The fifth weekly biblical portion in Deuteronomy is Shoftim, “Judges.” The rabbis who were descendants of the ancient Pharisees viewed this portion as supporting the Pharisees’ views, rather than those of the Sadducees. The ancient Sadducees ceased to exist after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, and were later followed by the Karaites.

The first Karaites began in Babylon. The founder was Anan ben David (740-795 CE). He and his followers rejected the authority of the rabbis and the Talmud. They claimed that the only source of religious law is the Bible’s literal wording. This is why they are called Karaits, derived from the Hebrew word kara, meaning “Scripture.” In contrast, mainstream Judaism considered the teachings of the rabbis to be the authoritative interpretations of the Torah. There may be as many as 50,000 Karaite Jews existing today—mostly in Israel—with only about 1500 in the US.[1]

The Karaites were preceded by the Sadducees, a religious and political group in Judea, active during the second century BCE to 70 CE, associated with the aristocracy and the Temple priesthood.

The origin of the name Sadducees is unknown. Some scholars believe the name was derived from the Hebrew name of the high priest Tzadok, who held this position during the reigns of King David and Solomon, centuries before the Sadducees were first mentioned. They say the later Sadducees saw themselves as the successors to this ancient priest and adopted his name, which means “righteous.”

I do not think this is true, and see no reason why—centuries after this ancient high priest lived—people would want to associate themselves with him simply because he held his position during a historical period. It........

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