[Avodah] Karaites Mesora

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, May 20, 2021 at 02:52:19AM +0000, Rich, Joel via Avodah wrote:
> This makes a lot more sense than what I was taught (that the Karaites
> had no mesorah):

>> There are, however, other ordinances in the observance of which we have
>> been raised since the days of our fathers, and their fathers before them,
>> and which are a matter of custom with us, which are not recorded in
>> the Torah but have become as second nature; . . . (Karaite) tradition,
>> however, is not like the tradition in which the Rabbanites believe...

> What were you taught about this?

Not much. Tzeduqim come up in the gemara, so I was taught something
about them.

Qaraim believe they are a continuation of the Tzeduqi tradition. But
historically, that claim is hard to defend. They differ from Tzeduqim
and from Philo, and nearly all known fundamentalist Judaisms. It seems
more likely Anan ben Shafat (or ben David, but our tradition is he was
Shafat's son, a remote descendent of David haMelekh;(715-795 or 811)
likely build his own recreation of something that didn't really exist.

Most things that surprise me of Qaraism come from my assuming it is more
similar to Tzeduqi-keit than it really is.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 You want to know how to paint a perfect
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   painting?  It's easy.
Author: Widen Your Tent      Make yourself perfect and then just paint
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF    naturally.              -Robert Pirsig