Research on the way of life of Orthodox Jews is an interesting undertaking. This is due to the richness of the content that is available regarding the rules and regulations that Orthodox Jews follow in their daily lives. The cultural aspects of Jewish orthodoxy are as varied as they are vast.
Jewish orthodoxy refers to a class or a category of Jews who have refused to let the rigors of modern life interfere with their time-tested religious beliefs. They have a strong conviction that the Torah or the law that is believed to have been given to Moses by God is the ultimate guide to life. It is therefore not supposed to be altered in any way by any person and for any reason. They have elected to defend this choice in terms of their beliefs and general way of life by coming up with societal systems that protect the law and punish anyone who makes an attempt to introduce new ways that conflict with the original contents.
The first consideration that comes up when carrying out research on the cultural aspects of orthodox Jews is their place of origin. The United States is home to a substantial number of Jews. Israel as a nation is also as is predominantly Jewish. The European lands, especially Eastern Europe was home to a huge number of Jews before the First World War. This however changed when the region became hostile to Jews and began persecuting them. These persecutions led to mass migrations to the United States as well as other safer parts of the European countries resulting in a significant reduction in the number of Jewish populations in Eastern Europe.
It is important to note that the persecutions of Jews also took place in the United States alongside those of African Americans, leading to a huge Jewish effort being directed towards the fight for civil liberties, an initiative that was spearheaded by African Americans. The rise of prominent Jewish businesspersons who had and still have influence led to a level of respect and appreciation of Jews.
In all the areas mentioned in the preceding paragraph, Orthodoxy in the Jewish way of life is present. The degree of orthodoxy and the numbers of the orthodox populations differ from place to place. Areas where the way of life is busy, fast-paced, and interactions are more have witnessed the reduction in the strictness of the way of life among orthodox Jews. In contrast, places with serene environments have enabled the orthodox Jewish populations to cling to their customs and ward off influence from the other populations. Areas with more Jews have more solidarity and the intra ethnic interactions have promoted the strength of orthodoxy.
This, therefore, means that places with more Jewish populations have more orthodox Jews than places with few Jews. This may not be true for all cases because, in large countries such as the United States, the Jewish population may be high but highly scattered and therefore less orthodox.
Which area has more orthodox Jews?
The nation of Israel, which is the home of Jews is arguable the home to most orthodox Jews. The Jews who moved to Israel after the creation of the nation are those who had the urge to preserve their way of life. They clearly understood that the best way to ensure that what they inherited from their forefathers was properly preserved for future generations was through going back to their homeland where outside influence on their way of life would be easily controlled. Thus most of these Jews were orthodox Jews. It is thus not surprising if it is actually verified that Israel as a nation has the highest number of orthodox Jews in the world. What do orthodox Jews believe in?
A careful research on orthodox Jews reveals that they believe in proper observation of the Jewish Sabbath. This is the day when they remember their days in slavery in Egypt and the salvation that God, whom they fondly refer to as Yahweh, delivered them. During the Jewish Sabbath, orthodox Jews are strict on the kind of meals to be beaten as well as the kind of work to be done. Deviation from the laid down rules leads to a state of uncleanliness which takes another process to do away with. Other divisions of Jews such as conservatists and reformists also recognize and celebrate the Sabbath. The difference is in the degree of strictness in the observance of the rules that guide the celebration or observation of the day.
Besides the above, Orthodox Jews have maintained the patriarchal nature of the rabbinic doctrines. In traditional Jewish life, only men had the authority to become rabbis or teachers of the law. Not even a single woman was allowed to become a teacher of the law. This is in line with the Biblical stories that are full of male leaders for the Jewish people. From the time the Israelites were delivered from the chains of slavery in Egypt to the time they arrived in the Promised Land and established their settlement, all the leaders both in administration and religion were men.
The earlier Jewish history also points to an androgenic religious past whereby very few women such as Deborah had the chance to exercise any form of leadership. This is the type of religious structure that the modern-day orthodoxy in Jews embodies. No women are permitted to become rabbis. A comparison with other divisions of the Jewish groups discloses that reformists and conservatists have become more open and can now ordain female rabbis.
What does the research say about orthodoxy Jewish culture and modern issues such as same-sex marriages in relation to religion? Like in all the other religious groups, Jews have had to grapple with the issue of same-sex marriages as it relates to the practice of religion in general and church leadership in particular. The pressure has gone up to a level whereby the other groups of Jews have opened their doors to gays to serve as rabbis. But has this happened among orthodox Jews?
This is an aspect that has not been accepted among orthodox Jews. They are not convinced that gay men should serve as rabbis in the church. They do not even think that anyone should be gay in the first place. This does not however mean that there are no gay people in the orthodox Jewish congregations. The point is that sometimes due to pressure. It is possible that these people move into the other more accommodative divisions once they realize that they have habits that are not so welcome among orthodox Jews.
Another aspect that stands out in research on orthodox Jews is the fact that they believe that the ultimate law that should guide them as a people is the torah. This is the law that was given to Moses after the Jews or Israelites arrived in the Promised Land; Canaan. The point of reception for these laws is Mount Sinai, a belief the Jews hold to be unquestionably true. They strongly believe that the Torah should guide their businesses, their marriages, their worship, and their interactions with other people. Obedience to other laws that are not part of the Torah is not something they think is necessary.
The fact that these guidelines that are in the Torah have not caused conflicts with any established law is a testimony that the Torah is actually a good social code. This is a practical assumption that is based on the fact that the orthodox Jews have lived amongst other people and managed to coexist peacefully despite the fact that these orthodox Jews have obeyed nothing other than the torah.
There are other issues that arise as one carries out research on the culture of orthodox Jews. These issues include the preservation of racial purity and the element of compassion. On racial purity, Orthodox Jews are generally assumed to be in support of the stand that Jews should not marry non Jews. The argument is that the number of Jews is too small and therefore intermarriages with other groups will intimately dilute and wipe out the race. This is a principle that has been kept by all orthodox Jews wherever they have lived whether it is Eastern Europe or the United States. But the other Jewish groups do not mind the issue of intermarriages.
They cite the affair between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, a black woman from Ethiopia who had a son with the king, a phenomenon that is believed to have led to the presence of African Jews. Regarding compassion, the Orthodox Jews are careful with the upbringing of their children; with a clear obligation to remind them that they have a reason to be compassionate to everyone since God, in all His mercy delivered them from slavery or captivity. The manifestation of this compassion is supposed to be contribution to charity and treating other people as they would like to be treated.
In conclusion, it is evident that research on the culture of orthodox Jews is an interesting one. The orthodox Jews are strict keepers of the Jewish law, and they believe that it is the only law that should guide their lives. They do not ordain female or gay rabbis and are not for intermarriages with other ethnic groups. They also show a high degree of compassion to other people since they believe that it is a way of being thankful to God for getting then out of slavery. It is also clear that orthodox Jews are more in places with more Jewish populations.