What is the difference between orthodox, conservative and reform Judaism?
Reform and Conservative are relatively recent interpretations of Jewish tradition. Orthodox is the term the Reform movement used to describe those who refused to adapt their interpretation. At first, there was just Torah. Jews were those who held to a tradition that their ancestors had witnessed an awesome revelation at Mount Sinai, something that changed the way they perceived the world and dealt with it. They had a written account, copiously preserved to the detail, as well as a vast oral tradition that explained that written document. Occasionally, there were detractors who questioned the authority of the oral tradition and of the rabbis who made decisions based on Torah tradition. But the foundation of Judaism, unanimously for three thousand years, was that revelation and its implications. With the rise of the middle class in Europe, many Jews felt a need to not look so distinct from their neighbors. In 19th century Germany, the Reform movement was born. Its leaders eventually disa
