AmaKaraite Nokufuna Kwawo Iqiniso

“FUNISISA [emiBhalweni] futhi ungathembeli embonweni wami.” Lawo mazwi ashiwo umholi wamaKaraite wekhulu lesishiyagalombili C.E. Ayengobani amaKaraite? Ingabe kukhona okuthile okubalulekile esingakufunda esibonelweni sawo? Ukuze siphendule lemibuzo, kumelwe sihlehle nomlando siye empikiswaneni eyathatha isikhathi eside eyaholela ekubeni khona kwenhlangano yamaKaraite.

Yaqala Kanjani Lempikiswano?

Emakhulwini eminyaka okugcina ngaphambi kokuqala kweNkathi Evamile, kwaba nefilosofi entsha phakathi kwenkolo yobuJuda. Kwakuwumqondo wokuthi uNkulunkulu wanikeza iMithetho emibili eNtabeni iSinayi, omunye wawulotshiwe futhi omunye udluliselwe ngomlomo.a Ngekhulu lokuqala C.E., kwase kunezingxabano ezishisayo phakathi kwalabo abamukela lemfundiso entsha nalabo abayenqaba. AbaFarisi babengabashoshozeli, kanti abaSadusi nama-Esene babephakathi kwabaphikisi.

Phakathi nalempikiswano eyayiqhubeka, uJesu waseNazaretha wabonakala njengoMesiya othenjisiwe. (Daniyeli 9:24, 25; Mathewu 2:1-6, 22, 23) UJesu wabhekana nawo wonke lawo maqembu aphikisanayo amaJuda. Lapho ebonisana nawo, wakulahla ukwenza izwi likaNkulunkulu ize ngenxa yesiko lawo. (Mathewu 15:3-9) UJesu futhi wafundisa amaqiniso angokomoya ngendlela okunguMesiya kuphela owayengafundisa ngayo. (Johane 7:45, 46) Ngaphezu kwalokho, abalandeli bakaJesu beqiniso kuphela abanikeza ubufakazi bokusekelwa kwaphezulu. Baziwa ngokuthi amaKristu.—IzEnzo 11:26.

Lapho ithempeli laseJerusalema libhujiswa ngo-70 C.E., abaFarisi babewukuphela kwehlelo elingokwenkolo elahlala liphelele. Manje njengoba ubupristi, imihlatshelo, nethempeli kungasekho, inkolo yobuJuda yabaFarisi yayingathola okwakuzothatha indawo yakho konke lokhu, ivumela ukuba isiko nencazelo kungene esikhundleni soMthetho olotshiwe. Lokhu kwavula ithuba lokuba kulotshwe “izincwadi ezingcwele” ezintsha. Kwaqala kwaba khona iMishnah, nezenezelo nezincazelo zayo zomthetho wabo odluliselwa ngomlomo. Kamuva, amanye amaqoqo emibhalo anezelwa futhi abizwa ngokuthi iTalmud. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, amaKristu ayizihlubuki aqala ukuchezuka ezimfundisweni zikaJesu. Womabili lamaqembu akha izimiso zenkolo ezinamandla—kolunye uhlangothi kuyigunya lorabi futhi kolunye kuyigunya lesonto.

Ngenxa yezingxabano zamaJuda neRoma lobuqaba futhi kamuva neRoma ‘lobuKristu,’ ekugcineni isikhungo senkolo yobuJuda saba seBabiloni. Kwakuyilapho lapho imibhalo yeTalmud yahlelwa khona iyonke. Nakuba orabi babethi iTalmud yayimbula intando kaNkulunkulu ngokuphelele kakhudlwana, amaJuda amaningi ezwa ubunzima obandayo begunya lorabi futhi alangazelela izwi likaNkulunkulu eladluliselwa kuwo ngoMose nangabaprofethi.

Engxenyeni yokugcina yekhulu lesishiyagalombili C.E. amaJuda aseBabiloni ayephikisana negunya nokukholelwa kwaworabi emthethweni wabo odluliselwa ngomlomo asabela kumholi owayefundile owayebizwa ngokuthi u-Anan ben David. Wamemezela ukuthi umJuda ngamunye unelungelo lokufunda imiBhalo YesiHeberu ngokungabekelwa mingcele, njengokuwukuphela komthombo wenkolo yeqiniso, angayinaki incazelo yorabi noma iTalmud. U-Anan wafundisa: “Funisisa kuyiTorah [umthetho olotshiwe kaNkulunkulu] futhi ungathembeli embonweni wami.” Ngenxa yalokhu kugcizelela umBhalo, abalandeli baka-Anan baziwa ngokuthi ama-Qa·ra·ʼimʹ, igama lesiHeberu elisho ukuthi “abafundi [bokulotshiwe].”

AmaKaraite Angqubuzana Norabi

Iziphi ezinye zezibonelo zezimfundiso zamaKaraite ezabangela ukudumala okukhinyabezayo emaqenjini orabi? Orabi babenqaba ukuba kudliwe inyama nobisi kanyekanye. Banikeza lokhu njengencazelo ewumthetho odluliselwa ngomlomo ka-Eksodusi 23:19, othi: “Awuyikupheka izinyane lembuzi obisini lukanina.” Ngakolunye uhlangothi, amaKaraite ayefundisa ukuthi leli vesi lalimane nje lichaza lokho elikushoyo—hhayi okunye. Ayephikisa ngokuthi imithetho evimbelayo yorabi yayisungulwe ngumuntu.

Ngokwencazelo yabo kaDuteronomi 6:8, 9, orabi babecabanga ukuthi amadoda angamaJuda kwakufanele athandaze egqoke amafilakteriyu, nokuthi kwakufanele kubekwe i-mezuzah ensikeni yomnyango ngayinye.b AmaKaraite ayebheka lamavesi njenganencazelo engokomfanekiso kuphela futhi ngenxa yalokho ayeyilahla imithetho enjalo yorabi.

Kwezinye izinto amaKaraite ayenemithetho evimbela ngaphezulu kakhulu kweyorabi. Ngokwesibonelo, cabangela umbono wawo ngo-Eksodusi 35:3, ofundeka kanje: “Aniyikubasa-mlilo ezindlini zenu ngosuku lwesabatha.” AmaKaraite ayekunqabela ukushiywa kwesibani sikhanya ngisho noma sasikhanyiswe ngaphambi kweSabatha.

Ikakhulukazi ngemva kokufa kuka-Anan, abaholi bamaKaraite babephikisana izikhathi eziningi ngokuphathelene nezinga nobunjalo bemithetho ethile evimbelayo, futhi isigijimi sayo sasingacaci ngaso sonke isikhathi. AmaKaraite ayentula ubunye ngoba ayengabhekile kumholi othile oyedwa kodwa ayegcizelela ukuzifundela nokuzichazela imiBhalo, ngokuphambene nendlela yorabi yegunya. Nokho, naphezu kwalokhu, inhlangano yamaKaraite yaqhubeka ithandwa futhi iba nethonya nasezindaweni ezikude kakhulu nomphakathi wamaJuda aseBabiloni futhi yasakazekela kulo lonke elaseMpumalanga Ephakathi. Kwaze kwamiswa nesikhungo esiyinhloko samaKaraite eJerusalema.

Phakathi nekhulu lesishiyagalolunye neleshumi C.E., izazi ezingamaKaraite zaphumelela ngokuphawulekayo ekutadisheni kabusha ulimi lwesiHeberu futhi ngandlela-thile zaba nenkathi yokuchuma. Zazibheka imiBhalo YesiHeberu elotshiwe njengengcwele, hhayi amasiko adluliselwa ngomlomo. Amanye amaKaraite aba abakopishi abacophelelayo bemiBhalo YesiHeberu. Eqinisweni, kwakuyinselele yamaKaraite eyakhuthaza ukuba wonke amaJuda atadishe imiBhalo ngeMasora, okwaqinisekisa ukuthi kuba nombhalo weBhayibheli olondoloziwe onembe ngokwengeziwe namuhla.

Phakathi nalenkathi yokwanda okusheshayo, inkolo yobuJuda yamaKaraite yahileleka emsebenzini wokuba izithunywa zevangeli obala phakathi kwamanye amaJuda. Lokhu kwabekela inkolo yobuJuda yorabi usongo olusobala.

Basabela Kanjani Orabi?

Ukuhlasela korabi kwaba impi yamazwi enamandla, beshintsha izimfundiso zabo futhi bezimisa kabusha ngobuqili. Phakathi nekhulu leminyaka elalandela ukuhlasela kuka-Anan, inkolo yamaJuda yorabi yamukela izindlela eziningana zamaKaraite. Orabi baba nekhono ngokwengeziwe ekucaphuneni imiBhalo, besebenzisa nendlela yamaKaraite ebucikweni babo bokusho izinto.

Umholi owayeqashelwa kulokhu kuhlaselwa kwamaKaraite ngamazwi kwakunguSaʽadia ben Joseph, owaba umphathi womphakathi wamaJuda eBabiloni ngengxenye yokuqala yekhulu leshumi C.E. Incwadi evelele kaSaʽadia, i-Book of Beliefs and Opinions, yahunyushelwa esiNgisini nguSamuel Rosenblatt, owathi esingenisweni sayo: “Nakuba . . . ayenegunya kuyiTalmud ngosuku lwakhe, [uSa‘adia] uwusebenzisa kancane ngokuqhathaniswa lomthombo wesiko lamaJuda, ngokusobala ngenxa yokuthi kwakuyisifiso sakhe ukuba awanqobe ngezikhali zawo siqu amaKaraite ayamukela uMthetho Olotshiwe kuphela njengonegunya.”

Ilandela ezinyathelweni zikaSa‘adia, inkolo yamaJuda yorabi ekugcineni yaba umakhonya. Yafeza lokhu ngokuzivumelanisa nesimo ngokwanele ukuba ikwazi ukususa ubufakazi obunamandla ezimpikiswaneni zamaKaraite. Igalelo lokugcina lavela kuMoses Maimonides, isazi esidumile seTalmud sekhulu le-12. Ngokuba kwakhe nesimo sengqondo sokuwabekezelela amaKaraite ayehlala nawo e-Egypt, kanye nangendlela yakhe egculisayo yomuntu ofundile, wazuza inhlonipho yawo futhi wenza buthaka isimo sabaholi bawo uqobo.

Inhlangano YamaKaraite Iphelelwa Umfutho

Njengoba manje yayisintula ubunye futhi ingasenakho ukuhleleka okuvumelanayo ekulwisaneni negalelo elibulalayo, inhlangano yamaKaraite yalahlekelwa yikho kokubili umfutho nabalandeli. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, amaKaraite ashintsha imibono nezimiso zawo. ULeon Nemoy, owayeloba ngokuphathelene nenhlangano yamaKaraite, uyabhala: “Nakuba iTalmud yahlala ivinjelwe ngegama nje, izinto eziningi zeTalmud zahlanganiswa ngokunyenya ekugcinweni komthetho nasenkambisweni yamaKaraite.” Empeleni, amaKaraite alahlekelwa injongo yawo yokuqala futhi amukela okuningi kwenkolo yamaJuda yorabi.

KusenamaKaraite angaba ngu-25 000 kwa-Israel. Izinkulungwane ezimbalwa ezengeziwe zingatholakala kwamanye amazwe, ikakhulukazi eRussia nase-United States. Nokho, njengoba enamasiko awo siqu adluliselwa ngomlomo, ahlukile kumaKaraite okuqala.

Yini esingayifunda emlandweni wamaKaraite? Ukuthi kuyiphutha elingathi sína ‘ukwenza izwi likaNkulunkulu ize ngesiko.’ (Mathewu 15:6) Ukuze umuntu akhululeke emasikweni abantu awumthwalo osindayo kudingeka ulwazi olunembile lwemiBhalo. (Johane 8:31, 32; 2 Thimothewu 3:16, 17) Yebo, labo abafuna ukwazi nokwenza intando kaNkulunkulu abathembeli emasikweni abantu. Kunalokho, bahlola iBhayibheli ngenkuthalo futhi basebenzise ukufundisa okunenzuzo kweZwi likaNkulunkulu eliphefumulelwe.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 30]

Iqembu lamaKaraite

[Umthombo]

From the book The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1910