Branch of Judaism that most staunchly adheres to traditional beliefs and practices, characterized by the belief in the immutability and supreme authority of the Written Law and Oral Law as the fundamental basis of religious observance, by resistance to modernization, by strict conformity to daily worship and dietary laws, by the regular study of the Torah, by the observance of the Sabbath, and by the separation of men and women in the synagogue. This branch of Judaism often disputes the legitimacy of other Jewish groups on the issues that transgress Orthodox Jewish law such as non-Orthodox marriages or divorce.
