Is Beyt Tikkun Orthodox, Reform or what?
Beyt Tikkun does not fall into any particular branch of Judaism. We call ourselves neo-Hasidic because like the Hasidim, we emphasize joyous and ecstatic prayer and personal connection to spiritual life. But we are “neo” both because we don’t adhere to patriarchal and authoritarian conceptions of God and because we insist on egalitarianism, equal rights for gays and lesbians, a rejection of all forms of chauvinism (including views of the Jews as somehow better than others), a critique of Israeli policy toward Palestinians, and an openness to create new prayers to express our deepest spiritual longings. Yet we are also traditional: we follow the “matbeya t’fillah,” the structure of the prayers as set down in the Mishna. Most of our members ride to synagogue on Shabbat and we turn on lights, have musical accompaniments to some services, and use electricity. On the other hand, we don’t use money, and we do encourage our members to spend a full 25 hours of Shabbat in celebration of the uni
