Sunday, January 14, 2007
Time to Ditch the Messiah
At the end of the daily tephilla in school, we would always sing the twelfth Ani Mamin: "I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the messiah, and even though he delays, I will nevertheless wait every day for him to come".
It's a beautiful statement and I loved the tune, but educationally, I thought we were teaching a bad message and I made my displeasure about the policy known.
According to Maimonides, Judaism has thirteen principles of faith. Only one of them is about the coming of the messiah. I can understand that in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the faith of future salvation for the Jewish people was very appealing, and possibly even crucial, for the re-building of our people. However, I believe that in focusing on the mashiach, we have re-ignited messianism. Our history teaches us that messianism, whether it was from the biryonim at the time of the destruction of the second temple, Bar Kochba 70 years later or Shabbatai Zvi in the middle-ages, has been disastrous for Judaism.
I remember very well my teachers telling me that we have to do mitzvot to help bring mashiach. Nonsense! That is not why we must keep the mitzvoth. We keep the mitzvot because so we are commanded. It has nothing to do with mashiach.
While Israel's Chief Rabbinate was cautious in ascribing the establishment of the State of Israel in messianic terms (it was not the redemption or even the beginning of the redemption, but only the early shoots of redemption), the event itself gave many Jews, the impression that the complete redemption was imminent.
Many secular Jews have even been affected by this phenomenon, with those believing that a peaceful utopia is imminent.
Unfortunately, mashiach will not come tomorrow, neither will there be peace tomorrow and needless to say, we will not experience the rebbe's second coming tomorrow*.
This sad fact is causing much disillusionment in religious Zionist circles, many secular Jews are despairing of Israel and Chabad are on the verge of creating a new religion.
Yes one day the mashiach, will come, but that should not be the focus of our lives. Our focus should be on giving our children the tools to live each day as a Jew and of creating a better future for the Jewish people that is based on the fruit of our labors rather than reliance on messianic intervention.
*In response to one of the posts below, I would like to add the following statement: I pray and hope that mashiach will come tomorrow and I really want him to, but I have much doubt that he actually will. Certainly, we should not be teaching that he will.
It's a beautiful statement and I loved the tune, but educationally, I thought we were teaching a bad message and I made my displeasure about the policy known.
According to Maimonides, Judaism has thirteen principles of faith. Only one of them is about the coming of the messiah. I can understand that in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the faith of future salvation for the Jewish people was very appealing, and possibly even crucial, for the re-building of our people. However, I believe that in focusing on the mashiach, we have re-ignited messianism. Our history teaches us that messianism, whether it was from the biryonim at the time of the destruction of the second temple, Bar Kochba 70 years later or Shabbatai Zvi in the middle-ages, has been disastrous for Judaism.
I remember very well my teachers telling me that we have to do mitzvot to help bring mashiach. Nonsense! That is not why we must keep the mitzvoth. We keep the mitzvot because so we are commanded. It has nothing to do with mashiach.
While Israel's Chief Rabbinate was cautious in ascribing the establishment of the State of Israel in messianic terms (it was not the redemption or even the beginning of the redemption, but only the early shoots of redemption), the event itself gave many Jews, the impression that the complete redemption was imminent.
Many secular Jews have even been affected by this phenomenon, with those believing that a peaceful utopia is imminent.
Unfortunately, mashiach will not come tomorrow, neither will there be peace tomorrow and needless to say, we will not experience the rebbe's second coming tomorrow*.
This sad fact is causing much disillusionment in religious Zionist circles, many secular Jews are despairing of Israel and Chabad are on the verge of creating a new religion.
Yes one day the mashiach, will come, but that should not be the focus of our lives. Our focus should be on giving our children the tools to live each day as a Jew and of creating a better future for the Jewish people that is based on the fruit of our labors rather than reliance on messianic intervention.
*In response to one of the posts below, I would like to add the following statement: I pray and hope that mashiach will come tomorrow and I really want him to, but I have much doubt that he actually will. Certainly, we should not be teaching that he will.
Labels: messiah, religious convictions
Sunday, December 31, 2006
From FFB to BT
In my early teens I discovered that I was an FFB (Frum From Birth).
I fully acknowledge that I am observant because that is the way my parents brought me up. Would I have chosen to be orthodox had I been brought up secular?
In my naive youth I was confident that I would have. It was obvious to me that Jewish history was being governed by a prime mover and that the only way to “guarantee” Jewish survival was to be observant. I still believe this to be true, but I was far more naïve about my second article of faith.
I believed, perhaps because of the influence of a number of BT (Ba’al Teshuva) friends, that non-religious Jews would on masse choose to be religious, however not just because of the reasons stated above, but because I believed that observant Jews were honest, good and tolerant people able to lead rich and satisfying lives without disregarding the positive aspects of wider society. Their behavior would be a shining example to others for others to emulate.
How wrong have I been about this!! Not only are orthodox Jews not shining examples, neither is their leadership. In Israel, one of the Chief Rabbis is being investigated on corruption charges, the other had a criminal act of violence perpetrated in his house, involving his son daughter, and wife for which his son was imprisoned, yet, the only desecration of God’s name that bothered the rabbi, was that people might think he had Internet in his house.
A gay parade was cancelled in Jerusalem, because the police did not believe they could safely protect the demonstrators from religious counter-demonstrators. Apart from the fact that rabbis barely address the serious issues of sexual identity, few rabbis seemed concerned that it was real violence and murderous threats that stopped the parade. Apart from a few calls of abomination, violence seemed to be the extent of the religious arguments.
While there is bias in the ways that religious issues are reported in the Israeli press, we cannot get away from the fact so many serious issues, such as the plight of agunot and sexual abuse in the community, are not taken seriously enough by religious Jews and there is very little debate abut these issues. We are light years behind our brethren on these issues.
Furthermore, religious leaders have shown themselves to be no better morally than their secular counterparts and a good portion of the religious community has shown itself to be narrow-minded, hugely intolerant and to simply be missing the plot. Would I become religious today? I am afraid to answer that question.
I fully acknowledge that I am observant because that is the way my parents brought me up. Would I have chosen to be orthodox had I been brought up secular?
In my naive youth I was confident that I would have. It was obvious to me that Jewish history was being governed by a prime mover and that the only way to “guarantee” Jewish survival was to be observant. I still believe this to be true, but I was far more naïve about my second article of faith.
I believed, perhaps because of the influence of a number of BT (Ba’al Teshuva) friends, that non-religious Jews would on masse choose to be religious, however not just because of the reasons stated above, but because I believed that observant Jews were honest, good and tolerant people able to lead rich and satisfying lives without disregarding the positive aspects of wider society. Their behavior would be a shining example to others for others to emulate.
How wrong have I been about this!! Not only are orthodox Jews not shining examples, neither is their leadership. In Israel, one of the Chief Rabbis is being investigated on corruption charges, the other had a criminal act of violence perpetrated in his house, involving his son daughter, and wife for which his son was imprisoned, yet, the only desecration of God’s name that bothered the rabbi, was that people might think he had Internet in his house.
A gay parade was cancelled in Jerusalem, because the police did not believe they could safely protect the demonstrators from religious counter-demonstrators. Apart from the fact that rabbis barely address the serious issues of sexual identity, few rabbis seemed concerned that it was real violence and murderous threats that stopped the parade. Apart from a few calls of abomination, violence seemed to be the extent of the religious arguments.
While there is bias in the ways that religious issues are reported in the Israeli press, we cannot get away from the fact so many serious issues, such as the plight of agunot and sexual abuse in the community, are not taken seriously enough by religious Jews and there is very little debate abut these issues. We are light years behind our brethren on these issues.
Furthermore, religious leaders have shown themselves to be no better morally than their secular counterparts and a good portion of the religious community has shown itself to be narrow-minded, hugely intolerant and to simply be missing the plot. Would I become religious today? I am afraid to answer that question.
Labels: community, Orthodox Judaism, religious convictions
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Looking over the shoulder
Some twenty years ago, while running an educational seminar, the question came up regarding a recreational activity for the staff. It turned out that one or two of the team was religiously uncomfortable with the choice of the activity, and a discussion ensued as to whether we should show respect for the strictures of that team member or whether that team member would have to bear with the desires of the rest of the group.
I am reminded of that scene often as I visit day schools. Certainly in Orthodox schools, but also in many schools (both day and congregational) affiliated with the Conservative and Reform movements, it is easy to find teachers whose religious convictions are stronger than those of the parent body (and, hence, the student body). It is rare to find Jewish studies teachers whose commitments and convictions are less than those of the parent body.
That seems perfectly reasonable, as parents send their children to day schools to strengthen their Jewish commitments, not weaken them. One outcome of this is that schools tend to lean to the right, sometimes to the delight and other times to the chagrin of the parents and the community.
Is this inevitable? Can schools be confident enough in the commitments they seek to inspire to expose students to role models who are more open (not less religiously committed)? Is it possible to have schools which acurately reflect the spectrum of the parent body? I know that this is the theory of the cross/trans-denominational community schools. Can it hold true in denominational schools as well?
I am reminded of that scene often as I visit day schools. Certainly in Orthodox schools, but also in many schools (both day and congregational) affiliated with the Conservative and Reform movements, it is easy to find teachers whose religious convictions are stronger than those of the parent body (and, hence, the student body). It is rare to find Jewish studies teachers whose commitments and convictions are less than those of the parent body.
That seems perfectly reasonable, as parents send their children to day schools to strengthen their Jewish commitments, not weaken them. One outcome of this is that schools tend to lean to the right, sometimes to the delight and other times to the chagrin of the parents and the community.
Is this inevitable? Can schools be confident enough in the commitments they seek to inspire to expose students to role models who are more open (not less religiously committed)? Is it possible to have schools which acurately reflect the spectrum of the parent body? I know that this is the theory of the cross/trans-denominational community schools. Can it hold true in denominational schools as well?
Labels: community, day schools, religious convictions, supplementary schools
