Jewish Law: Sephardic responsa

Today, different denominations of Judaism (generally referred to as "streams" or "movements") exist: Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, etc. A full discussion of these distinctions is beyond the scope of this guide. However, prior to the development of these movements, delineations along ethnic/regional lines existed, and these delineations persist today in terms of legal traditions, prayer rites, and religious custom (in addition to aspects of culture unrelated to Jewish law). The Sephardic Jews have a particular legal tradition that sometimes diverges from the norms of the Ashkenazi legal tradition.*

The sources of law previously discussed in the Oral law and Responsa sections of this guide include commentary emanating from Sephardic communities, as many of the leading sages of the Talmudic era were themselves Sephardic Jews. This section deals with contemporary Sephardic approaches to Jewish law.

* "Sephardic" denotes Jewish communities originating in the Iberian peninsula and their descendents. For more on other Jewish ethnic groups, see The Jewish Diaspora.