Many assume “Orthodox Judaism” to be the most authentic expression of Jewish identity, belief, and practice.
But could this assumption be a mistake?
The people of Israel have an ancient collective mission that’s become less clear in recent generations, as many Jewish communities have come to prioritize fitting in with host societies in exile.
While the Orthodox Jewish rabbis fought zealously against other sects to preserve the legal and ritual components of Jewish identity, they largely discarded the national, territorial, and ideological components of that identity.
