Editing Monasticism (section)

==Judaism==
{{See also|Nazirite}} 
[[Judaism]] does not encourage the monastic ideal of celibacy and poverty. To the contrary—all of the [[Torah]]'s [[Mitzvos|commandments]] are a means of sanctifying the physical world. As further disseminated through the teachings of the [[Baal shem tov|Yisrael Ba'al Shem Tov]], the pursuit of permitted physical pleasures is encouraged as a means to "serve God with joy" (Deut. 28:47).

However, until the [[Destruction of the Second Temple]], about two thousand years ago, taking [[Nazirite]] vows was a common feature of the religion. Nazirite [[Jew]]s (in {{langx|he|נזיר}}) abstained from grape products, haircuts, and contact with the dead.<ref>Maimonides ''Mishne Torah Hilkhot Nazirut'' 1:1</ref> However, they did not withdraw from general society, and they were permitted to marry and own property; moreover, in most cases a Nazirite vow was for a specified time period and not permanent.<ref>Maimonides ''Hilkhot Nazirut'' 3:1</ref> In Modern Hebrew, the term "Nazir" is most often used to refer to non-Jewish monastics.

Unique among Jewish communities is the monasticism of the [[Beta Israel]] of Ethiopia, a practice believed to date to the 15th century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kribus |first=Verena Krebs, Bar |date=2016-08-09 |title=The Bete Israel monastery of Amba Gualit |url=https://www.jewseast.org/single-post/2016/08/02/the-bete-israel-monastery-of-amba-gualit |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=jewseast |language=de}}</ref>

A form of asceticism was practiced by some individuals in pre–[[World War II]] European [[Ashkenazi Jew]]ish communities. Its principal expression was ''prishut'', the practice of a married [[Talmud]] student going into self-imposed exile from his home and family to study in the [[kollel]] of a different city or town.<ref>[[Yaffa Eliach|Eliach]], Y. ''There Once Was a World'' (Back Bay Books, 1998), p. 780.</ref><ref>{{Cite Tidhar|1|79|הרב יחיאל מיכל טוקצ'ינסקי|title=Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tucazinsky}}</ref> This practice was associated with, but not exclusive to, the [[Perushim]].

The [[Essenes]] (in [[Modern Israeli Hebrew|Modern]] but not in [[Biblical Hebrew|Ancient Hebrew]]: {{Script/Hebrew|אִסִּיִים}}, ''Isiyim''; [[Koine Greek|Greek]]: Εσσηνοι, Εσσαιοι, or Οσσαιοι; ''Essēnoi'', ''Essaioi'', or ''Ossaioi'') were a Jewish [[sect]] that flourished from the second century BC to AD 100 which some scholars claim seceded from the [[Zadokite]] priests.<ref>F. F. Bruce, ''Second Thoughts on the Dead Sea Scrolls''. Paternoster Press, 1956.</ref> Being much fewer in number than the [[Pharisees]] and the [[Sadducees]] (the other two major sects at the time), the Essenes lived in various cities but congregated in communal life dedicated to [[asceticism]], [[voluntary poverty]], daily immersion (in mikvah), and abstinence from worldly pleasures, including (for some groups) [[marriage]]. Many separate <!-- pagchur?? --> but related religious groups of that era shared similar [[mysticism|mystic]], [[Jewish eschatology|eschatological]], [[Jewish Messiah|messianic]], and [[asceticism|ascetic]] beliefs. These groups are collectively referred to by various scholars as the "Essenes". [[Josephus]] records that Essenes existed in large numbers, and thousands lived throughout [[Judaea (Roman province)|Roman Judaea]].

The [[Essene]]s have gained fame in modern times as a result of the discovery of an extensive group of religious documents known as the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], which are commonly believed to be the Essenes' library—although there is no proof that the Essenes wrote them.  These documents include multiple preserved copies of the [[Hebrew Bible]] which were untouched from as early as 300 years before Christ until their discovery in 1946. Some scholars, however, dispute the notion that the Essenes wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.<ref>Hillel Newman, Ph.D. Bar Ilan University: ''Proximity to Power and Jewish Sectarian Groups of the Ancient Period'', Brill, {{ISBN|90-04-14699-7}}.</ref> [[Rachel Elior]], a prominent [[Israelis|Israeli]] scholar, even questions the existence of the Essenes.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Ofri |last=Ilani |date=13 March 2009 |title=Scholar: The Essenes, Dead Sea Scroll 'authors,' never existed |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070797.html |work=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=17 March 2009 |archive-date=18 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418191102/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070797.html }}</ref><ref name=time20090316>{{Cite news|first=Tim |last=McGirk |date=16 March 2009 |title=Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls 'Authors' Never Existed |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1885421,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320020525/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1885421,00.html |archive-date=20 March 2009 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=17 March 2009}}</ref><ref name=elior-responds>{{cite web |url=http://jwest.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/rachel-elior-responds-to-her-critics/ |title=Rachel Elior Responds to Her Critics |publisher=Jim West |date=15 March 2009 |access-date=17 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321091436/http://jwest.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/rachel-elior-responds-to-her-critics/ |archive-date=21 March 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=March 2009}}