What do we Mean by “Orthodox” Judaism?

Abstract

Who qualifies as an “orthodox” Jew and what do we mean by “orthodox” Judaism? These are vexing questions, which rabbis, polemicists, academics, and laypeople alike have persistently confronted for the past 200 years. This article reexamines key historical episodes in this long-standing debate and unpacks the definitions of “orthodoxy” which emerge from them, but not with the view of establishing the correct one. Rather, it aims to demonstrate the futility of any such effort. Harnessing insights from Wittgensteinian thought on essentialization and family resemblance, it identifies historical and conceptual hurdles which prevent any proposed definition of “orthodox” from prevailing among Jews in the modern period, despite incessant attempts at pinning down the term’s essence. By recasting the debate through the lens of family resemblance, the author puts forward an alternative framework for navigating divergence and deviance which better accounts for the manifold ideologies populating the contemporary Jewish landscape.