Sectarian Halakhic Disputes Recorded in Rabbinic Law

Rabbinic writings describe halakhic disputes between Pharisees on the one hand and Sadducees and Boethusians on the other. The latter two groups, whose halakhah resembles that of the community at Qumran in some respects (see ESSENES AND QUMRAN), are represented negatively in rabbinic sources. In m. Menaḥot 10:3, a great show is made of the cutting of the first sheaf of barley at the end of the Passover festival, to refute the Boethusians who believed it should occur at the conclusion of the Sabbath following Passover. In b. Yoma 19b, a high priest who follows Sadducean halakhah concerning the time at which the incense is to be placed on the fire pan during the Yom Kippur service meets a terrible end.

The rabbis likely saw themselves as the heirs of the Pharisaic tradition. As such, they are especially critical of the Sadducees and Boethusians. The disagreement between the Pharisees and the Sadducees was more fundamental than is indicated by stories of disputes over discrete points of law. For more about the beliefs and practices of the Second Temple communities, see Communal Identities.