Different Jewish Religions

As this is my first post here, I'll introduce myself: I'm Simcha, and I live in London NW4.

Here's a joke to start with: what is the shortest time interval possible for a secular Israeli? Answer, the time between the lights changing to green and the driver behind you blowing his horn. What is the shortest time interval possible for a frumme Yid? Answer, the time between turning off the heating in shul and turning on the air conditioning.

Differences of opinion are not only desirable, but essential for life in a physical world. If we all thought the same, there would be no new ideas, no inventions, and no progress. We have to have differences. The fun in life is to learn how to manage them.

Some years ago, I read a story in Wouk's "This is my God" about the Vilna Gaon. A friend of his came to visit him in his study and said to him, "Please look out of your window." The Gaon did so. "Look at your fellow Jews in the market", said his friend, "slaving away to earn a living through a welter of oppressive rules and regulations. If you had to live that way, would you still be the Vilna Gaon?" On hearing this, the Gaon broke down and wept, because he knew in his heart that the answer to his friend's question was a resounding no. With this story in mind, I have suggested to various people in the Jewish community an exercise in trading places. Let one of the Dayanim of Stamford Hill serve for one month as Rabbi of Plotznick United Synagogue. Let the Rabbi of Plotznick United Synagogue serve that time as Dayan in Stamford Hill. Have them compare notes, and then they will understand one another better. The reactions that I've had to this suggestion have caused me to realise that what is normally thought of as the religion of "orthodox" Judaism is not really one religion at all. It is lots of different religions, like many little circles on a piece of paper. Sometimes they intersect, and you can live in the intersection, other times they do not.

When I became aware of this, at first I was very disappointed. Having thought things over further, I can now see there is nothing unusual about this state of affairs. If we had lived in Temple times, I doubt we would have been able to guess whether the halachah would go according to Beit Shammai or Beit Hillel. We wouldn't even have been able to predict which out of the many belief systems then current in the Jewish world would be accepted as normative Judaism.

Today, you can attend a certain place of Jewish learning in my neighbourhood and be told that Independence Day and Jerusalem Day are halachically mandated Yomim Tovim. A few hundred metres away, you can attend a certain shtiebl and be told that Zionism is the greatest possible rebellion against God, and that the modern Hebrew language is an unholy tongue, founded on atheism. Both these institutions can quote copiously from our sources in order to justify their position.

The question is not whether either of them are right or wrong. The question is, given what we want to achieve, do these belief systems work?

The approach that I intend iyh to explore further is as follows. The first principle is to understand that everybody does exactly what is right given his model of the world. Therefore, there is no mileage in being against anyone. We have to get away from the paradigm of victims and villains. If something is happening to us that we do not like, then the question to ask ourselves is, what are we doing to perpetuate it? Or, to put it as the Baal Shem Tov did, sinners are mirrors in which we see our own shortcomings.

Secondly, there are certain steps to peace that we can all take, the first of which is to realise that there are elements in our belief system that are not working.

Thirdly, we can come to a realisation that we are all one. I'm not saying that we should behave as if we are all one, or what a good thing it would be if we were all one, but that we literally are all one, whether we like it or not. The fact that we are walking around in physical bodies makes it difficult to appreciate the fact of our essential oneness, but it exists none the less. Therefore, we don't merely do to one another as we would have done to ourselves, nor indeed do we refrain from doing to the other person that which is hateful to ourselves. Rather, we face the fact that whatever we are doing to the other person, we are doing to ourselves.

My intention in writing the above is to begin to develop another way of dialogue which may prove helpful. It's improbable that I will have anything more to say this side of Pesach, so I'll wish everyone a very happy and peaceful Yomtov.

My opinions on anything are subject to change. My love for you will not change.

 

 

Comments

[Pauli Ojala]

How do you feel about these facts:
http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/David_Magen_Amon.html
?

Pauli.Ojala@gmail.com
Helsinki, Finland
Biochemist, drop-out (evolutionary critic)
http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/dinosaur.htm