We last looked at the time when the House of Shammai was opposed to the House of Hillel, each representing an opposing view of Judaism, the traditionalist versus the modifier. But was this actually the time when Karaite Judaism was birthed or did it happen even later?
What was true in the past is no less true today. The key to our long term survival, as a people loved by God, as His light unto the World, is the restoration of the faith according to our independent reading and understanding of the Torah as is the Karaite Way.
This takeover of the government by the Pharisees through the use of the Syrian army is glossed over as only the negative actions of Alexander Jannai and the Sadducees is emphasized by the Rabbanites. The fact that 1000s of Jews in the King's army died isn't even mentioned.
Had there not been the advent of Rabbanism, then there would have been no such thing as Karaism as everyone of us would be painted with only one label. So it is relevant to try and pinpoint the birth of Rabbanism in order to know at what point a counter had to either exist or be initiated.
The history behind surnames is a fascinating one. How we received our surnames was not a smooth development but instead a very long and bumpy road. It took a long time but we all managed to get to the end of the road. This is the story of how we got there.
In this Chapter we will look at the early origins of the Karaites. Although it cannot be said for certain when Karaism was birthed, it is a high probability that it was during the same time that the Rabbanites were developing what is called mainstream Judaism.
There are many that now refer to themselves as Karaites. It does not matter if you were born as such or have converted to Karaism. What does matter is that you understand what it is to be a Karaite. To do so you must appreciate our history which is the thread that binds us.
The fact is that God has already told us through the Torah and the Tanakh what He thinks of Kabbalah and those that profess alternative beliefs or belief structures to those he ordained to Moses and Aaron. Not a single word is to be added or subtracted from the Torah and thus we are commanded....