Hear Israel, we will fulfill our obligation to unite the world! No will be to me gods before my face. Remember the day of resting to sanctify it.
Welcome to our יהדות אתית מסורתית Traditional Ethical Judaism community movement!
We are an experimental Jewish chavurah that is focused on living a traditional religious Judaism without a god, and with no halacha police. Our movement’s spiritual and cultural leader is החכם יוסף Chacham Yosef (יוסף פרקשדי Joseph Farkasdi). We are focused as a community upon:
Expressing Jewish ritual in all its diversities (minus the theistic prayer part), teaching the fuller history of our people beyond religious mythologized history, and ensuring a fully expressed Jewish ethno-religious cultural presence into the future. We may be godless, but we definitely have plenty kavanah and ethnic neshamah!
Judaism, in simple terms, is the ethno-religious way of life of the Jewish people. It is both cultural and religious, at the same time. Judaism is a world-wide ethnicity, which Jews have been ever-evolving since the 13th century BCE.
Judaism, as an ethno-religious people, began as a far Ancient Near East (ANE) polytheistic Monarchy Judaism, that coexisted with the Canaanites and the Egyptians. In time, with the introduction of the YHWH god to the Elohim-Asherah pantheon, Judaism evolved into near ANE henotheistic Temple Judaism – a priests and monarch theocracy.
After the fall of occupied Israel to the Roman Empire, subsequent Roman renaming of Israeli lands as Syria Palaestina, and the expulsion of most Jews into every nation around this world, Judaism evolved yet again by the CE Middle Ages into fully monotheistic Prayer Judaisms. Since the European Jewish emancipation and haskalah of the 19th Century, Jews have developed the organized Zionist and/or non-theistic Cultural Judaisms taking root throughout the world today.
Because of this, we can assure you that not all Judaisms are alike, but all Judaisms established by a Jew are authentic! And there are many Judaisms presently in this world to choose from, to embrace and be a community member of, should you choose to do so. For a quick example, consider the following types that are briefly outlined below.
Theistic-oriented prayer Judaism (Judaism with a god), is the most popular form of these Judaisms, and consists of the following:
Rabbinic Judaism (Western and Asian) and its six Ashkenazi “denominations” (Heredi, Orthodox, Masorti/Conservative, Reform, Reconstructing, and Renewal) and Sephardi that are based in the halacha of Talmud;
Cochin, Banu, and Yemeni Judaisms (Far and Middle Eastern) that are Arabic influenced versions based in the halacha of Talmud;
Karaite Judaism (Near East and Europe) that is based in the halacha of Torah alone; and
Haymanot Judaism (African) that is based in the halacha of Torah alone.
Non-theistic cultural Judaism (Judaism without a god) is comprised of the following:
Israeli Secular Judaism (Israel) that is based in national democratic Jewish Law and considers Torah and Talmud to be inherited historic Jewish literatures and treasures; and
American Secular and Humanistic Judaisms (USA, Canada, Israel) that are primarily based in atheistic-emphasing humanistic philosophy with secular liturgies employed for Jewish holidays. Then, there is we – יהדות אתית מסורתית Traditional Ethical Judaism – a traditional non-theistic Blessings Judaism movement (presently USA) that is based in biblical criticism and modernized ethical halacha that is derived from the Torah (and we strive to be the best of both worlds!).
Our traditional ethical Jewish community respects the historical relationship our many communities have had with our national deity. We respect the historical relationship our many communities have with Torah. In both, we strive to remain in dialogue with Jewish tradition, even though we are non-theists. The Torah is our Jewish inheritance, and its myths and laws are still applicable in key significant ways. It is in these ways that define us as Jews in this human world, and Traditional Ethical Judaism strives to continue this wrestling with modernity and with our ancient Jewish literatures.
Therefore, we do apply Torah laws to our present lives, but approach it non-theistically – focusing on its authority within our inherited culture. We strive to make ancient laws applicable to modern Jewish living, where these laws can be maintained. Torah is an ancient document, therefore laws that are unethical/immoral for our day and age or, by reality circumstance, not applicable any longer are simply not observed. But, our approach to Jewish law and community lifestyle is still based firmly in Torah traditions, where the laws that can still be made applicable to our time apply. We respect the traditions of different traditional movements and, for those rituals that add value to our community, we include these, as well, as part of our Jewish lives.
Interested? Explore further!
The Role of Rabbis in Traditional Ethical Judaism
Understanding Torah Prohibition of Melacha
The Role of Talmud in Traditional Ethical Judaism
Torah Teaches That Jews Became A People In Moab (Jordan)!
Who Is A Jew? A Precise Definition!
A Sample of Traditional Ethical Judaism Liturgy
The Philosophy Behind Our Thoughts
(Future pages will be built here to define who we are and what activities we are specifically focused in to express our Jewish views and acts in life.
Check back for more pages.)
How I Approach Secular Jewish Morning Blessings,
Joseph T Farkasdi
Being secular does not mean that one is non-religious. It only means that one questions theism, and the authority of a human imagined ancestral deity over human behavior. The beauty of the Jewish people is that we are a people with an inherited ethno-religion, and that it is we who get to choose which parts to keep in our living room and which parts to store in our attic (for maybe a future time). The Jewish expression of ethnicity, nationality, and religiosity has always been pluralistic throughout Jewish history. There is no such thing as one quintessential representation of Judaism. It’s always been as varied as the number of Jews who have graced this planet with our presence. This video that you are watching is about how I start my day expressing my Jewishness! Usually, it’s not so noisy! (Ah, but, I brought out the camera!) The very act of remembering our ancestors and our inherited literature through ritual words is a blessing being given!
“Whether traditionally dressed or t-shirt dressed, what defines one’s Judaism is your words and actions. Whether we adapt traditional words, transforming them into authentic non-theistic forms, or go with completely new liturgy, what defines one’s Judaism is your words and actions. Whether we say what we mean or mean other than what we say, what defines us collectively as Jews is our actions that help to bring justice and repair the world.
We need each other’s wisdom, perspective, and specialized knowledge, from theistic to atheistic, to fully represent authentically the Jewish people’s historical and ethno-religious experience. We should never be afraid to embrace this, while representing our part of the whole. There are not religious Jews and secular Jews as formally distinct units, there are only Jews. Like, as well, there are no “white” Jews, “black” Jews, and “Arab” Jews, there are only Jews of many (all) colors.
We must avoid the historic ghettoized mindset that was forced upon us as a people by Christians and Muslims, for Jews have always been more than just a religion. We’re all in this together!
יוסף פרקשדי ”
#BirkhotHashahar #BirkhotHatorah