Who is Nehemia
Gordon?
Information from
the wikipedia.
Nehemia Gordon is
probably the best known Karaite Jew of this era. He was born
to an Orthodox Jewish family, but no evidence of this has
been provided, who claims a long line of Rabbis, but
rejected the Talmud and became a Karaite Jew as a teenager.
Gordon is considered a Hakham, a well-respected religious
leader of the Karaite Jewish communities, and now serves on
the Universal Karaite Judaism Religious Council (which
represents Israeli Karaites.) He is also the leader of the
World Karaite Movement, a Karaite revival group. He
coordinates Aviv searches each year and releases information
on the crescent new moon sightings in Israel. (See also
Karaite Judaism)
Gordon was awarded a Master's degree in Bible from Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. He is an assistant in the "Dead Sea
Scrolls Reader" project which is coordinated by Emmanuel Tov.
Gordon was recently a guest on Zola Levitt Ministries
Television, a Messianic Jewish group, where he was
interviewed about his religious beliefs. Gordon also
appeared in an ESPN special broadcast before the 39th Super
Bowl talking about his time as the Hebrew teacher of a
deceased NFL player, Reggie White.
What is Karaism?
Karaite Judaism or Karaism is the original faith of the
Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). The word "Karaism"
derives from the Hebrew Karaim meaning "Followers of
Scripture".[1]
The Hebrew Scriptures contain the master plan of the Creator
of the universe revealed to the Nation of Israel through
Moses and the Prophets.[2]
The Creator revealed His will to the Israelite nation in
order to serve as a "Light unto the Nations".[3]
From its very inception Israel's role has been to teach
mankind of the divine will, which endows those who live by
it with eternal life, as it is written: "it is a tree of
life to those who keep it" (Proverbs 3:18).[4]
The two large "monotheistic" religions, Christianity[5]
and Islam[6],
recognize the truth of the Hebrew Scriptures. Yet they
compromise the purity of the divine message by adding to
God's complete and perfect Word. At the same time, the form
of Judaism commonly practiced today is not authentic Judaism
but "Talmudism". The Talmudists corrupt the true message of
the Hebrew Scriptures by adding the teachings of the Rabbis
found in the "Talmud", which they claim were revealed by
God.[7] This
despite the fact that there is not a single reference to the
Talmud in the entire Hebrew Scriptures. The authentic Hebrew
religion is that which is taught by the Creator Himself in
the Hebrew Scriptures without addition or subtraction, as it
is written: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command
you, neither shall you diminish anything from it, that you
may keep the commandments of YHWH your God" (Deuteronomy
4:2).
Karaites regard the current era of human history as the
period of the "Great Exile". The Hebrew Scriptures describe
this era and foretell that in it the Nation of Israel will
forsake the true way of the Creator for man-made religion.[8]
The prophets teach us that this era will end with Israel
returning to the Creator under the leadership of the
anointed king of the House of David and the entire human
race embracing the religion of the Hebrew Scriptures.[9]
In this current era of the Great Exile, prophecy has
ceased while the Almighty "hides His face" for the sins of
Israel.[10]
With no living prophets, the only path to knowledge of the
divine is through the Hebrew Scriptures, which contain the
complete and perfect instruction of the divine will revealed
to the prophets of Israel.[11]
By living in accordance with the divine instruction, men can
be redeemed from sin, as it is written: "When the evildoer
turns away from all his sins that he has done and shall keep
all My statutes and do justice and righteousness, he shall
surely live, he shall not die. All his iniquities that he
has done shall no longer be remembered" (Ezekiel 18:21-22).
God bestowed us with His perfect instruction out of his
immense love for mankind, as it is written: "Do I indeed
desire the death of the evildoer, says Lord YHWH, do I not
desire for him to return from his ways so that he may live?"
(Ezekiel 18:23).
To understand God's perfect instruction we must
diligently study the Hebrew Scriptures. In days of old, the
words of prophecy were understood clearly and with ease.[12]
If something was uncertain it could be clarified by "seeking
God" through the prophets.[13]
But today in the era of Exile, with the cessation of
prophecy and separated from the culture and language of the
prophets by thousands of years, we must work hard to
understand the "plain meaning" of the words understood
naturally by the ancient Israelites.[14]
The "plain meaning" of Scripture[15]
is that obvious meaning that would have been understood by
the ancient Israelites when they gathered to hear the
Torah (Books of Moses) read to them in the public
reading held every seventh year.[16]
Being fluent in Biblical Hebrew, the ancient Israelites
simply had to listen to the words of Scripture in order to
understand them. Today this same understanding must be
derived from Scripture using sound linguistic principles and
contextual exegesis.
Karaites maintain that every human being has an
obligation to study the Hebrew Scriptures and determine for
themselves the correct meaning of the Almighty's
commandments based on their own reasoning and understanding.[17]
On the Day of Judgment it is the individual who will be
called into reckoning for his own actions.[18]
The ancient adage of the Karaite sages declares: "Search
well in the Scriptures and do not rely on anyone's opinion".
In this regard the Karaite sages taught: "He who relies upon
any of the teachers of the Exile without personal
investigation, it is as if he has engaged in idolatry."
Karaites place no value in the interpretations of the
majority or the customs of the forefathers. On the contrary,
Scripture teaches us: "Do not go after the majority to do
evil" (Exodus 23:2). The prophets also warn us against
following in the errant footsteps of the ancestors, as it is
written: "be not like your fathers... who acted
treacherously against YHWH" (2Chronicles 20:7), and again:
"they shall not be as their fathers, a stubborn and
rebellious generation" (Psalms 78:8). The same warning
applies to the laws invented out of men's hearts, which the
prophets call the "commandment of men learned by rote"
(Isaiah 29:13).[19]
Karaism is not a "monolithic" faith in which every
believer agrees on every detail of understanding of
Scripture. Because the burden of interpretation rests on the
individual and not a central authority it is inevitable that
there will be differences of interpretation and
understanding. However this diversity is a strength rather
than a weakness and prevents Karaites from getting bogged
down with a given interpretation despite the obviousness of
its error. This diversity requires the individual Karaite to
take personal responsibility for interpreting Scripture,
basing his understanding on the merits and logic of a given
interpretation. When this method is followed the correct
interpretation will generally win out. What unites Karaites
together is our common fellowship in the Hebrew Scriptures
and desire to live by the pure unaltered instruction of the
Creator of the universe.
Published by: World Karaite Movement POB, 7816, Jerusalem 91078, ISRAEL
To learn more, please visit:
http://www.karaite-korner.org
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