NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Karaite

Karaite For a discussion of The word Jew ( Hebrew (עברית [‘Ivrit]) Spoken in: Israel Region: Israel and other countries Total speakers: Over 6 million (as all Israeli Jewish citizens as well as its Arabs speak it) Ranking: not in top 100 Genetic classification: Afro-Asiatic ... Judaism is a Main article: Jew Jewish religion Etymology of Jew · Who is a Jew? Jewish leadership · Jewish culture Jewish ethnic divisions Ashkenazi (German and E. Europe) Mizrahi (Arab and Oriental) Sephardi (Iberian) Temani (Yemenite) · Beta Israel Jewish populations Israel · United States · Russia/USSR Germany · France ... Jewish denomination characterized by reliance on the 11th century Targum Tanakh [תנ״ך] (also spelt Tanach or Tenach) is an acronym for the three parts of the Hebrew Bible, based upon the initial Hebrew letters of each part: Torah [תורה] (The Law; also: Teaching or Instruction), Chumash [חומש] (The... Tanakh as the sole Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. Often believing that their sacred texts (or scriptures) are wholly divine or partially inspired in origin, the faithful use titles like Word of God to denote the holy writings... scripture, and rejection of the An oral law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or other regroupement, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, or the single rule that is verbally transmitted. Many cultures do have an oral law... Oral Law (the The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, Repetition) is a major source of rabbinic Judaisms religious texts. It is the first recording of the oral law of the Jewish people, as championed by the Pharisees. It was redacted by Judah haNasi around the year 200 CE. It is considered... Mishnah and the The first page of the Talmud, in the standard Vilna edition. The core text of the Mishna and Talmud is in the center; commentaries and notes on either side surround it. The Talmud (התלמוד) is considered an authoritative record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law... Talmuds) as Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. The name Halakha derives from the Hebrew הלכ, halach meaning going or the [correct] way; thus a literal translation does not yield... halakha (Legally Binding, i.e. required religious practice). The word "Karaite" comes from the Hebrew word קְרָאִים ( Hebrew (עברית [‘Ivrit]) Spoken in: Israel Region: Israel and other countries Total speakers: Over 6 million (as all Israeli Jewish citizens as well as its Arabs speak it) Ranking: not in top 100 Genetic classification: Afro-Asiatic Semitic Central ... Standard Hebrew Qəraʾim; Tiberian Hebrew is an oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient forms of Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Bible, that was given written form by masoretic scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias in the early middle ages, beginning in the 8th century. This written form employed symbols added to... Tiberian Hebrew Qərāʾîm), meaning "Readers (of Scripture)". This name was chosen by the adherents of Karaite Judaism to distinguish themselves from the adherents of For a discussion of Jews as an ethnicity or ethnic group see the article on Jew. Judaism is the religion and culture of the Jewish people and one of the earliest recorded monotheistic faiths. The tenets and history of Judaism constitute historical foundations of many other religions, including Christianity and... Rabbinic Judaism.

The adherents of Karaite For a discussion of The word Jew ( Hebrew (עברית [‘Ivrit]) Spoken in: Israel Region: Israel and other countries Total speakers: Over 6 million (as all Israeli Jewish citizens as well as its Arabs speak it) Ranking: not in top 100 Genetic classification: Afro-Asiatic ... Judaism rely on the 11th century Targum Tanakh [תנ״ך] (also spelt Tanach or Tenach) is an acronym for the three parts of the Hebrew Bible, based upon the initial Hebrew letters of each part: Torah [תורה] (The Law; also: Teaching or Instruction), Chumash [חומש] (The... Tanakh as the sole Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. Often believing that their sacred texts (or scriptures) are wholly divine or partially inspired in origin, the faithful use titles like Word of God to denote the holy writings... scripture. When interpreting scripture Karaites strive to adhere to the p'shat (plain meaning) of the text. This is in contrast to Rabbinical Judiasm, which employs the methods of p'shat, remez, drash, and sod. There are approximately 50,000 adherents to Karaite Judaism, most of whom reside in Israel. Karaite Judaism is in a period of growth and renewal in the USA. However, exact numbers are not known, as most Karaites have not participated in any religious censuses.

Karaite beliefs

Karaites and the Rabbinic An oral law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or other regroupement, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, or the single rule that is verbally transmitted. Many cultures do have an oral law... Oral law

Karaites do not accept the Rabbinic An oral law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or other regroupement, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, or the single rule that is verbally transmitted. Many cultures do have an oral law... Oral Law as Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. The name Halakha derives from the Hebrew הלכ, halach meaning going or the [correct] way; thus a literal translation does not yield... halakha because:

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. 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 which are in contradiction with those expressed in the Torah. This is seen especially by the fact that the Karaites also have their own traditions which 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 is found to be in disagreement with the Bible.

An example of Full Prostration as shown in the American Karaite Siddur File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. Click on date to download the file or see the image uploaded on that date. (del) (cur) 01...

An example of full prostration as shown in the American Karaite Siddur

For those Karaites who do not have such an "inheritance" or "tradition," they tend to rely heavily upon the Tanakh 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 World Karaite Movement (http://www.karaite-korner.org/), a revival group started by Nehemia Gordon and Meir Rekhavi in the early 90's. Another may be the fact that Karaite communities are small and generally isolated that its 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 rely on observations of the For other moons in the solar system see natural satellite. For other uses see Moon (disambiguation). Moon The Moon as seen from Earth Orbital characteristics Semi-major axis 384,400 km (0.0026 AU) Orbital circumference 2,413,402 km (0.016 AU) Eccentricity 0.0554 Perigee 363,104 km... Moon to begin their In Egyptian mythology, Month is an alternate spelling for Menthu. The month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon (i.e. Moonth). The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such... months, and on observations of Barley Barley field Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Genus: Hordeum Species Hordeum arizonicum Hordeum brachyantherum Hordeum bulbosum Hordeum californica Hordeum depressum Hordeum intercedens Hordeum jubatum Hordeum marinum Hordeum murinum Hordeum pusillum Hordeum secalinum Hordeum spontaneum Hordeum vulgare References ITIS 40865 (http://www... barley (called the Aviv) to begin their A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the For other meanings of the term orbit, see orbit (disambiguation) In physics, an orbit is the path that an object makes, around another object, whilst under the influence of a source of centripetal force, such as... years, as deduced from statements in the Books of the Torah Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Books_of_Torah&action=edit) Torah, (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or especially Law. It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh–... Torah ( This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. Abib, also spelled Aviv, has three meanings: The stage in the growth of grain when the seeds have reached full size and are filling with starch, but have not dried yet. During the plague of hail (Exodus... Aviv is both marker for the first month of the Biblical Hebrew calendar, and the next-to-last stage in the growth of barley, which it was in during the plague of hail shortly before the first Passover (Pesach) Holiday of: Judaism and Jews Name: Hebrew: פסח Translation: Pass/skip-over Begins: 15th day of Nisan Ends: 22nd (in Israel 21st) day of Nisan Occasion: One of the Three Pilgrim Festivals. Celebrating the Exodus and freedom from slavery of the Children of Israel from ancient... Passover). Before quick worldwide communication was available, Karaites in the This article is about dispersion of peoples. For the novel by Greg Egan, see Diaspora (novel). The term diaspora (Greek διασπορά, a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to... Diaspora used a variety of methods to determine the calendar, including observation and calculation, along with reports from Jerusalem.

The Sabbath

As with other Jews, during the Jewish Sabbath Karaites attend synagogues to worship and to offer prayers. However, most Karaites refrain from sexual relations on the day. Their prayerbooks are comprised almost completely of biblical passages. Karaites often practice full prostration during prayers, which is practiced by most Jews only on Rosh Hashanah Holiday of: Judaism and Jews Name: Hebrew: ראש השנה Translation: Head [of] the year Begins: 1st day of Tishrei Ends: 2nd day of Tishrei Occasion: Jewish new year according to the Hebrew calendar. Commemorates both the Creation of Genesis and the birth and... Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur Holiday of: Judaism and Jews Name: Hebrew: יום כפור or יום הכיפורים Translation: Day [of the] Atonement Begins: 10th day of Tishrei Ends: 10th day of Tishrei Occasion: Judgment day for individuals and all... Yom Kippur.

Tzitzit

A karaite Tzitzit with blue threads

Karaites wear Tzitzit (Ashkenazi pronunciation: tzitzis) are fringes or tassles (Hebrew: ציצת (Biblical), ציצית (Mishnaic)) found on a tallit worn by observant Jews as part of practicing Judaism. In Orthodox Judaism it is only males who wear them. Contents // 1 Origin and practice 2 Threads... tzitzit with blue threads in them. In contrast to Rabbinic Judaism, they believe that the Tzitzit (Ashkenazi pronunciation: tzitzis) are fringes or tassles (Hebrew: ציצת (Biblical), ציצית (Mishnaic)) found on a tallit worn by observant Jews as part of practicing Judaism. In Orthodox Judaism it is only males who wear them. Contents // 1 Origin and practice 2 Threads... 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 is quite different from that of Rabbanite tzitzit. Contrary to some myths, Karaites do not hang tzitzit on their walls.

Tefillin

Contrary to the beliefs of some, Karaites do not wear Tefillin, also called phylacteries, are leather objects used in Jewish prayer, containing Biblical verses. They are an essential part of morning prayer services, and are worn on a daily basis (except the Sabbath and festivals) by many Jews. photos (http://easyrashi.com/TEFILLIN/pics.htm) The origin of wearing... 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."

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. Therefore, they do not put up In Judaism, a mezuzah (plural: mezuzot) is the scroll inside a case with the Hebrew letter ש character inscribed, rightside up on the upper-exterior of the case. The term is often applied to the case in which the scroll is mounted, as well as the scriptures within. Jewish law... mezuzot, although many Karaites do have a small plaque with the Aseret haDibrot on their doorposts. In Israel, in an effort to make Rabbanites comfortable, many Karaites there also put up mezuzot.

History of Karaism

The Golden Age of Karaism

The "Golden Age of Karaism" was a period of time in which a large number of Karaitic works were produced. The amount of Jews affiliating with Karaism comprised approximately 40% of Jewry, and debates between Rabbinic and Karaitic leaders were not uncommon. Most notable are the writings of Rabbi Saadia Gaon and his attacks on Karaism, which eventually led to a permanent split between 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. Abraham (Avraham) Firkovitch (1786-1874) was a Lithuanian Main article: Main article: Jew Jewish religion Etymology of Jew ÃÂ· Who is a Jew? Jewish leadership ÃÂ· Jewish culture Jewish ethnic divisions Ashkenazi (German and E. Europe) Mizrahi (Arab and Oriental) Sephardi (Iberian) Temani (Yemenite) ÃÂ· Beta Israel Jewish populations Israel... Avraham Firkovitch helped establish these ideas by forging tombstones in Crimea which bear inscriptions stating that those buried were of the "lost tribes" of Israel. Other myths included the invention of the [edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:History_of_Russia&action=edit)] History of Russia Early East Slavs Khazars Kievan Rus Volga Bulgaria Mongol invasion Golden Horde Muscovy Imperial Russia Revolution of 1905 Revolution of 1917 Civil War Soviet Union Russian Federation The Khazars were a Turkic... Khazar origin, or that they were not Jewish, among others. These actions were intended to convince the Russian Czar that they could not have killed Jesus, which was an underlying reason for the anti-semitic laws.

Intermarriages between Karaite and Rabbinic Jews, however, still took place. Russian Karaites relate that because they were prohibited from learning their ancestors' beliefs under communism, many were taught and believed these myths. Because of the above, and a ruling by Orthodox Rabbis intended to save the Karaites, the The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). Black, white, and red were in fact... Nazis of the World War II generally left the Karaites alone during the This article deals with the Nazi Holocaust. For other meanings of the word Holocaust see Holocaust (disambiguation) Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust refers to Nazi Germanys systematic genocide of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II starting in 1941 and continuing through... Holocaust.

Crimean and Lithuanian Karaites

The Karaim (Turkish Qaraylar) are a distinctive Karaite community from the The Crimea (officially Autonomous Republic of Crimea, The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. Ukrainian (українська мова / UkraÃ¯nska Mova) Spoken in: Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia Region: Total speakers: 41... Crimea. Their The Turkic languages are a group of closely related languages that are spoken by a variety of people distributed across a vast area from Eastern Europe is, by convention, that part of This article is about the continent. For alternative meanings, see: Europe (disambiguation) World map showing location of Europe... Turkic language is called The Karaim language is a Turkic language with Hebrew influences, in a similar manner to Yiddish or Ladino. It is spoken by some ethnic Turkic adherents of Karaite Judaism in Lithuania and Ukraine. It has very few remaining active speakers. The Lithuanian dialect of Karaim is spoken mainly in the... Karaim. Some Karaim resettled in Lithuania during the 1400's.

Spanish Karaites

During the 10th and 11th Centuries, Karaite Jews in The Kingdom of Spain or Spain ( Spanish (espa ol or castellano) Spoken in: Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Nicaragua, Chile, USA, Venezuela, Costa Rica , Cuba, Peru, and 34 other countries. Region: Total speakers: 417 million (including second language speakers) Ranking: 2 (first language speakers, may vary based on metric) Genetic classification... Spain had become "a force to be reckoned with." In Castile, High ranking Rabbinical Jews such as Joseph Ferrizuel persuaded its King to allow persecution of Karaite Jews. It became common during the 11th century for a Karaite to be flogged to death if he or she did not abandon his or her beliefs. With Royal Assistance, Rabbi Todros Halevi and Joseph ibn Alfakhar successfully drove out the surviving Karaite population.

A picture of the Karaite synagogue in California File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. Click on date to download the file or see the image uploaded on that date. (del) (cur) 16:08, 15 Oct 2004...

Karaite Synagogue Bnei Yisrael

The Karaites today

See also Yaacov Al-Kirkisani Daniel Al-Kumisi Yefet ben Ali Solomon ben Jeroham Abraham Firkovich Moshe Marzouk Nehemia Gordon Whether or not those below were Karaites is disputed Anan ben David Aaron ben Moses ben Asher Categories: Karaite Judaism | Jews ... List of Karaite Jews

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 2,000 Karaites living in the United States. Most live near the only Karaite synagogue in the United States, which is located in Daly City is a city located in San Mateo County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 103,621. Daly City and a few communities in Los Angeles County, California such as Monterey Park and Rowland Heights are the only majority-Asian... Daly City, California.

Karaite writings

An Israeli stamp honoring the Karaite Jews, edited for size reasons from the picture avaliable at http://www.gp.gov.il/stamp/karaite.jpg This image of a postage stamp may be copyrighted and/or have other restrictions on its reproduction imposed by the issuing authority. The individual who uploaded...

An Israeli Stamp featuring the Karaite Jews.

Karaism has produced a vast library of commentaries and polemics, especially during its "Golden Age." These writings prompted new and complete defenses of the The first page of the Talmud, in the standard Vilna edition. The core text of the Mishna and Talmud is in the center; commentaries and notes on either side surround it. The Talmud (התלמוד) is considered an authoritative record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law... Talmud and The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, Repetition) is a major source of rabbinic Judaisms religious texts. It is the first recording of the oral law of the Jewish people, as championed by the Pharisees. It was redacted by Judah haNasi around the year 200 CE. It is considered... Mishna, the culmination of these in the writings of Saadia Gaon and his criticisms of Karaism. Though he opposed Karaism, the Rabbinic commentator Rabbi Abraham Ben Meir Ibn Ezra (also known as Ibn Ezra, or Abenezra) (1092 or 1093-1167), was one of the most distinguished Jewish men of letters and writers of the Middle Ages. He was born at Toledo, left his native land of Spain before 1140 and led until his... Abraham Ibn Ezra regularly quoted Karaite commentators, particularly Yefet ben Ali lived during the 10th century, a native of Basra in the area of present-day Iraq. He is perhaps the foremost Karaite commenter of the Golden Age of Karaism. His commentaries, which were written in Arabic, covered the entire Tanakh. They were accompanied by a very literal... 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 comprehensive Counter-Missionaries are Jews who defend Judaism against the Christian claims that Jesus is the Messiah, and comprise members from all Jewish sects. Modern Counter-Missionary activity is in direct response to organizations such as Jews for Jesus, which are involved with the Hebrew Christianity movement, and spend over 1... Counter-Missionary polemic which was later translated into For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. It gained great importance as the formal language of the Roman Empire. All Romance languages are descended from Latin, and many words based on Latin are found in other modern languages... Latin under the name of 'The Fiery Darts of Satan'. Many Counter-Missionaries are Jews who defend Judaism against the Christian claims that Jesus is the Messiah, and comprise members from all Jewish sects. Modern Counter-Missionary activity is in direct response to organizations such as Jews for Jesus, which are involved with the Hebrew Christianity movement, and spend over 1... 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.

Karaite beliefs

The Calendar

The Sabbath

Tzitzit

Tefillin

Mezuzot

History of Karaism

The Golden Age of Karaism

Russian Karaites

Crimean and Lithuanian Karaites

Spanish Karaites

The Karaites today

Karaite writings

Further reading

External links

Spanish persecution of Karaites

Karaite beliefs GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

The Calendar

The Sabbath

Tzitzit

Tefillin

Mezuzot

History of Karaism

The Golden Age of Karaism

Russian Karaites

Crimean and Lithuanian Karaites

Spanish Karaites

The Karaites today

Karaite writings

Further reading

External links

Spanish persecution of Karaites

Karaite beliefs