Orthodox Judaism Quotes

“One notoriousapikorosnamed Hiwa al-Balkhi, writing in ninth-century Persia, offered two hundred awkward questions to the faithful. He drew upon himself the usual thunderous curses—'may his name be forgotten, may his bones be worn to nothing'—along with detailed refutations and denunciations by Abraham ibn Ezra and others. These exciting anathemas, of course, ensured that his worrying 'questions' would remain current for as long as the Orthodox commentaries would be read. In this way, rather as when Maimonides says that the Messiah will come but that 'he may tarry,' Jewishness contrives irony at its own expense. If there is one characteristic of Jews that I admire, it is that irony is seldom if ever wasted on them.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Hitch 22: A Memoir

“Antisemitism is unique among religious hatreds. It is a racist conspiracy theory fashioned for the needs of messianic and brutal rulers, as dictators from the Tsars to the Islamists via the Nazis have shown. Many other alleged religious 'hatreds' are not hatreds in the true sense. If I criticise Islamic, Orthodox Jewish or Catholic attitudes towards women, for instance, and I'm accused of being a bigot, I shrug and say it is not bigoted to oppose bigotry.”
― Nick Cohen

“He (Jesus) gave up his life not because of the so-called sins of humanity, but because he was too adamant to give in to orthodox monstrosity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons of Jesus: Mind of A Teacher, Spouse & Thinker

“Dwelling within the congregation, she noted the familiar soup of thoughr and emotion. There were angers there, bitters hatreds, fear and boredom and resentment and guilt ands sorrow. She saw herself from outside herself. Am I really? she thought. Can that be me, that person who appears so strange to all these others? She saw herself through a dozen pairs of eyes, each one registering her oddness with fear or disgust or confusion. She smiled at the people as she passed through them, saying, ah yes, you think I am strange. But I know something you don't know.”
― Naomi Alderman, Disobedience

“Although many members of the Orthodox Jewish community opposed Zionism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was not because Orthodox leaders were averse to the idea of a return to a Jewish national home centred on Zion. Instead, the disagreement arose from the Orthodox belief that the return to Zion should come" at the end of days, "when the Messiah would lead the Jews from the" four corners of the earth "back to their home. In this early period, Zionism was seen to be anticipating the end of days and usurping the role of the Messiah.”
― David J. Azrieli, Rekindling the Torch: The Story of Canadian Zionism

“The women’s belief that they were fulfilling the path laid out by their grandparents provided a sense of identity, a connection with a larger order and with their roots.”
― Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism

“The Hasidim asserted that God could be approached through the heart far more than through the mind and that singing and dancing were appropriate means of worship.”
― Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism

“Orthodox Judaism mandates that men have greater obligations in prayer and study, while women’s primary role is in the family. Therefore, women do not participate as much in those ongoing rituals that create a relationship to God.”
― Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism