karaites attend tabernacle to worship & to offer prayers. Still, virtually all Karaites avoid carnal knowledge on the day. Their prayerbooks come comprised near entirely of biblical passages. Karaites typically practice fully prostratiin in the period of prayers, which is expert by virtually all Jews merely on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Tzitzit

Karaites have on tzitzit with blue threads in the two. Inside direct contrast to Rabbinic Judaism, it think that a techelet (the "blue"), doesn't refer to the specific dyestuff. A traditions of Rabbinic Judaism utilized in a knotting of the tzitzit are non followed, therefore the appearance of Karaite tzitzit is quite different from either that of Rabbanite tzitzit. Contrary to a select few myths, Karaites din't hang tzitzit on their bulwarks.

Tefillin

Contrary to the beliefs of a select few, Karaites don't put on tefillin in any form. Based on data from a World Karaite Movement, the Biblical passages cited for this practice come metaphoric, & mean to "remember the Torah always and treasure it." This is because a commandment inside 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 just can't get on a single's heart, or even attached in 1's hand, a entire passage is understood metaphorically.

Mezuzot

Prefer Tefillin, Karaites interpret a scripture that mandates inscribing a Law in doorjamb & city gates as a metaphoric admonition, specifically, to keep a Law home & away. This is because a last commandment in the equivalent passage is the source for Tefillin for Rabbinic Judaism, & is understood metaphorically due to the language. Following, a entire passage is understood as a metaphor. So, it don't put higher mezuzot, although many Karaites wash have a little plaque by owning a Aseret haDibrot on their doorposts. Inside Israel, inside an effort to produce more Jews comfortable, several Karaites there besides put higher mezuzot.

History of Karaism

The Golden Age of Karaism
A "Golden Age of Karaism" was the period where the prominent total of Karaitic works were produced. A total of Jews affiliating by having Karaism comprised about 40% of Jewry, & debates between Rabbinic & Karaitic leaders were non rare. Virtually all luminary come the writings of Rabbi Saadia Gain & his attacks on Karaism, which finally led to a lasting split between Karaitic & Rabbinic communities.

Russian Karaites

In a period of the 18th century, Russian Karaites spread numbers of myths externally which extricated the babies from either various anti-Antisemitic laws that affected more Jews. Avraham Firkovitch helped establish these ideas by forging tombstones around Crimea which bear inscriptions stating that victims buried were of the "lost tribes" of Israel. More myths involved a invention of the Khazar origin, or that it were non Jewish, among others. These actions were meant to convince a Russian Czar that it may not keep around flushed Jesus, which was an underlying cause for the anti-antisemitic laws.

An guide point of review is that Russian Karaites indeed primarily originate from either Khazar caganate, where Judaism was a state religion. Supporters of such views accuse opponents of forging grounds to believe sequentially to claim extra population when Jewish & perform slow assimilation, arguing that Karaim communities are turkish & that their rites bear a influence of druid-such as pagan religion. Avraham Firkovitch is at times believed to use forged a stones to blur Khazar heritage.

Intermarriages between Karaite & Rabbinic Jews, even so, however took place.

Because of a above, and/or a opinion by Orthodox Rabbis designed to save the Karaites, the Nazis of a World War II typically left a Karaites alone in the period of the Holocaust.

Crimean and Lithuanian Karaites
A Karaim (Turkish Qaraylar) come a distinctive Karaite community from either the Crimea. Their Turkic language is called Karaim. A bit of Karaim resettled within Lithuania when you took a 1400's.

Spanish Karaites

When you took a 10th & Eleventh Centuries, Karaite Jews within Spain had become "a force to be reckoned with." Within Castile, High superior Rabbinical Jews like Joseph Ferrizuel persuaded its King to allow persecution of Karaite Jews. It became green when you took the 11th century for even even a Karaite to exist as flogged to dying in case he or she did non abandon his or her beliefs. Using Royal Assistance, Rabbi Todros Halevi & Joseph ibn Alfakhar with success drove out a living Karaite people.

The Karaites today
Look at too List of Karaite Jews

Inside Israel, the Karaite Jewish leadership is directed by a class action known as "Universal Karaite Judaism". Virtually all of the members of its Board of Hakhams come of Egyptian Jewish descent.

There are just about 2,000 Karaites sleep in the United States. Virtually all survive touching a lone Karaite temple in the United States, which is located in Daly City, California.

In the central America, smart shoppers might locate Karaites-United states Organization http://karaites-usa.org and Beth EdatYah Karaite Congregation [http://karaites-beth-shalom.org]]

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 חיזוק אמונה (Faith Strengthened) (a translation of which can be found at http://faithstrengthened.org/), a comprehensive Counter-Missionary polemic which was later translated into Latin under the name of 'The Fiery Darts of Satan'. 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.