Editing Modern Orthodox Judaism (section)

===Standards of observance===
{{Hatnote|See further under [[Torah im Derech Eretz#Jewish law|Torah im Derech Eretz]]; [[Torah Umadda#Centrist Orthodoxy|Torah Umadda]]}}
There is an often repeated contention that Modern Orthodoxy—beyond its approach to ''chumrahs'' ("strictures") [[#Haredi Judaism|described above]]—has lower standards of observance of [[halakha|traditional Jewish laws and customs]] than other branches of [[Orthodox Judaism]].<ref>See for example, [http://www.hashkafah.com/index.php?showtopic=1926&st=20 What is Modern Orthodox?-Hashkafah.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818073228/http://www.hashkafah.com/index.php?showtopic=1926&st=20 |date=2007-08-18 }}.</ref> This view is largely anecdotal, and is based on individual behaviour, as opposed to any formal, institutional position;<ref>{{cite web|last=Menchell|first=Dovid|title=Edah Holds Conference|url=http://yuweb.addr.com/v63i9/news/edah.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051110172630/http://yuweb.addr.com/v63i9/news/edah.shtml|archive-date=November 10, 2005|access-date=September 2, 2005}}</ref> see [[#The_behaviorally_modern|above]] re "the behaviorally modern":

{{Quote|There are at least two distinct types of Modern Orthodox. ... One is philosophically or ideologically modern, while the other is more appropriately characterized as behaviorally modern. ... [The] philosophically Modern Orthodox would be those who are meticulously observant of Halakhah but are, nevertheless, philosophically modern. ... The behaviorally Modern Orthodox, on the other hand, are not deeply concerned with philosophical ideas ... by and large, they define themselves as Modern Orthodox [either] in the sense that they are not meticulously observant [or] in reference to ... right-wing Orthodoxy.<ref name="Liebman2" />}}

{{Quote|[This] group is appropriately described as "modern" in the sense that those who see themselves as part of it are committed to the tradition, in general, but feel free to pick and choose in their observance of rituals. In contrast to the more traditional Orthodox, they do not observe all of the rituals as deemed obligatory by the traditional community. Their sense of "freedom of choice", although never articulated theoretically, is as evident as it is among many other contemporary Americans who view themselves as religiously traditional, but, nevertheless, are selective in their religiosity.<ref name="Waxman" />}}

Additionally, whereas the Modern Orthodox position is (generally) presented as "unquestioned allegiance to the primacy of Torah, and that the apprehension of all other intellectual disciplines must be rooted and viewed through the prism of Torah",<ref>{{cite web|title=What Does Torah U'Madda Mean to You?|url=http://yuweb.addr.com/v67i7/culture/toyou.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308081945/http://yuweb.addr.com/v67i7/culture/toyou.html|archive-date=March 8, 2007|access-date=March 26, 2006}}</ref> ''[[Haredi Judaism|Haredi]]'' groups have sometimes compared Modern Orthodoxy with early [[Reform Judaism]] in [[Germany]]: Modern Orthodox rabbis have been criticised for attempting to modify [[Halakha|Jewish law]], in adapting Judaism to the needs of the [[modern world]].{{citation needed|reason=No reliable source for such claims|date=March 2015}}

Note that claims of this nature have been commonplace within Orthodox Judaism since the first "reforms" of [[Samson Raphael Hirsch]] and [[Azriel Hildesheimer]]. Thus, in [[Europe]] of the early 19th century, all of [[Judaism]] that differed from the strictest forms present at the time was called "Reform". Then, as now, Modern Orthodoxy took pains to distance its "reforms", which were consistent with the [[Shulkhan Arukh]] and [[poskim]], from those of the Reform movement (and the Conservative movement), which were not.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

{{Quote|It is foolish to believe that it is the wording of a prayer, the notes of a synagogue tune, or the order of a special service, which form the abyss between [Reform and Orthodoxy].... It is not the so-called Divine Service which separates us, [rather it] is the theory—the principle [of faithfulness to Jewish law] ... if the Torah is to you the Law of God how dare you place another law above it and go along with God and His Law only as long as you thereby "progress" in other respects at the same time? (''Religion Allied to Progress'', [[Samson Raphael Hirsch]])}}