Who are past leaders of Judaism who changed the way it was practiced?

Question

Besides Abraham, the creator, who were some people over the years who made decisions such as altering the texts or creating different sects that led to a major change in the way people worshipped and followed Judaism?

Answer 1

- Moses - he was the first one who wrote the Law of the Judaism
- King David - introduced music in the practice and wrote lots of songs that can be found in today's Psalms
- King Solomon - built the first Temple in Jerusalim and set it as the only place to bring offerings to God.
- Yohanan ben Zakkai - a rabbi that introduced the Synagogues as places of worship all over the world
- Israel ben Eliezer - founder of Hasidic Judaism

Answer 2

um the ''Baal Shem Tov": He started Chassidus, R' Yehuda Hanasi, made the calender, ummm?

Answer 3

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Judaism Reading List: Humanistic Judaism (Pt. VII)

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Subject: Judaism Reading List: Humanistic Judaism (Pt. VII)
Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2004 11:07:04 -0800 (PST)
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Selected Sources for Additional Reading on Judaism
Part VII: Humanistic Judaism
[Last Change: $Date: 1995/10/19 15:21:43 $ $Revision: 1.2 $]
[Last Post: Sun Feb 15 11:07:05 US/Pacific 2004]

"Humanistic Jews need a literature that clearly and boldly states
what they think and believe" [Win85]

This message is intended to provide readers of soc.culture.jewish with
a list of references to allow them to learn more about the current
practices, past practices, beliefs, and history of the Humanistic
Judaism Movement.

Humanistic Judaism is less well known than Orthodox, Conservative, and
Reform. But, on a behavioral level, it claims to represent many more
American Jews than any of these official ideologies. Rabbi Sherwin
Wine, the founder of the movement, identifies three kinds of Jews who
are neither honestly Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. He calls these
types the involuntary, the ethnic, and the humanistic. Rabbi Wine
defines the involuntary Jew is the individual of Jewish descent who
finds no meaning either in his past or in the unique practices of his
ancestral religion. He defines the ethnic Jew is the person of Jewish
descent who bears a strong attachment to the Hebrew and Yiddish
cultures out of which he emerged.

Rabbi Wine feels that these affiliations are negative. He prefers the
positive definition of Humanistic Jew:

The Humanistic Jew is an individual, of either Jewish or non-Jewish
descent, who believes in the ultimate value of self-respect and in
the principles of humanism, community, autonomy, and rationality.
He also finds meaning in the celebration of life as expressed
through the historic Jewish calendar and seeks to interpret this
calendar in a naturalistic way. He perceives that the power he
possesses to determine and control his own life is the result of
two billion years of evolutionary history. Therefore, his religious
feeling re-enforces his sense of human dignity.

On the last page of his book, "Judaism Beyond God," Rabbi Sherwin T.
Wine says:

Humanistic Jews want to bring their beliefs and their behavior
together and to find their integrity. They are eager to affirm:

* That they are disciples of the Secular Revolution.
* That the Secular Revolution was good for the Jews.
* That reason is the best method for the discovery of truth.
* That morality derives from human needs and is the defense of human
dignity.
* That the universe is indifferent to the desires and aspirations of
human beings.
* That people must ultimately rely on people.
* That Jewish history is a testimony to the absence of God and the
necessity of human self-esteem.
* That Jewish identity is valuable because it connects them to that
history.
* That Jewish personality flows from that history -- and not from
official texts that seek to describe it.
* That Jewish identity serves individual dignity -- and not the
reverse.
* That the Jewish people is an international family that has its
center in Israel and its roots in the Diaspora.
* That the humanistic Gentile has a positive role to play in the
life of the Jewish people."

Humanistic Jews want to translate these affirmations and
commitments into an effective life style -- for themselves and for
those who share their convictions. They need a community of
believers to worth with and to share with in this pioneering
venture. They also need a cadre of trained leaders and spokespeople
to provide scholarship and guidance along the way.

Humanistic Judaism was organized by Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine, who founded
its first congregation, the Birmingham Temple, in Farmington Hills,
Michigan. In 1969, Rabbi Wine helped to found the [6]Society of
Humanistic Judaism ([7]http://www.shj.org/), whose membership
comprises more than 30 congregations and chapters, plus over 1300
families and individual members, as of January 2000. The Society for
Humanistic Judaism is the US affiliate of the International Federation
of Secular Humanistic Jews. The educational arm of the Secular
Humanistic Jewish movement, the International Institute for Secular
Humanistic Judaism, offers several programs to train rabbis, leaders
and educators for the movement. The first Secular Humanistic rabbi
trained at the Institute was ordained in October 1999.

An overview of the current status of Humanistic Judaism, written by
Egon Friedler, of the Uruguayan Movement for Secular Humanistic
Judaism, recently appeared in Midstream (October 1992). Additional
information on Humanistic Judaism, as well as publications on
Humanistic Judaism, may be obtained from:

Society for Humanistic Judaism
28611 W. Twelve Mile Road
Farmington Hills MI 48334
[phone]
[8][e-mail]

The society is internet-accessible; visit [9]www.shj.org (Society for
Humanistic Judaism). There is also a mailing list for those with an
interest in exploring and/or furthering the development of Humanistic
Judaism. The list is hosted at [10]http://www.yahoogroups.com/, and is
called hjlist.

A web page of [11]links and information about Humanistic Judaism is
available at URL: .

Readers interested in Humanistic Judaism might also want to contact
the sister organization to SHJ, the [12]Congress of Secular Jewish
Organizations (www.csjo.org). They can be reached through their
executive director, [13]Roberta Feinstein <[14][e-mail]>.
Inquiries may also be sent in writing to:

Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations
19657 Villa Drive North
Southfield, MI 48076

There is also a mailing list for those with an interest in exploring
and/or furthering the development of Humanistic Judaism. To subscribe,
send a blank e-mail to [15][e-mail], or sign up at the
web site:
[16]http://lyris1.telelists.com/htbin/lyris.pl?enter=hj&text_mode=0.

Where Can I Get The Books

* Many of these books are available through general bookstores or
Judaica bookstores. A list of links to these may be found in the
[17]sources section of the [18]General Reading List (if you are
reading this at [19]www.scjfaq.org, you can simply click on the
"Sources" button in the header navigation bar).
* SHJ Press is the publishing arm of the Society for Humanistic
Judaism movement. They have a web page at
[20]http://www.shj.org/gift.html