Future Home of Karaite Judaism

Back to the Basics

Back to the Covenant

The world of Judaism is very big place. For those who believe that God gave Moshe a single Torah, which he wrote and gave to us, it can sometimes be a lonely place. The simplicity of the Covenant between Israel and God is lost amid volumes of commentary and layers of tradition.

However, many Jews are beginning to reconnect with their heritage in the most basic way - asking, "What did God say?"

This is not a movement against the Sages. Karaite Jews have Sages, too. Their insights and commentary highlight the beauty of the Torah. Their expositions reveal the timelessness of God's Torah. The words of the Sages, though, are just that - words of men.

God's Covenant with Israel is recorded in the Five Books of Moshe. That is the Torah. Those are the words that make the simple wise. Those are the words that restore the soul.

There have always been Jews who followed the Covenant in this manner. After the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews were dispersed throughout the world. Disagreements arose and exiled communities rallied around gifted teachers for survival. Those teachers became the Sages who wrote commentary on Torah. These commentaries were said to be the full explanation of the abbreviated text of the Law of Moshe. These commentaries eventually became the Mishnah and the Talmud.

Around 800CE it became necessary for those who did not hold the Sages' opinions to the same level as the Torah to come together. By this point, it is estimated that almost half of the people rejected the rabbis' concept of an "oral torah." As a way to distinguish themselves from the students of the Talmud, they began calling themselves "Qa'araim" (meaning Scripturalists) or "benei Qa'ara" (meaning sons of the Scripture or followers of Scripture). It's based on the Hebrew word "miqra", which refered to the Torah, the Writings and the Prophets - the Tanak. In English, they're commonly referred to as "Karaites." Today, the numbers of those who formally identify as "Karaite Jews" are much lower. Worldwide, there are an estimated 45,000 Karaite Jews. However, people are taking up the Karaite way of thinking.

To the non-religious Jew, instead of walking away from Judaism, let go of the commentaries and reclaim the Torah of your inheritance. If it's not in the Five Books of Moshe, God did not command it.

To the Gentile, if you want to follow the God of Israel, read the Torah and learn how to join yourself to Him to be part of that heritage.

To the followers of Jesus, we disagree on theology. Study the Torah if you want to learn how to follow the God of Israel. Remember that Jesus made a point of saying he was not about abolishing the Torah. He prayed to the God of Israel. Study and keep the Torah like he did.

And to all, as the Karaites say, "Search Scripture well, and don't rely on anyone's opinion."