Judaism is a religion that the Jewish people follow. Alternatively, Judaism has been further divided into Orthodox and Unorthodox Jews, also known as Reform Jews. The differences between Jewish sects are not due to their different views of theology but more to how they interoperate with the scripture, how much they think biblical demands can be altered, and whether those demands are mandatory.
One of the foremost differences between these two movements is their understanding of the sacred scriptures. Orthodox Judaism sternly believes in the existence of a Messiah, life after death, and their final restoration to the Promised Land. They uphold a comprehension of the sacred texts and rabbinical teachings. Meanwhile, unorthodox Jews have a theoretical approach to sacred texts and rabbinical teachings. Another significant difference between these two movements is, in the status they give to women. In Unorthodox Judaism, men and women are not isolated during worship and services. Men and women alike can interact together even when performing prayer services. Furthermore, the Reform Jews allow women to perform duties such as rabbis and cantors. Orthodox Jews, on the other hand, do not allow the mixing of men and women during prayer. Orthodox Jews believe that women distract men’s focus, and are unclean when menstruating. Even if a woman is not on her menstrual cycle, she is forbidden to sit with men. They also do not allow women to carry out the roles of rabbis, cantors, or educators.
One of the key things to consider when it comes to Jews is that Judaism can be considered an ethnicity in addition to a religion. Therefore, one should consider the three elements: culture, religion, and spirituality. Time should be taken to identify the most pertinent elements of a particular sect. Orthodox Jews are far more likely to seek answers from a Rabbi since they follow the belief that everything that they need to know to live a rewarding and healthy life is written in the Torah. They can generally view professional counseling as a threat to their religious values. At the same time, Jews will relate to counselors as colleagues who help to minister to their psychological and emotional needs.
Conclusively, the differences between these two movements are rigid and focus on the amount of freedom in understanding their scriptures. The Unorthodox Jews are more progressive-oriented and flexible on matters concerning religious laws. However, the Orthodox Jews are traditionalists whose interpretation of religion corresponds with ancient religious followings.
References
Stern, G. (2015). What is the most fundamental difference between Reform Judaism and Orthodox Judaism? | ReformJudaism.org. Retrieved from http://www.reformjudaism.org/what-most-fundamental-difference-between-reform-judaism-and-orthodox-judaism
