The Evolving Jew

I just thought of a new test to tell if you're Charedi or Modern Orthodox. It's called the "All for the Boss" test. Read or re-read the popular (in the frum world) 1984 biography of Yaakov Yosef Herman by his daugher Ruchoma Shain. Inspired? You're Charedi. Appalled? You're Modern Orthodox or further to the left. Was he a tremendous machnis oreach? Or was he a fanatic who had no consideration for his wife, bringing home crowds all the time and expecting her to feed them, working her fingers to the bone? Was he a tzadik who bravely fought for frumkeit in early 20th century NYC and who cultivated sons and sons in law to be great Torah scholars? Or was he a fundamentalist who refused to let his very bright 17 year old daughter go off to college and instead married her off almost against her will and sent the young couple off to Poland to learn for a few years?

Orthodox Exceptionalism: A belief, held by many, if not most Orthodox Jews, that Orthodoxy is inherently better than other denominations and has a monopoly on truth, and that Orthodox Jews are deeply superior to other types of Jews, justifying condescension and scorn towards other types of Judaism and Jews. Usually partnered with male exceptionalism within Orthodoxy. This phenomenon is similar in attitude to American Exceptionalism and the "rah-rah" patriotism that invariably accompanies it.