Over the centuries the Hebrew Jewish religion has evolved and even branched out into various streams. One such stream is the orthodox stream. An orthodox Jew however does not belong to a unified movement that has a single body governing it. There are many movements that call themselves orthodox and he or she could belong to any one of them. Hebrew Jewish orthodox groups simply follow Judaism strictly. These Hebrew Jewish orthodox groups further divide themselves into the Ultra Orthodox and the Modern Orthodox.
Streams of Hebrew Jewish Orthodoxy
The orthodox Jew falls into either one of two categories, Modern Orthodox Judaism or Haredi Judaism. Both of these groups maintain a significant amount of social difference and understanding.
The Hebrew Jewish sector of Modern Orthodoxy too has a variety of movements under its belt. However an orthodox Jew that comes from any of these movements is bound several principals and philosophies that are common across all these movements. Modern Orthodoxy blends the binding Jewish laws with contemporary society.
Haredi Judaism however, has quite a different approach to its orthodoxy. An orthodox Jew belonging to this stream of Judaism is expected to keep away from any culture that is non-Jewish. This however excludes making a legitimate living as part of the business world as a means of livelihood.
The Practice
No matter what the sect of orthodox Jew one is, most of them follow a 16th Century Code of Jewish Law or the Shulchan Aruch that was put together by Joseph Caro who was a Rabbi. Given this you will find that most Hebrew Jewish orthodoxy has this common ground. The differences however might arise on a more detailed level. These differences in an orthodox Jew however mostly arise from the fact that they come from different regions all over the world and the differences in practices in each of these regions.
The Belief System
Hebrew Jewish orthodoxy consists of various groups with beliefs, theology and practices that overlap. It must be noted however that the core principles of an orthodox Jew is the same no matter what group he or she comes from. Orthodoxy as a whole considers themselves as the true heirs to Hebrew Jewish traditions. This stream of Judiasm believes in monotheism also known as the belief that there is only one God. An orthodox Jew also follows the matriarchal descent as a way of establishing the identity of a fellow Jew. This law is only not applicable if the person has converted to Judaism. They also condemn intermarriage strongly. These are just a few things amongst the many that Orthodoxy follows.
Orthodox Groups, Organisations And Movements
While the central idea is still the same, there are many smaller branches of Hebrew Jewish orthodoxy all over the world. Some of these groups, political and social have been around for as long as 200 years. Each one of these was founded with a different purpose. For e.g. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel was formed to represent Judaism and the orthodox Jew in Israel. Other political groups are a forefront for the Zionists and so on.