Judaism · macro

Orthodox Judaism

Covenant with a people, worked out in a law that covers ordinary life in detail, under an interpretive authority that is rabbinic rather than priestly. The lowest E3 value in the matrix: belonging here is inherited, not chosen.

What makes it unusual

The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.

E3 Locus of belonginga people, inheritedFurther toward "a people, inherited" than most traditions in the matrix.
B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixedFurther toward "revealed and fixed" than most traditions in the matrix.
E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional actFurther toward "an intentional act" than most traditions in the matrix.
B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and bindingFurther toward "literal and binding" than most traditions in the matrix.

All seventeen positions

Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.

The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.

position
tolerated variation

A · The divine

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists	a divine reality certainly existsTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	1.00	0.02
A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address	a personal being one can addressTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.88	0.06
A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits	strictly oneTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.02	0.02
A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it	between wholly beyond the world and fully present within itTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.48	0.14

B · Knowledge and authority

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience	revealed and fixedTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.08	0.07
B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all	literal and bindingTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.15	0.10
B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides	clergy and tradition decideTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.12	0.10

C · Self and destiny

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form	leaning continues in some formTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.75	0.18
C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return	one life, then judgmentTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.05	0.12
C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound	leaning ignorant but fundamentally soundTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.70	0.12

D · Practice

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight	between given as grace and achieved by effort or insightTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.60	0.14
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent	essential and prescribedTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.02	0.02
D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated	between to be disciplined and to be celebratedTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.38	0.14

E · World and others

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths	between one true path and many valid pathsTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.55	0.18
E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural	an intentional actTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.02	0.02
E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice	a people, inheritedTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.08	0.06
E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred	between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacredTanakh, Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch	0.40	0.13

Compared with

Where do you sit?

The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.