Reconstructionist Judaism

This leads to a somewhat more traditional set of observances than seen in Reform Judaism . a positive attitude toward modern culture . the belief that traditional rabbinic modes of study, as well as modern scholarship and critical text study, are both valid ways to learn about and from Jewish religious texts. a non-fundamentalist method of teaching about Jewish principles of faith , along with the belief that no Jew needs to accept all, or any, principles of faith. the rejection of the belief that the Jews are a chosen people , as well as the rejection of all miracles and theism .

The movement views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. It originated as a branch of Conservative Judaism before it splintered. The movement developed from the late 1920s to 1940s, and it established a rabbinical college in 1968. There is substantial theological diversity within the movement. Halakha is not considered binding, but is treated as a valuable cultural remnant that should be upheld unless there is reason for the contrary. The movement emphasizes positive views towards modernism , and has an approach to Jewish custom which aims toward communal decision making through a process of education and distillation of values from traditional Jewish sources.

The movement views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization . It originated as a branch of Conservative Judaism , before it splintered. The movement developed from the late 1920s to 1940s, and it established a rabbinical college in 1968. There is substantial theological diversity within the movement. Halakha , the collective body of Jewish laws, customs and traditions, is not considered binding, but is treated as a valuable cultural remnant that should be upheld unless there is reason for the contrary. The movement emphasizes positive views toward modernism , and has an approach to Jewish custom which aims toward communal decision making through a process of education and distillation of values from traditional Jewish sources.

Denomination of Judaism Reconstructing Judaism 's organizational headquarters, Wyncote, Pennsylvania . Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern Jewish movement that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization and is based on the conceptions developed by Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983). The movement originated as a semi-organized stream within Conservative Judaism and developed from the late 1920s to 1940s, before it seceded in 1955 and established a rabbinical college in 1967. (The central organization of the movement renamed itself to Reconstructing Judaism in 2018, but the ideology's name remains unchanged. ) There is substantial theological diversity within the movement. Halakha , the collective body of Jewish law, is not considered as normative and binding, as it was in pre-modern Jewish communities that legislated for their members, but as the basis for the ongoing evolution of meaningful Jewish practice. In contrast with the Reform movement's stance during the time he was writing, Kaplan believed that "Jewish life [is] meaningless without Jewish law", and one of the planks he wrote for The proto-Reconstructionist Society for the Jewish Renascence stated: "We accept the halakha, which is rooted in the Talmud, as the norm of Jewish life, availing ourselves, at the same time, of the method implicit therein to interpret and develop the body of Jewish Law in accordance with the actual conditions and spiritual needs of modern life." The movement also emphasizes positive views toward modernity , and has an approach to Jewish custom which aims toward communal decision-making through a process of education and distillation of values from traditional Jewish sources. The movement's 2011 A Guide to Jewish Practice describes a Reconstructionist approach to Jewish practice as "post- halakhic because we live in a post- halakhic world — a world where Jewish law cannot be enforced. Obligation and spiritual discipline exist without the enforcement of a functioning legal system. Thus we take halakha seriously as a source and resource that can shape expectations while not necessarily seeing ourselves as bound by inherited claims of obligation. Therefore the practices advocated in this Guide are not monolithic, and the voices of a lively group of commentators provide further insights, arguments and alternative approaches that span the broad range of views advocated by Reconstructionist rabbis and scholars. The Guide assumes that thoughtful individuals and committed communities can handle diversity and will of necessity reach their own conclusions." There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ). Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society. pp. i– viii. (To be clear, we have renamed the central organization of the Reconstructionist movement, but not the movement as a whole.) Cedarbaum, Daniel (6 May 2016). Guide to Jewish Practice .

Denomination of Judaism Reconstructing Judaism's organizational headquarters in Wyncote, Pennsylvania Torah reading at the Reconstructionist synagogue, Montreal Reconstructionist Judaism is a Jewish movement based on the concepts developed by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983) that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization rather than just a religion. The movement originated as a semi-organized stream within Conservative Judaism , developed between the late 1920s and the 1940s before seceding in 1955, and established a rabbinical college in 1967. Reconstructionist Judaism is recognized by many scholars as one of the four major streams of Judaism in America alongside Orthodox , Conservative , and Reform . There is substantial theological diversity within the movement. Halakha (Jewish law) is not considered normative and binding but is instead seen as the basis for the ongoing evolution of meaningful Jewish practice. In contrast with the Reform movement's stance during the time he was writing, Kaplan believed that "Jewish life [is] meaningless without Jewish law" and one of the planks he wrote for the proto-Reconstructionist Society for the Jewish Renaissance stated, "We accept the halakha , which is rooted in the Talmud , as the norm of Jewish life, availing ourselves, at the same time, of the method implicit therein to interpret and develop the body of Jewish Law by the actual conditions and spiritual needs of modern life." The movement also emphasizes positive views toward modernity and has an approach to Jewish customs that aims toward communal decision-making through a process of education and distillation of values from traditional Jewish sources. The movement's 2011 A Guide to Jewish Practice describes a Reconstructionist approach to Jewish practice as "post- halakhic " because the modern world is one in which Jewish law cannot be enforced. Obligation and spiritual discipline exist without the enforcement of a functioning legal system. Thus, Reconstructionist Jews take Jewish law seriously as a source and resource that can shape expectations while not necessarily seeing themselves as bound by inherited claims of obligation. Therefore, the practices in the guide are not monolithic, and commentators provide further insights, arguments, and alternative approaches that span the broad range of views that Reconstructionist rabbis and scholars advocate. The guide states that it "assumes that thoughtful individuals and committed communities can handle diversity and will of necessity reach their own conclusions". There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ). Jewish Virtual Library: A Project of AICE . The Encyclopedia of Jewish Women . In Thomas Riggs (ed.). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices . Guide to Jewish Practice .