Rabbinic Judaism

Rabbinic Judaism or Rabbinism (or in Hebrew "Yahadut Rabanit" - יהדות רבנית) was the continuation of the Pharisees after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70CE. It developed through the second to sixth centuries CE, by which time it had become established as normative Judaism. The only other competing Jewish denomination is Karaite Judaism, a relatively small group that rejects the authority of rabbinic interpretation.

Rabbinic Judaism claims that the law (Torah) revealed at Sinai had both a written and oral form. The written form can be found in the Torah, or the five books of Moses. The oral revelation was revealed to those present and transmitted orally through the generations to the time of the second Temple in Jerusalem. Its propositional content is evident in prophetic and other biblical writings, has been codified in the Mishna and Gemarah, and finds interpretation in subsequent rabbinic decisions and writings. The premise for this is that the Written Torah can not be properly understood without the benefit of knowing the Oral Torah and is therefore characterized by reliance on the written Torah as well as the Oral Law (the Mishnah, Talmuds and subsequent rabbinic decisions) as halakha (legally binding, i.e. required religious practice).

Rabbinic Judaism represents the largest group of Judaism and is in most vernacular forms used interchangeably with the term "Judaism." There are, however, different interpretations among religious groups within Rabbinic Judaism about the nature of revelation and the function of rabbinic decisions, as well as what even constitutes Rabbinic Judaism. The three main divisions are:

Orthodox Judaism, which views the Written and Oral Torah as immutable, and makes use of codifications of Jewish law such as the Mishneh Torah, Tur, and the Shulkhan Arukh. Orthodox Judaism emphasizes adherence to halakha, including the meta-rules for decision-making and a healthy respect for established practices. Serious Orthodox Jews do not consider other ideologies purporting to be Rabbinic Judaism as such.
Conservative Judaism, which holds by a technically less rigorous approach less bound by precedent which gives their rabbis greater freedom in making halakhic decisions.
Reform Judaism, which considers the Torah to be the work of humans, though possibly inspired by the divine. Halakha is not a relevant concept for this movement, which prefers to think in terms of encouraging people to consider adopting certain practices rather than requiring.

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