Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Pawel <pawel AT kul.stalwol.pl>]

Dear Yigal,

Thank you for your explanation. I can understand that the Jews 
in question call their own wing of Judaism "Torah-Judaism". In a 
similar way may churches take the name of "Christian Church", or
"Christ's Church" etc., though the additions "Christian" and 
"Christ's" are thoroughly redundant. As much as a church is a 
church, it must be Christian and Christ's. In the same the 
addition "Torah" is redundant, as there is no other Judaism but
"Torah-Judaism". As it is not an official name of an organization,
using it we suggest that all other wings of judaism are not 
"Torah-Judaism", so they are not true.



> , I think that I can help clarify Shoshanna's
> use of the term "Torah Judaism". This is a fairly recent (20 years or so)
> self designation of a certain "wing" of Orthodox Judaism. Many "orthodox"
> Jews are unhappy with the title "orthodox", since it mainy defines what
> they are not: not Reform, not Conservative, not Reconstructionist etc.
> Since most "orthodox" see themselves as the only "true" Judaism, and that
> Judaism is not primarily a cultural society, an ethnicity, a tradition or
> anything but full acceptance of the Torah ( in the wider sense of the word
> - God's laws and the entire tradition attached to them) as not just
> doctrine but as a way of life - hence "Torah Judaism".

Regards -

-- 
Pawel Sajdek
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