Open Orthodoxy
Weiss coined the term "Open Orthodoxy" which emphasises on halacha as well as a broad concern for all Jews, intellectual openness, a spiritual dimension and a more expansive role for women. He views halakha, the collective body of Jewish law, as being more flexible and open to innovation than his more traditional counterparts on the Orthodox right. He states that all Orthodox Judaism, including Open Orthodoxy, fundamentally differs from Conservative Judaism in three areas. First, unlike Conservative Judaism, Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah was given by God at Mount Sinai in its current form. Second, Orthodoxy believes that "legal authority is cumulative, and that a contemporary posek (decisor) can only issue judgments based on a full history of Jewish legal precedent", whereas Conservative Jews believe "precedent provides illustrations of possible positions rather than binding law. Conservatism, therefore, remains free to select whichever position within the prior history appeals to it". Third, Orthodoxy is characterized by ritually-observant members who "meticulously keep Shabbat (the Sabbath), Kashrut (the Dietary Laws), Taharat ha-Mishpaha (the Laws of Family Purity), and pray three times a day", whereas Conservative Judaism "is generally not composed of ritually observant Jews. Thus, only in our community if a 'permissive custom' is accepted, can it be meaningful."
In 1999 Weiss founded Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, a modern Orthodox yeshiva, after resiging from Yeshiva University where he had taught for decades. The school’s graduates are often placed at some of the most prestigious college Hillels and pulpits, but the Rabbinical Council of America does not offer membership to the school's graduates. One of Weiss' students, Rabbi Yossi Pollak, led the historic Stanton Street Synagogue on Manhattan's Lower East Side from 2006 to 2008.
In May 2009, Weiss announced the opening of Yeshivat Maharat, a new school to train women as Maharat, an acronym for the Hebrew מנהיגה הלכתית רוחנית תורנית (halachic, spiritual, and Torah leader), a title he created for the female version of a Rabbi. Its mission, according to its website, is “to train Orthodox women as spiritual leaders and halakhic authorities” in a four-year full-time course.
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