The Basics
If you are new to Karaism, this is the perfect place to start.

The Basics is dedicated to getting you up and running on some of the basic tenets of Karaism. Click on a selection below to view.

Mai Hanukah
Melech ben Ya'aqov
9 January 2005
Hanukah: What Exactly are We Celebrating Here Anyway?  Hanukah is a holiday the very reason for whose existence is to commemorate the struggle and ultimate victory of Torah over pagan culture. The Pharisees (Rabbis) have always presented themselves as the upholders of true Torah. How ironic then, for those who do not yet truly know the Pharisees, that they inserted pagan elements into the celebration of Hanukah.  read article »
What is the View in the Tanakh of Death & the Afterlife?
Melech ben Ya'aqov
27 October 2004
There is a common misconception that Karaites do not believe in an afterlife or in the resurrection of the dead.  This misconception comes mostly from statements made by Josephus concerning the Sadducees (i.e. Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 1, Sections 3-4), since the Sadducees are considered the ideological ancestors of the Kariates. In fact, very little is known about the Sadducees and their belief system and it is very possible that the statements made by Jospehus represent the views of one particular group of Sadducees.  read article »
The Meaning of Mamzer
Melech ben Ya'aqov
4 April 2004
How can the God be so unfair!  He excludes a bastard child from the congregation of YHWH even until the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:3). What did that child ever do to deserve such a punishment? Answer: God is not unfair. Read on to understand the surprising reason why.  read article »
Jewish Calendar is Slowly Drifting Off Track
Melech ben Ya'aqov
February 1999
If Trend Continues, Passover Will Be In May and Rosh Hodesh One Day Later.  The Jewish calendar, laid out by Hillel II in the year 4119 (358 – 359 C.E.) and in use now for approximately 1,650 years, may have slowly drifted off track according to new research done by leading experts in the field of Biblical Astronomy.  read article »