What is Judaism in 2013?
In an age of rationalism and science, is there any reason still to be Jewish or raise Jewish children? Does Judaism offer the wisdom of generations or an outdated view of the universe? Does it offer us more than it divides us from others?
I think the wisdom of the generations is more important now than ever–values, spiritual strength, sense of obligation, moral expectation. This doesn’t come without effort–study and thought and active practice. Of course people can get the above from other than Judaism, but I believe that we do it very well if not better.
I am mostly with Sue Tafler, although I think there’s wisdom and there’s sclerosis. Yes, there is wisdom in Jewish thought and, happily, a lot of it is being adopted (finally) in the world. And it’s a good thing to be the standard-bearer.
But –
There’s a huge amount of that wisdom which is buried in the commentary of ages. It seems that in every age and every generation, there arise commentators who add their own spin. That would be OK if we simultaneously edited out what is no longer applicable or relevant or “modern.” All of that should be relegated to scholars who want to study “how we got here,” but the main body of interpretation… for we the masses… needs to stay current. The alternative is to force people either to ignore the body of work… to ignore Judaism… or to commit to learning a great deal that is irrelevant.
So, yes, I try to raise my child Jewish… at least as I perceive the core of Judaism… because I do not perceive a conflict between Judaism and Science, and I do believe that rational argument shows that many of our ideas of ethics present a consistent system which is useful in human society. But I don’t raise my child to worry about interpretations of that core that were composed centuries ago without accurate information about nature or rational argument. Is Judaism a superior code of conduct from others I might teach my son? I don’t know – that I take on faith!
An example of the above: Pesach. I think the spilling of the ten drops, and the “my creatures are perishing and you sing praises?” section, point to real core beliefs… that human life is valuable, even when it’s an enemy’s, and human suffering is humans suffering, even when they are enemies. But I don’t worry much about if peanut butter is kosher l’pesach: peanuts are only from the New World and no one who bakes in my family would mistake peanut flour for wheat flour. Worrying about it is to me, therefore, a distraction caused by misinformed interpretations that should have been edited out of the mainstream a long time ago.
I admit to being a cafeteria Jew, and I think that’s one of the great things about Judaism (at least liberal Judaism) – it encourages that. If people choose not to eat pork and not to mix milk and meat, but to include shrimp in the fish category – well, they’re doing something to honor and identify with Judaism. There’s no rigid authority demanding that you do x and y, so Jews embrace what they need from the ethics and the teachings and the culture without feeling guilty or condemned. Jewish learning is a wonderful source for knowledge and guidance, even if we skip over the 613 mitzvot. And we can reject the impetuous and wrathful God of the Old Testament without rejecting the teachings and the admonition to “choose life.”
I’m the author of the original post. I like this reply. It made me think of the following addition to the discussion:
In conversations about racism, there is an interesting and useful suggestion about how to address a racist act. Specifically, there’s a big difference between saying, “You are a racist” and “What you did was racist.” The first impugns the person while the second impugns the behavior. Use of the latter is therefore better: there’s an ethical dilemma with trying to change a person as it implies an unjustified personal moral superiority, while societies get to set and enforce behavioral rules.
The same can be taken in positive. “You are a Jew” is fraught with judgment about who is a “good Jew” or a “bad Jew.” And it’s problematical in regards to ethnicity. On the other hand, “You did a mitzvah” not only gives credit to the person (Jewish or not), but also honors our ethics and rules. Further, “You did *a* Jewish act” is much different from “You did *every* Jewish act,” thereby enabling we “cafeteria Jews” to do good in the world simply to do good rather than to keep score.
Florence Harris once said when talking about her Jewish journey one High Holiday season, that the New York social action, value-based experience of her youth was wonderful, but absent a Jewish framework, impossible to “pass down” to her children.
Jewish education at Temple Isaiah for me and for my children has enriched our lives. We are challenged to ask questions, to consider, to care for others, to act. Could we do that in another setting? Perhaps. But this one works for me. Torah, like most literature, can be explored in a modern context. Judaism doesn’t so much offer wisdom than it provides a framework though which one can becomes wiser, kinder, more thoughtful. Judaism requires one to find meaning. Sometimes an ancient ritual can lead to this meaning, and sometimes it’s just an interesting experience.
I have never felt that my Judaism divides me from others. Judaism is part of my self that I take into all parts of my life. Interacting with others sometimes makes me evaluate my Jewish study to compare or contrast ideas. I took a class with a woman from Hawaii who shared her Hawaiian teaching that whenever she was asked to undertake a task, she had been taught to ask to think about how she should go about this task so that she was useful to others. In the context of graduate school, she had an assignment – a task that is not immediately tied to helping others, but she explained what she did to make this assignment meaningful to her community of other students. I appreciated this teaching which made me think about community and helpfulness in a broader way. I think my Jewish framework helped me appreciate her teaching and in no way divided us.
Judaism provides oneself and their children an important link to their ancestors. Importantly, it reminds us that we are all part of something bigger and much greater than oneself. More than ever, in the age of electronics, terrorism, violent crime, an inherently ineffective government that instinctively, but unintentionally, makes more people dependent on government, etc., Judaism and a loving, supporting Jewish Community is necessary now!!!!!
Judaism provides our children a context on where they are in the world, a sense of purpose and identity, and a positive and constructive moral/spiritual template for them to personalize.
For our children, having positive spiritual experiences, having an effective social outlet (NFTY), a community that reinforces and promotes common values and quality decision-making, support of Israel, and a Jewish community is critical for the identity of Jews and crucial for the greater world.