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What are the key texts of Jewish religious tradition?

Jewish Law Research Guide:  An excellent summary of the main sources and varieties of Jewish law, especially useful for both Jewish and non-Jewish initiates.

A. Early Law Codes:

1. A Verse version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, with annotations.
   
2. The Code of Hammurabi - Described and Translated
   
3. Steele of the Law Code of Hammurabi in the Louvre, Paris
   
4. The 7 Noahide Laws for all mankind.
   
   

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B. Torah & Tanakh:

1. Bar-Mitzvah Chumash & Haftarah tropes, Torah glossary & more.
   
2. Search Engine for Chumash.
   Includes search for particular text sought, the Chumash by verse per se, and for general concepts.
   
3. Enesis-Gay in ig-Pay atin-Lay
   
4. The Torah in Greek (Septuagint).
   
5. Internet & PDA Versions of "Notes to the 1962 JPS (NJV - New Jewish Version) Translation of the Torah", published in 1970, can be purchased and downloaded as Acrobat Reader .pdf files from www.eBookShuk.com, which has a host of other Jewish-interest e-books for sale.
   "Scholar's version" permits hyperlinking to the full text of the Torah.
   
6. Torah & Haftarah Readings for Shabbat and Holidays, with Hebrew-English text
   
7. Torah From the Internet – Weekly Parsha
   
8. Triennial Torah Reading Cycle
   
9. Parallel Hebrew-English (1917 JPS) texts of entire Tanakh, chapter by chapter
   
10. Parallel Hebrew-English (1917 JPS) texts of entire Tanakh, book by book
    
11. See Bible verses in Hebrew, Transliteration and English text.
    
12. Printer-friendly Hebrew-English Tanakh. Choose a book and select File ... Print Preview to maipulate page setup.
    
13. MP3Sound Recordings of Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), Chapter by Chapter (Sephardit)
    
14. Judaica Press Complete Tanach with Rashi. Biblical verses, with Rashi interspersed, all in English.
    
15. The 613 Commandments as they appear in sequential order in the Torah.
    
16. My Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah Resource Center provides numerous aids for the student and parents. These include: Who / What / Why the event is all about; all the Maftirs and Haftorahs with Nikud (vowels) and cantillation marks for viewing and printing; how to carefully create the invitation (and what various formulations mean); database of speeches and stories; other ideas for the event – even ideas on what to write in thank-you notes.
    
17. The Entire Torah in Modern and Ancient (Paleo-)Hebrew Characters: The latter look like the letters displayed on Cecil B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments.
    
18. The Ten Commandments in Paleo-Hebrew Characters (simulated)
    
19. Tetragrammaton with vowel points for various pronunciations.
    
20. The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures. Despite its title, a fascinating book with information on the history of its use complete for free on the Internet.
    
21. Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew lexicon to Scriptures.
    
22. Bible References: People, Places, Plants and Animals (Alphabetically)
    

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C. Commentary on Biblical Concepts and Verses:

1. Antioch College Bible History Outlines:
   
   1. History of the Early Earth
      
   2. Patriarchs
      
   3. From Egypt to the Promised Land
      
   4. The Law of Moses
      
   5. Tabernacle, Priesthood and Offerings
      
   6. The Jewish Year
      
   7. Time of the Judges
      
   8. The United Kingdom
      
   9. Kings of Israel
      
   10. Kings of Judah
       
   11. The Prophets
       
   
   
2. Torah 101: General Biblical & Jewish Concepts
   
3. Divrei Torah galore from The Genesis Project.
   
4. The Riddle of Mount Sinai - Archaeological Discoveries at Har Karkom. This e-book presents new archaeological evidence of sanctuaries and altars located on the mountain and at its foot, as well as numerous remains of campsites. This mountain was a paramount cult site for the desert people over the course of millennia, even before the age of Moses.
   
5. The Bible Quiz. 3,000 randomly generated questions to test yourself on the 5 Books of Moses.
   
6. Hermeneutics, Exegesis and other Insights into the Bible
   
7. Zionist Divrei Torah, giving passionate and thematic visions of a systematic conceptualization of Judaism.
   
8. Louis Ginzberg: Legends of the Jews Vol. I - IV. Additional volumes, which are not online are: Volumes V and VI which contain notes to the previous volumes and Vol. VII which is an index.
   
9. Gematria: The Significant Numerical Values of Letters
   
10. Yahoo!’s Torah Discovery Code Portal
    
11. Links to collections of Divrei Torah
    
12. CDTORAH.COM: Hundreds Of Torah Lectures On Standard Audio CD's presents a series of Torah lectures, for purchase on convenient CD’s instead of tape. (Additionally, included on the website is a very useful Jewish Links portal to over 1,250 websites for broad general purpose topics.)
    
13. The Scribe (Sofer) of the Sefer Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzot (STaM)
    
14. Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfield’s Kitzur Shulcan Aruch Hebrew-English Interlinear Translation (Partial Listing):
    Part I, Chapters 1-97    Part II, Chapters 98-221.
    
15. Torah Leining: Those who lein are often faced with problems. The Torah has no cantillation symbols (trope) or vowels. The reader (baal koray) has to study the leining a great deal in advance in order to be able to learn the material. This TorahLein website and Leining discussion forum are designed to help those who lein worldwide. This website will introduce both of these tools.
    
16. P'til Tekhelet: The Association for the Promotion and Distribution of Tekhelet, the blue thread on the tallit (Num. 15:38-39)
    
17. Beged Ivri: the research and restoration site for ancient Israelite customs, including the Blue Thread on the Tallit, and various items related to ancient Temple worship
    
18. How to Tie Tzizit (With Illustrations)
    
19. How to lay Tefillin (With Illustrations)
    
20. A website about Biblical Harps ... which you can play yourself.
    
21. Ketoret Besamim  - The Temple Spices Identified.
    
22. The Hotzi-Shekel ... with a modern twist.
    
23. The Names of G-d in Tanakh and the New Testament
    
24. The Story of Lillith, Adam's First Wife
    
25. The Book of Solomon. Verious tales and legends. Prints out in 231 pages .pdf
    
26. Verses in the bible discussing trees.
    
27. Jewish Environmental Perspectives in Tanakh.
    
28. Commandments of Compassion: Jewish Teachings on Protecting Animals and Nature
    
29. The Cave of Machpelah; Tomb of the Patriachs in Hebron
    
30. Maarat HaMachpelah - The Caves of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
    a. Mouse over the "Articles" title bar to see numerous history articles.
    b. Most fascinating = The link before this one [i.e., The Cave of Machpelah] shows only features of the building and the main hallways. On this website, mouse over the title bar for "The Isaac Hall" to see 1968 and 1981 visits under the building, including photographs from the first visitors in 2,000 years to the actual burial areas. The account accompanying the pictures conveys a great sense of understandable awe.
    
31. The Biblical "Conscientious Objector" (Deuteronomy 20:8) and Some Rabbinic Commentary. -- contributed by the Webmaster of this Jewish Delaware Website.
    
32. Torah, War, and the "Gentle Heart" Today: Israeli Soldiers' Refusal to Serve in the Occupation Army -- by Rabbi Arthur Waskow
    
33. "Second Looks at the Book of Samuel"   examines particular issues associated with a more profound study of Shmuel (example: the apparent disparity between the text's simple reading and the traditional rabbinic interpretations; the role of monarchy in a Torah society etc.)
    
34. Burial vs. Cremation: The clear preference of Judaism toward Burial.
    
35. Ritual Art in Judaism (in light of 2nd Commandment)
    
    

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D. The Tabernacle, The Ark, and The Temple:

1. The Wilderness Tabernacle   A Replica in the Judean Desert at Kibbutz Almog has been created showing features of the Tent of Meeting using biblical dimensions. [See the Tabernacle Links on this page for many pictures.] You may also choose to visit the Mennonite version in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which has slides, pamphlets, etc. for sale – albeit with a Christological conclusion.
   
2. Ketoret – Spices and Incense
   
3. A Virtual Tour of the Beit HaMikdash.
   
4. Museum of the Beis HaMikdash Wonderful archaeological aspects of the Second Temple, with pictures, sketches and graphics, describing the walls, tunnels, gates, and numerous features, accompanied by translation of Mishna from Tractate Midot, including eyewitness accounts from its last years.
   
5. Where exactly were the First & Second Temples on the Har HaBayit?
   
6. The Temple and the Ark of The Covenant [Where Situated]
   
7. The Mitzvot and The Disciples of Miriam Women's religious roles.
   
   

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E. Christian Versions of Scriptures:

1. The Origins of Christian Anti-Semitism Within Early Christian Writings
   
2. The Audio Bible: The King James Version spoken by Alexander Scourby
   
3. 15-language, multiple version Bible translations.
   
4. "Red Letter" Edition of New Testament
   
5. Jehovah's Witnesses New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures - Including Hebrew and Christian Scriptures
   
6. Smith's (and others') Bible Dictionary
   
7. Links to virtually all known versions of the Bible found on the Web - multiple languages
   

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F. Biblical Journals:

1. Jewish Bible Quarterly: only Jewish-sponsored English-language journal devoted exclusively to Tanakh.
   
2. Journal of Hebrew Scriptures: Critical academic studies in Tanakh.
   
3. The Journal of Biblical Studies
   
   

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G. Extra-Canonical Accounts:

1. Yahoo!’s Portal to Dead Sea Scrolls Websites
   
2. Qumran Great Isaiah Scrolls
   
3. 1840 Edition of the purported Book of Jashar referenced in Joshua 9:13, for example.
   
4. Complete Works of Flavius Josephus; William Whiston Translation
   
5. "The Greek Megillah" or Megillas Antiochus. This story of Chanukah circulated in the 10th and 11th century in Europe. Included at this website is both an English and Hebrew text.
   
6. Books of the Maccabees: Book I and Book II.
   
7. Pseudepigrapha & Apocrypha on-line
   
   

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H. Talmud - Mishna & Gemara:

HEBREW TEXT:

1. Webshas - Topical Index to the Talmud
   
2. HaMakor – Bibliographic Help Researching Topics In Jewish Traditional Literature
   
3. A Table of Contents to the Babylonian Talmud.
   
4. A conceptual guide to the Talmud.
   
5. What You See on a page of Talmud
   
6. Introduction to a method of studying Talmud.
   
7. Step-by-step guide to Talmudic study.
   
8. "Maqom", a school for Adult Talmud study,
   also has an excellent curriculum guide for learners and educators to understand Tanakh, Talmud and Codes.
   
9. WebYeshiva.org – Interactive on-line Talmud Study from Jerusalem
   
10. The Babylonian Talmud, page by page, in the original.
    
11. Talmud Yerushalmi in a modern print style Hebrew
    
12. Listen to the short Talmud Yerushalmi on tape
    
13. Talmud Babli in a modern print style Hebrew
    
14. Tosefta in Hebrew
    
15. Explanation of MTR Hebrew Legal Classicsfrom Mechon Mamre, which contains the full text of Mishneh Torah of RaMBaM, TaNaKh, Targum Onkelos on the Chumash, Mishnah, Tosefta, Yerushalmi, and Bavli. It is now freeware as well. (Download link is found on this explanation page.)
    
16. Full Hebrew text of the Tanakh, Talmud Bavli, and Talmud Yerushalmi is available from Snunit at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for Web browsing (without vowels). There are hypertext links between psukim in Tanakh and any mention of them in the Talmud and vice versa! These texts, along with Mishneh Torah leRambam, Mishna, and Tosefta, are available for downloading along with DOS browsing software in the FREEware MTR package available from Mechon-mamre.
    
17. Mishnah in Hebrew (without vowels)
    
    ENGLISH TEXT:
    
18. The Soncino Babylonian Talmud in English by each individual tractate. (ed. Rabbi Dr. I. Epstein, 1952)
    After choosing tractate, "Click here to start download".
    
    Translation of parts of the Talmud in English by Michael Rodkinson (1918). For a long time, this abridged version by Rodkinson was the only English translation on the Internet. Rodkinsons' ten-book edition, covers the Moed - 'Festivals' and Nezikin - 'Jurisprudence (Damages)' sections of the Talmud in their entirety. Additional volumes from this edition were intended to appear in the future.
    
19. Michael Rodkinson’s History of the Talmud
    
20. Order Moed (Festivals): Tractates Erubin, Shekalim, and Rosh Hashana
    
21. Order Moed (Festivals): Tractates Pesachim, Yomah, and Hagiga
    
22. Order Nezikin (Damages): Tractates Aboth, Derech Eretz-Rabba, Eretz-Zuta, and Baba Kama
    
23. Order Nezikin (Damages): Tractate Baba Bathra
    
24. Order Nezikin (Damages): Tractate Sanhedrin
    
25. Order Nezikin (Damages): Tractates Maccoth, Shebuoth, Eduyoth, Abuda Zara, and Horioth
    
    
26. Read the Daf Yomi (Daily Talmud lesson from the Gemara): Listen in English, French or Hebrew while the text is displayed (and can be printed).
    
27. Rabbinic Authorities in the Mishna/Talmud
    
28. Tractate Berakhot in English: The initial portion of the Talmud (Blessings); as helpful and significant as the translation are the accompanying analyses.
    
29. Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) in English, mishnah (paragraph) by mishnah, with extensive commentary.
    
30. Pirkei Avot, Chapters 1-6, in English (no commentary)
    
31. Translation of Mishna from Tractate Midot, accompanies features of the "Museum of the Beis HaMikdash", various views and explanations of the Second Temple.
    
32. Translation of Tractate Sanhedrin (Includes Mishna and Tosefta of this Tractate)
    
33. Translation of Orders Moed (12 Tractates) and Nezikin (13 Tractates)
    

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I. Texts in the Talmud Regarding Jesus :

1. Analyzing a purported Jesus narrative in the Talmud.
   
   

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J. Some Post-Taludic Writings:

1. Midrashic Bibliography and search engine provided by HUC rabbinical faculty.
   
   
2. TALES AND MAXIMS FROM THE MIDRASH
   
   1. Contents
      
   2. Introduction to the Midrash
      
   3. Alexander of Macedon
      
   4. Verses Regarding Demons
      
   5. Ashmodai King of the Demons
      
   6. Messiah
      
   7. Genesis Rabba
      
   8. Exodus Rabba
      
   9. Leviticus Rabba
      
   10. Numbers Rabba
       
   11. Deuteronomy Rabba
       
   12. Midrash Ruth
       
   13. Midrash Song of Songs
       
   14. Midrash Ecclesiastes
       
   15. Midrash Lamentations
       
   16. Midrash Esther
       
   17. Midrash Psalms
       
   18. Midrash Proverbs
       
   19. Midrash Samuel
       
   20. Midrash Tanchumah, or "Yelamdinu"
   
   
3. English Translations From The Talmud, Midrashim And Kabbala, by Maurice H. Harris.
   
4. Iggeret HaRamban (Nachmanides’ Letter to His Son)
   
5. Commentary on Ramban’s Letter
   
6. Commentary on Kiddushin  by Rabbi Menahem b. Shlomo Ha'Meiri, a medieval commentator (636 pg. In PDF format)
   
7. Excerpt from Yehuda HaLevi's "Kuzari"
8. Description and excerpts from the Zohar
9. Kabbalah In English: A Guide to English Language Print Resources for the Student of Traditional Rabbinic Kabbalah
   
10. A massive Links Portal for Kabbalah on the Internet.Page down to see a large section on specifically Jewish Kabbalah and Judaism. (Yes, there are other traditions.)
    
11. Yahoo!’s Kabbalah Portal
    
12. Kabbalah: Sefer Yetzirah
    
13. Kabbala Denudata: The Kabbalah Unveiled - Containing the following Books of the Zohar: The Book of Concealed Mystery, The Greater Holy Assembly, and The Lesser Holy Assembly. S. L. Macgregor Mathers, translator
    
14. Tanya by the Alte Rabbe in English (Chassidus Text)
    
    

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JJ. Halacha, Responsa, & General Legal Issues:


1. Hebrew & English Introduction to Mishneh Torah - Describing the nature and history of the Oral Law
   
2. A Comprehensive Summary of Rambam's Mishneh Torah - Content of each of 14 books, based on subject matter.
   
3. Rambam's Mishneh Torah in Hebrew
   
4. Maimonides' List of the 613 Commandments. Arranged topically, in accord with the contents of the Mishneh Torah, with citations.
   
5. Rambam's List of the 248 Positive Commandments.
   
6. Rambam's List of the 365 Negative Commandments.
   
7. Rambam's 13 Principles, and a discussion about Resurrection of the Dead.
   
8. Maimonides’ Guide to the Perplexed, (in English), demonstrating that principles of the Mishneh Torah – grounded on Revelation and Tradition - were confirmed by philosophy.
   
9. Conservative Movement description of Josef Caro (Karo)’s 16th Century Shulchan Arukh:  A full English translation has never been published.
   
10. Rabbi Josef Caro's 16-Century Shulchan Arukh:  (Orthodox) Translation of Orah Chayim & Yorah Deah
    
11. Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfield’s Kitzur [Abridged] Shulcan Aruch Hebrew-English Interlinear Translation (19th Century):
    Part I, Chapters 1-97
    Part II, Chapter 98-221.
    
12. The Nineteen Letters of Ben Uziel, by Rabbi Sampson Raphael Hirsch ("Neunzehn Briefe uber Judenthum" 1822, this English translation in 1899.) A classic and brilliant defense of Orthodox Judaism.
13. Judaic Law in an Internet World. An Essay on concepts in using the Internet to spread information about Halacha  (Revised May 9, 2000).
14. Jewish legal issues in secular (American)and Israeli law;
    
15. Megalaw’s listing of Jewish law sites on the Internet
    
16. Megalaw’s listing of Religion and Law sites on the Internet
    
17. Contrasts in American and Jewish Law
    
18. The Intl. Assn. of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists magazine, JUSTICE. An excellent source of contemporary articles on International law and Israel.
    
19. The Re-established Sanhedrin Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem
    
20. Litigation in Secular Courts
    
21. The Polygraph in Jewish Law
    
22. Yeshiva University's Benjamin Cardozo Law Review items;
    
23. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, covering Religious Discrimination in Employment
    
24. Establishing Maternity & Paternity in Jewish and American Law
    
25. Kayama.org, A non-profit organization that provides information and assistance for obtaining a Jewish divorce
    
26. Stars of David: Information about Jewish Adoption
    
27. Halachically correct forms.  For Living Wills, Heter Iska (business), Pre- and Postnuptual directives.
    
28. Halachic Living Will for Delaware
    
29. Jewish Funerals, Burial, and Mourning - website by Kavod v'Nichum &
    the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington, DC
    
30. Witchcraft, The Occult & Judaism
    
31. Responsa in War Time. Rare joint responsa by Orthodox, Conservative and Reform rabbis issued during World War II, published by National Jewish Welfare Board.
    
32. Responsa for Today.Responsa written by Israeli Conservative/Masorti rabbis, including "Responsa in a Moment" by Rabbi Professor David Golinkin; six volumes of Hebrew responsa written by the Va'ad Halakhah (Law Committee) of the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel between 1985-1999, and their English summaries; plus other sections. In the future, unpublished responsa by Conservative/Masorti rabbis will be added.
    
33. TRADITION Online - Archives from Journal of Orthodox Thought
    
34. Is Thanksgiving Kosher?
    
35. Video feature: "How to Lay Tefillin" with Rabbi Jay Spero
    
36. May Women Wear Tefillin? Rabbinic article in Conservative Judaism Magazine (1997) argues "Yes"
    
37. A Conversion Support site for Orthodox Geirim and baalei tshuvahs.
    
38. The sages discuss Chillul HaShem
    
39. When the king changes the coinage: a brief rabbinic responsum
    
    KA. KASHRUT:
    
    
40. The OU Primer: How Do I Know It's Kosher?
    
41. Judaism 101 - Kashrut: The Jewish Dietary Laws
    
42. Kosher: A Guide to Eating Jewishly Step-by-Step Introduction from Chabad
    
43. Hebrew National & Kosher Politics: This very lengthy July, 2009, article has extended information about numerous kosher certifying authorities.
    
44. Shamash Kosher Restaurant Database.
    
45. Kosher Restaurants in NYC includes location, phone number, supervision, price guidelines, and food category (Meat, Dairy, Pareve). Where available, hyperlinks are provided to websites to see menus.
    
46. Kosher Symbols, Supervision and Certification
    
47. KosherSupermarket.com Ships most anywhere (to your door) at affordable prices.
48. La Briute Meals provide Glatt Kosher, Cholov Yisroel and pareve non-refrigerated, self-heating meals will last 24-months on a shelf in your pantry. Each meal comes equipped with a water-activated, flameless, self-heater - essentially, a salt-water pouch that is poured over a magnesium element. This creates real heat and steam right inside the box, giving you a simmering hot meal in just a few minutes. Great for travel.
    
49. The buffalo is popular, kosher, and has a hechsher !
50. From ZooTorah.com: The (kosher) Giraffe – maybe the Unicorn/Tachash ? Posted with permission of the author.
    
51. The Zoo Torah website (www.zootorah.com) includes photographs, and a very informative "Essay Series", revisiting live animals from the Bible, discussing kashrut questions.
    
52. A delicious menu  featuring both Ashkenazic dishes, plus Sephardic dishes, reminiscent of a Spanish Moroccan cuisine that uses fresh produce and is fragrant with aromatic spices.
53. Jewish cooking archives & bibliography of Jewish Cookbooks.
54. An aide for kosher observing dieters, who follow the low carb diets.
    
    

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K. Prayer and Liturgy:

1. How To Pray as a Jew - Includes inter alia an animated illustration of how one bows (e.g., during Aleynu), and is essentially based on Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin's "To Pray as a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service" for Askenazim
   
2. The Structure of Jewish Liturgy
   
3. Birkat HaChamah: Jews celebrate 28-Year Return of Sun to Time of Creation
   
4. Jewish Traditions, A JPS Guide. See pages 367-372 for Development of the Siddur
   
5. The Transliterated Siddur [Sephardic pronunciation]
   
6. Friday Night Sabbath Service, English-Hebrew & Transliteration, Gender Neutral
   
7. Grace After Meals (Birkhat HaMazon) English-Hebrew & Transliteration, Gender Neutral, Perfect for Printing
   
8. Bar/Bat Mitzvah MP3 Song Files include excerpts from:
   1) Friday Night Service,
   2) Shacharit L'Shabbat Service,
   3) Torah Service,
   4) Mincha (Afternoon) Service, and
   5) Torah Cantillation.
   Performed by Cantor Kenneth B. Cohen (Hazzan and BA in Sacred Music from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and founding National Director of the Academy for Jewish Religion’s two Cantorial Schools, in Los Angeles and New York.)
   
9. Transliterated Traditional prayers and blessings, plus melodies
   
10. Adon Olam, transliteration & Melody plus 13 principles
    
11. The Kaddish Prayer
    
12. Yizkor:  In addition to hearing/seeing the Kaddish & Kel Mole Rachamim prayers, create a memorial and record of the Yahrzeit date of your relatives. Each year, receive advance notice by e-mail.
    
13. Shul Music.org:  Classic Sheet Music for synagogue services. Suggestion - starting on Page 1 of 30 pgs. of musical score  will take you past a large number of roman numeral index pages.
    
14. A Tu B'shevat Hagaddah for a Seder for The New Year of Trees.
    
15. The Passover Hagaddah.
    
16. The 1923 Union Haggadah (Reform)
    
17. See and hear the complete Passover song, Had Gadyah, animated.(Click on page below title to begin)
    
18. "An American Haggadah," which can be downloaded [and printed] in PDF format. (For PDF files, you will need Acrobat Reader software, a free program which can be downloaded from the world-wide web.) It includes modern ideas and poetry, while keeping much of the original text, spirit and Hebrew language.
    a. Pages 0-12 (596 Kb)
    b. Pages 12-25 (556 Kb)
    c. Pages 26-36 (500 Kb)
    
19. Digital Haggadah with melodies
    
20. Yahoo!’s Haggadah Portal List
    
21. Jewish Scouting Religious Awards and Requirements
    
    

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L. What's the Difference:

Quick Synopsis of Jewish Holidays and Observances

A. REFORM
B. RECONSTRUCTIONIST
C. MODERN
D. CONSERVATIVE
E. TRADITIONAL
F. ORTHODOX
G. SECULAR
H. "MESSIANIC JUDAISM"

REFORM:

1. Union for Reform Judaism - formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. In 1994, the URJ barred membership for congregations who do not declare a belief in God.
   
2. NFTY Home Page (Now the North American Federation of Temple Youth)
   
3. Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion.
   
4. Central Conference of American Rabbis.
   
5. CCAR Journal
   
6. The Women’s Rabbinical Network, started in Summer, 2004, is for and about female Reform Rabbis and rabbinical students.
   
7. Listings for finding Reform-affiliated congregations
   
8. Search the Reform Web For a Specific Congregation
   
9. The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ): Israel’s liberal Jewish religious movement, and a constituent member of the World Union of Progressive Judaism.
   
10. Directory of Reform Jewish Links across the Internet.
    
11. A hyperlinked index to collected responsa of the Reform movement.
    
12. A Jew Testifying as a Character Witness in a Non-Jewish Court. Also part of Reform Rresponsa collections, not printed in above listing.
13. Principles of Reform Judaism:  As opposed to Responsa, which are considered as Guidance in the Reform Movement, these Platforms were adopted by convention vote, and are considered the enforceable policy of Reform Judaism.
          In 1885, fifteen rabbis issued the Pittsburgh Platform,  a set of guidelines that defined Reform Judaism for the next fifty years. A revised statement of principles, the Columbus Platform,  was adopted by the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1937. A third set of rabbinic guidelines, the Centenary Perspective,  appeared in 1976 on the occasion of the centenary of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. In 1999, the Central Conference of American Rabbis stated that “Today, when so many individuals are striving for religious meaning, moral purpose and a sense of community, we believe it is our obligation as rabbis once again to state a set of principles that define Reform Judaism in our own time.” This is reflected in the 1999 Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism. A Commentary on the latter accompanies that text.
    
14. Reform Judaism magazine
    
15. Windows on WRJ – Women of Reform Judaism
    
16. Beit Midrash/A Liberal Yeshivah is a joint project of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the World Union for Progressive Judaism, and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, in cooperation with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and The Leo Baeck College
    
    

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RECONSTRUCTIONIST:

1. Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
   
2. Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
3. The Reconstructionist journal
   
4. Reconstructionism Today publication
   
5. The Thirteen Wants: A prayer composed by Mordecai Kaplan in 1926 for the dedication of the new headquarters of the Society for the Advancement of Judaism (SAJ), included in the Sabbath prayerbook as "The Criteria of Jewish Loyalty."
6. List of Reconstructionist Congregations
   
7. Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women's and Gender Studies: Providing new visions of gender roles in Jewish life by illuminating the traditions and texts of Judaism.  Founded at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1996, Kolot trains rabbinical students, advances scholarship, and develops and implements innovative programs.
   
8. Ritualwell.org - Ceremonies for Jewish Living. Developed by Kolot  and Ma'yan: The Jewish Women's Project.  Ritualwell provides resources for creating innovative, contemporary Jewish rituals.
   
   

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MODERN:

1. The Academy for Jewish Religion, Riverdale, NY, trains rabbis and cantors for the contemporary Jewish community.
   
2. The Association for Rabbis and Cantors, professional placement and mentoring organization for alumni of the Academy for Jewish Religion.
   
3. Rabbis who officiate at Inter-faith marriages.
   
4. Hebrew College trains multi-denominational cantors, rabbis and educators in Newton, Massachusetts
   
5. The Jewish Ministers Cantors Association of America, Inc. formed in 1897 and still functioning as a professional Cantorial organization.
   
6. The American Seminary for Contemporary Judaism is a seminary formed in Nassau County, NY, by the Jewish Ministers Cantors Association of America, Inc. It is undertaking a new broad-based Jewish educational institution dedicated to the traditional training and education of the next generation of cantors, rabbis, educators, and principals, synagogue executive directors, and Jewish communal workers and specialists.
   
   

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CONSERVATIVE:

1. United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
   
2. United Synagogue Youth
   
3. Jewish Theological Seminary of America
   
4. Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Located at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, the studies culminate in ordination as a Conservative rabbi.
   
5. Rabbinical Assembly of America
   
6. H.L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music.
7. Cantors' Assembly.
   
8. Solomon Schecter Day School Movement
   
9. The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem with its Graduate School of Advanced Jewish Studies, Rabbinical School, and Center for Jewish Education
   
10. Lists Conservative/Masorti religious organizations in U.S. and Israel.
11. Listings for finding a Conservative-affiliated synagogue
    
12. The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism - synagogue lists
    
13. Women's League for Conservative Judaism
    
14. Conservative Judaism magazine
    
15. Review Magazine (USCJ)
    
16. A Conservative Compact of Jewish Commitment: A Call to Action by Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein, USCJ Executive Vice-President
    
17. “A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice” (1979) , the late Rabbi Isaac Klein’s magnum opus (A Shulchan Arukh for the then-traditional Conservative movement) unfortunately has been removed from the Internet by the Jewish Theological Seminary. (Available from Amazon.com) Some excerpts are still found on line as part of other publications, e.g.,
    A Guide to Kashrut;
    Guide to Jewish Funeral Practice;
    Excerpts regarding Shabbat observances and
    A Guide to Practical Halacha and Home Ritual For Conservative Jews
    
18. Excerpts from The Responsa of Professor Louis Ginzberg former Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary. edited by Rabbi David Golinkin
    
19. Current CJLS (Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement) Recent Responsa
    
    CJLS Recent Statements on Homosexualty:
    1. Consensus Statement on Homosexuality - CJLS March 25, 1992 (1 pg.)
       
    2. “On Homosexuality” - Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz (4 pg.) This paper was adopted as a philosophical and legal rationale for the 1992 Consensus Statement.
       Combined Resposum for The CJLS Adopted Dec. 6, 2006: 
       
    3. “Homosexuality, Human Dignity and Halakhah” - Rabbis Elliott Dorff, Daniel Nevins and Avram Reisner (55 pg.).
       While retaining the Torah’s explicit prohibition, as understood by the rabbis banning male homosexual intercourse, argued for the full normalization of the status of gay and lesbian Jews. Under this ruling, gay and lesbian Jews may be ordained as clergy and their committed relationships may be recognized, although not as sanctified marriage.
       
    4. “Homosexuality Revisited” [ Referring to the 1992 paper ] - Rabbi Joel Roth (34 pp.)
       Reaffirmed the prior (1992) position, which denied ordination as clergy to active homosexuals and also prohibited same sex commitment ceremonies or marriage.
       
    5. “Same Sex Attraction and Halachah” – Rabbi Leonard Levy (64 pgs.)
       A third teshuva accepted by the CJLS in 2006 upheld the traditional prohibitions, while arguing that homosexuality is not a unitary condition and urged the development of educational programs within the community to achieve understanding, compassion and dignity for gays and lesbians.
20. Responsa for Today.Responsa written by Israeli Conservative/Masorti rabbis, including “Responsa in a Moment” by Rabbi Professor David Golinkin; six volumes of Hebrew responsa written by the Va'ad Halakhah (Law Committee) of the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel between 1985-1999, and their English summaries; plus other sections. In the future, unpublished responsa by Conservative/Masorti rabbis will be added.
    
21. On-line Responsa from the Rabbinical Assembly of America
    
22. Some Practical Halacha For Conservative Jews: Many Conservative Jews have a strong desire to learn some ritual Halacha but have no ready source of succinct information. Often the only readily available information about ritual Halacha presents an Orthodox viewpoint. This booklet is meant to provide an introduction to selected practical Halachic topics from the viewpoint of Conservative Judaism. Compiled by a layman, 124 pp. Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.
    
    

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TRADITIONAL:

1. Union of Traditional Judaism
   
   

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ORTHODOX:

1. Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
   
2. National Conference of Synagogue Youth
   
3. Rabbi Yitzhak Elchanan Theological Seminary
   
4. The Rabbinical Council of America
   
5. Yeshiva University's Belz School of Jewish Music
   
6. Stern College for Women, at Yeshiva University
   
7. The Yeshiva University Museum.
8. The national Chabad Lubavitch website.
   
9. Chabad Lubavitch main day-to-day homepage.
   
10. Website devoted to the late Lubavitcher Rebbe.
11. The frum side of the Web.
    
12. The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance provides extensive research on women and halacha.  The online quarterly JOFA Journal, which began in 1999, has numerous articles of interest.
    
13. Where to find an Orthodox minyan
    
14. A listing of all mikvaot in the United States
    
15. Jewish Action publication
    
    

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SECULAR:

Secular Humanistic Jews rely on reason, rather than faith, to understand the world and believe that human intelligence and experience are capable of guiding their lives. Humanistic Judaism is a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life, focusing on American Jews who said they practice no religion and/or do not affiliate with any Jewish institution. Established in 1963 by Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine (1928-2007), its headquarters is in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. It coordinates the following organizations from there:

1. Association of Humanistic Rabbis –Estab. 1967; membership group of like-minded rabbinic leaders.
   
2. Society for Humanistic Judaism - U.S. affiliate community group, started in 1969.
   
3. International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism – Estab. 1985; training arm for Humanistic rabbinic, cantorial, and educational leaders.
   
4. International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews – Estab. 1986; affiliates in Israel, greater Europe and Latin America.
   
5. The Center for Cultural Judaism in New York City, a kindred organization, hosts the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews, conducts seminars, and trains secular Jewish leaders.
   
   

   "MESSIANIC JUDAISM"
   This is a non-Jewish categorization, consisting of Jews who have converted to Christianity - no longer deemed Jewish by the Jewish community, despite their retaining adherence to some Jewish practices - due to their acceptance of Jesus as their Saviour.

   
   “Messianic Judaism is a movement of Jewish congregations and congregation-like groupings committed to Yeshua [Jesus] the Messiah that embrace the covenantal responsibility of Jewish life and identity rooted in Torah, expressed in tradition, renewed and applied in the context of the New Covenant.”
   - From the statement affirmed by the Delegates to the 23rd Annual UMJC Conference on July 31, 2002.
   
   1. International Messianic Jewish Alliance (IMJA) : Established 1925, as the International Hebrew Christian Alliance.
      
   2. The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations: Established 1983.
      
   3. Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (MJTI): Clermont, Florida. Established 2002
      
   4. Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council: Established 2006.
      
      
      
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   M. AMERICAN SYNAGOGUES: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY – Available on CD-ROM, includes over 3200 large color photographs representing 1409 individual synagogue buildings from all 50 States Plus Washington, DC
   
   

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