Karaite Judaism Totally Explained

Everything about Karaites totally explained

Karaite Judaism or Karaism (; ) is a Jewish movement characterized by the sole reliance on the Tanakh as scripture, and the rejection of the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmud) as halakha (Legally Binding, for example, required religious practice). This name was chosen by the adherents of Karaite Judaism to distinguish themselves from Rabbinic Judaism. They originated in Baghdad, in present day Iraq.
When interpreting scripture, Karaites strive to adhere only to the plain meaning (p'shat) of the text. This is in contrast to Rabbinical Judaism, which employs the methods of p'shat, remez (implication or clue), drash ("deep interpretation," based on breaking down individual words, for example, breaking down "be'ra'shit" to "beit" "ra'shit" which means two startings of) and sod ("secret," the deeper meaning of the text, drawing on the Kabbalah). In modern times Karaite Judaism has formed its own independent Jewish organization, and isn't a member of any Rabbinic organization.
At one time Karaites were a significant portion of the Jewish population. However, today, there are an estimated 2,000 Karaites in the USA, about 100 families in Istanbul, and about 12,000 in Israel, most of them living in Ramleh, Ashdod and Beer-Sheva. Other estimates of the size of the modern Karaite movement are as much as double or triple these numbers, estimating as many as 30,000 or more worldwide, with 20,000-25,000 of them living in Israel.

Karaite beliefs

Karaites believe they follow the original form of Judaism as prescribed by God in the Torah. Karaite Judaism rejects later additions to the Tanakh such as the Rabbinic Oral Law and places the ultimate responsibility of interpreting the Bible on each individual. Karaism doesn't reject Biblical interpretation but rather holds every interpretation up to the same objective scrutiny regardless of its source. The Karaites believe in an eternal, one, and incorporeal God, Creator of Universe, who gave the Tanakh to humankind, through Moses and the Prophets. Karaites trust in the Divine providence and hope for the coming of the Moshiach.

Karaites and the Mishnah

Karaites don't accept the Mishnah because:

The Mishnah quotes many different opinions from one another.
The Mishnah doesn't go on to say in which opinion the truth lies. Rather the Mishnah sometimes agreeing with neither one nor the other, contradicting both.
They argue that the truth of the oral law given to Moses could only be in one opinion, not many opinions.
They question why the Mishnah doesn't solely speak in the name of Moses. The Oral Law isn't mentioned even once in the entire Tanach (Hebrew Bible).

5 When God told Moses to come up to Mount Sinai to receive the tablets He said: "Come up to me into the mountain, and be there: and I'll give thee tablets of stone, and a law, and commandments which I've written;" (Ex 24,12). No mention is made of an Oral Law.
6 The Tanach reports that the written Torah was both lost and completely forgotten for over 50 years and only rediscovered by the Temple priests (2Ki 22,8; 2Chr 34,15). It is inconceivable that an Oral Law could have been remembered when even the written Law was forgotten.
7 The words of the Mishnah and Talmud are clearly the words of men living in the 2nd-5th centuries CE and absent are the familiar Biblical formulae "And the Lord spoke unto Moses saying," and "Thus saith the Lord".

Karaite interpretations of the Torah

Theoretically, most historical Karaites wouldn't object to the idea of a body of interpretation of the Torah, along with extensions and development of halakha. In fact, several hundred such books have been written by various Karaite sages throughout the movement's history, though most are lost today. 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 contradicts the simple meaning of the Torah.
For those Karaites who don't have such an "inheritance" or "tradition," they tend to rely heavily upon just the Torah 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

, a revival group started by Nehemia Gordon and Meir Rekhavi in the early 90's. Another may be the fact that Karaite communities are so small and generally isolated that their 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.

Rabbinic opinions

Rabbinic Judaism's scholars, such as Maimonides, write that people who deny the Godly source of the Oral Torah are to be considered among the heretics. However, at the same time Maimonides holds (Hilchot Mamrim 3:3) that most of the Karaites and others who claim to deny the "teaching of the mouth" are not to be held accountable for their errors in the law because they're led into error by their parents and are thus referred to as a tinok shenishba, or a captive baby.
Rabbinic scholars have traditionally held that, because the Karaites don't observe the rabbinic law on divorce, there's a strong presumption that they're mamzerim (adulterine bastards), so that marriage with them is forbidden even if they return to Rabbinic Judaism. Some recent scholars have held that Karaites should be regarded as Gentiles in all respects, though this isn't universally accepted. They hasten to add that this opinion isn't intended to insult the Karaites, but only to give individual Karaites the option of integrating into mainstream Judaism by way of conversion.
In response to the position taken by the Karaites in regards to the authority of the Talmud, Orthodox Judaism counters by pointing to the innumerable examples of biblical commandments which are either too ambiguous or documented in such a concise fashion that proper adherence is absolutely impossible without the details provided by the oral tradition.

Tefillin: As indicated in Deuteronomy 6:8 among other places, tefillin are to be placed on the arm and on the head between the eyes. However, there are no details provided regarding what tefillin are or how they're to be constructed.

Kosher laws: As indicated in Exodus 23:19 among other places, a kid may not be boiled in its mother's milk. In addition to numerous other problems with understanding the ambiguous nature of this law, there are no vowelization characters in the Torah; they're provided by the oral tradition. This is particularly relevant to this law, as the Hebrew word for milk is identical to the word for fat when vowels are absent. Without the oral tradition, it isn't known whether the violation is in mixing meat with milk or with fat.

Shabbos laws: With the severity of Sabbath violation, namely the death penalty, one would assume that direction would be provided as to how exactly such a serious and core commandment should be upheld. However, there's little to no information as to what can and can't be performed on the Sabbath. Without the oral tradition, keeping this law would be impossible. However, all of the above examples are pure modern orthodox rabbinic polemics. If an individual doesn't accept the oral tradition as given by God, as only the rabbinic orthodox tradition does, then they can't perform commandments prescribed by it as if they were divine commandments, or 'halacha.' The rabbinic interpretation, as codified in oral law is only one form of interpretation as far as Karaites are concerned.

The calendar

Karaites rely on observations of the Moon to begin their months, and on observations of barley (called the Aviv) to begin their years, as deduced from statements in the Torah (Aviv is both a marker for the first season of the Biblical Hebrew calendar, and the next-to-last stage in the growth of barley, which occurred during the plague of hail shortly before the first Passover). Before quick worldwide communication was available, Karaites in the Diaspora used the calendar of Hillel II, as the Rabbis did.

The Shabbat

As with other Jews, during the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat), Karaites attend synagogues to worship and to offer prayers. However, most Karaites refrain from sexual relations on that day. Their prayer books are composed almost completely of biblical passages. Karaites often practice full prostration during prayers, while most other Jews only pray in this fashion on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Unlike Rabbinic Jews, Karaites don't practice the ritual of lighting candles before Shabbat (lest one unintentionally violate the Shabbat, as kindling a fire is a prohibition on Shabbat). This ritual may also have been instituted as anti-Karaite Rabbinic 'halachah' in the Middle Ages. [Ref:Jewish Book of Why V.1] The written Torah doesn't contain the commandment, as the rabbis have decreed, to light Shabbat candles. Additionally, Karaites interpret the biblical prohibition against kindling a fire on the Shabbat as prohibiting a fire from continuing to burn that was lit prior to the Shabbat. Historically Karaites refrained from utilizing or deriving benefit from light until the Sabbath ends, but modernly Karaites use fluorescent light power hooked up to a battery which is turned on prior to Shabbat. Many observant Karaites either unplug their refrigerators on shabbat or turn off the circuit breakers. Purchasing electricity that's charged on an incremental basis during the Shabbat is viewed as a commercial transaction that the TaNaKh prohibits. Theoretically these practices are not universal, since different readings of the scriptural Sabbath prohibitions could yield a variety of points of view.

Tzitzit

Karaites wear tzitzit with blue threads in them. In contrast to Rabbinic Judaism, they believe that the techelet (the "blue"), doesn't 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 can be quite different from that of Rabbanite tzitzit. Contrary to some claims, Karaites don't hang tzitzit on their walls. which recognized Judaism as a fellow monotheistic faith, but claimed that it detracted from this monotheism by deferring to rabbinical authority.
In the 9th century CE Anan ben David and his followers absorbed sects such the Isawites (followers of Abu Isa al-Isfahani), Yudghanites and the remnants of the pre-talmudic Sadducees and Boethusians. Anan led a polemic with the rabbinical establishment and later non-Ananist sects emerged, like the Ukbarites.
The dispute between rabbi Gaon Saadiah and the Karaites helped to consolidate the split between them.

Karaites, Sadducees, and Philo

Abraham Geiger posited a connection between the Karaites and the Sadducees based on comparison between Karaite and Sadducee halakha. However Dr. Bernard Revel in his dissertation on "Karaite Halacha" rejects many of Geiger's proofs. Dr. Revel also points to the many correlations between Karaite halakha and theology and the interpretations of the Alexandrian philosopher Philo. He also points to the writings of a 10th century Karaite who brings down the writings of Philo showing that the Karaites made use of Philo's writings in the development of their movement.

The Golden Age of Karaism

The "Golden Age of Karaism" was between 10th-11th centuries CE in which a large number of Karaitic works were produced in the central and eastern parts of the Muslim world. Karaite Jews were able to obtain autonomy from Rabbinical Judaism in the Muslim world and establish their own institutions, and even forced the yeshivas to move to Ramle. Karaites in the Muslim world also obtained high social positions such as tax collectors, doctors, and clerks, and even received special positions in the Egyptian courts. Karaite scholars were among the most conspicuous practitioners in the philosophical school known as Jewish Kalam.
According to historian Salo Wittmayer Baron, at one time the number of Jews affiliating with Karaism comprised as much as 10 percent of world Jewry, and debates between Rabbinic and Karaitic leaders were not uncommon.
Most notable among the opposition to Karaitic thought and practice at this time are the writings of Rabbi Saadia Gaon (himself a practitioner of Jewish Kalam thought), which eventually led to a permanent split between some 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. Avraham Firkovich helped establish these ideas by referring to the tombstones in Crimea which bear inscriptions stating that those buried were descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Other deflections included claiming to be among those Jews with a Khazar origin, or claiming that Karaites were otherwise not strictly Jewish descended. These actions were intended to convince the Russian Czar that Karaite ancestors couldn't have killed Jesus; that thus their descendants were free of familial guilt (which was an underlying reason or pretext given at that time for anti-Semitic laws). In 1897, the Russian census counted 12,894 Karaites in the Russian Empire.

Crimean and Lithuanian Karaites

The Karaim (Turkish Qaraylar) are a distinctive Karaite community from the Crimea. Their Turkic language is called Karaim. According to a Karaite tradition several hundred Crimean Karaites were invited to Lithuania by Grand Duke Vytautas to settle in Trakai ca. 1397. A small community remains there to this day, which has preserved its language and distinctive customs, such as its traditional dish called "kibinai", a sort of meat pastry, and its houses with three windows, one for God, one for the family, and one for Grand Duke Vytautas. This community has access to two Kenessas.

Spanish Karaites

During the 10th and 11th Centuries, Karaite Jews in Spain had become "a force to be reckoned with." In Castile, high-ranking Rabbinical Jews such as Joseph Ferrizuel persuaded the king to allow the persecution and expulsion of Karaite Jews. With royal assistance, Rabbi Todros Halevi and Joseph ibn Alfakhar successfully drove out a large portion of the surviving Karaite population.

The Karaites today

See also List of Karaite Jews In the early 1950s, the Israeli Chief Rabbinate originally objected to the arrival of Karaite Jewish immigrants in the country and unsuccessfully tried to obstruct it. Moshe Marzouk, one of the Egyptian Jews executed in 1954 for planting bombs at Cairo in the service of Israeli Military Intelligence (the Lavon Affair) was a Karaite. Branded a terrorist by the Egyptians, in Israel he was considered a hero and martyr; however, his Karaite identity was downplayed in official publications, which usually just described him as "an Egyptian Jew". 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 Bnei Yisra'el, the only Karaite synagogue in the United States, located in Daly City, California. In the central USA, one will find Karaites-USA Organization

.
On 1 August 2007, the Karaites reportedly converted their first new members in 500 years. At a ceremony in their Northern California synagogue, ten adults and four minors "swore fealty" to Karaite Judaism after completing a year of study. This conversion comes 15 years after the Karaite Council of Sages reversed its centuries-old ban on accepting converts.
There are groups with legal recognition in Lithuania as well as in Poland There are about 80 Karaites living in Istanbul, Turkey. The only synagogue in Turkey, the Kahal haKadosh be Sukra bene Mikra is still functional in the Hasköy neighbourhood in the European part of the city. The community also gave its name to another part of the city: Karaköy ("Village of the Karaites" in Turkish), which proves the existence of an important community at one time.

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 Isaac Troki's Ḥizzuḳ Emunah (חיזוק אמונה) (Faith Strengthened), a comprehensive Counter-Missionary polemic which was later translated into Latin by Wagenseil as part of a larger collection of Jewish anti-Christian polemics entitled Tela Ignea Satanæ, sive Arcani et Horribiles Judæorum Adversus Christum, Deum, et Christianam Religionem Libri (Altdorf, 1681) (translation: 'The Fiery Darts of Satan, or the Arcane and Horrible Books of the Jews Against Christ, God, and the Christian Religion'). 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.

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