Jewish scholars often exhibit an unconscious deference to non-Jewish academic perspectives - a form of "epistemological bondage" that persists despite their own substantial scholarly achievements. Through historical analysis and textual criticism, this intellectual servitude can be traced from ancient rabbinical concepts of assimilation to modern academic contexts. By examining midrashic sources on Jewish resistance to assimilation in Egypt alongside nineteenth-century Jewish scholarship practices, patterns emerge showing how comparative methodologies, which emphasize external cultural influences on Judaism, lead scholars to diminish Jewish intellectual contributions compared to immanent textual approaches. Yet this scholarly inferiority complex proves unjustified: Rabbinic Judaism has profoundly influenced Western civilization through concepts like religious conversion, prohibition of double jeopardy, and universal education - contributions that remain underrecognized. The integration of Talmudic textual criticism into general critical methodology, particularly Biblical studies, offers a path forward. The Talmud's extensive manuscript tradition provides an invaluable laboratory for understanding ancient text formation, redaction, and transmission processes. Systematic application of Talmudic critical insights could revolutionize textual scholarship while restoring appropriate scholarly confidence among Jewish academics.