Download Orthodox Judaism Reflection Points Action Points

12
Orthodox Judaism
Reflection Points
Orthodox Judaism received its earliest formulation in Hungary which was then
part of the Austro-Hungarian empire in the first quarter of the 19th century, and
in Germany in the middle of the century. In both countries traditionalists were
profoundly critical of the efforts of Reform Jews to adapt halakhah to modern
society as well as modify the traditional synagogue service. These reformers
argued that such alterations were a precondition for Jewish emancipation as
well as civil equality. Such an attitude was viewed by traditionalists as a
violation of God’s will. At the end of the nineteenth century, Eastern European
Orthodox leaders similarly championed Torah Judaism in the face of
increased secularization.
Today, the vast majority of Orthodox Jews reside in Israel or the United
States. In Israel religiously observant Jews make up about 15-20 per cent of
the Jewish population. These traditionalists, who were once marginal to Israeli
society, play an increasingly important role in communal and political life.
Within their ranks the Edah Haredit (community of the pious) consist of
several thousand families with thousands of sympathizers. These are the
most intransigent of the Orthodox. They relate to the state of Israel with
varying degrees of hostility. A more moderate neo-traditionalism is found in
Israeli Agudah circles. There the heads of the yeshivot and a number of
Hasidic rebbeyim are dominant. In the United States, traditionalists have been
supportive of their own institutions. With the exception of pockets of neotraditional extremists like the Edah Haredit in Israel, American Orthodox Jews
are generally familiar with modern culture and most are willing to work with
the non-Orthodox on behalf of general Jewish interests.
In assessing the nature of Orthodox Judaism, you should ask yourself
whether such traditionalism is vital for Jewish existence. Is it the strictly
Orthodox who are the true inheritors of the Jewish past? Or, should this group
be perceived simply as one among many branches of the faith? Over the last
two hundred years the strictly Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews have been
deeply divided about their interpretations of Jewish existence. Today this
conflict is as intense as ever. Is there any possibility of reconciliation? Or,
should one simply accept that there is no way that rival claims can be
reconciled?
Action Points

Go to Google. Type in such terms as ‘strictly Orthodox’, ‘Orthodox
Judaism’, ‘Modern Orthodox Judaism’ and ‘Haredim’. Look for websites
that provide a picture of the Orthodox interpretation of Judaism.

Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with Orthodoxy.

If possible, attend a service at an Orthodox synagogue.
13
Hasidism
Reflection Points
In the eighteenth century, Hasidism emerged as a challenge to the rabbinic
establishment. Founded by the Baal Shem Tov, this pietistic movement
stressed the importance of eliminating selfhood and the ascent of the soul to
the divine light. Unlike the arid scholasticism of traditional Judaism, Hasidism
offered to the Jewish masses a new outlet for religious fervour.
According to tradition, the Baal Shem Tov (Israel ben Eleazer) was born in
Southern Poland and in his twenties journeyed with his wife to the Carpathian
mountains. In the 1730s he travelled to Mezibozh where he performed various
miracles and instructed his disciples in kabbalistic lore. By the 1740s he had
attracted a considerable number of disciples in kabbalistic lore; subsequently
they passed on his teaching. After his death in 1760, Dov Baer became the
leader of this sect and Hasidism spread to other parts of Eastern Europe.
Hasidism initiated a profound change in Jewish religious pietism. In the
medieval period, the Hasidei Ashkenaz attempted to achieve perfection
through various mystical activities. This tradition was carried on by Lurianic
kabbalists who engaged in various forms of self-mortification. In opposition to
such ascetic practices, the Baal Shem Tov and his followers emphasized the
omnipresence of God. For Hasidic Judaism, there is no place where God is
absent. As the Baal Shem Tov explained, in every one of a person’s troubles,
physical and spiritual, even in that trouble God himself is present.
A central feature of this new movement was the institution of the zaddik which
gave expression to a widespread disillusionment with rabbinic leadership.
According to Hasidism, the zaddikim are spiritual superior individuals who
have attained the highest level of cleaving to God. The goal of the zaddik is to
elevate the souls of his flock to the divine light. His tasks included pleading to
God for his people, immersing himself in their everyday affairs, and
counselling and strengthening them.
Today, Hasidism has been a powerful force in Jewish life around the world. In
Israel and the United States in particular, the various branches of Hasidism
play and important role in the Jewish community. What do you make of this
movement? Like the strictly Orthodox, Hasidic Jews adhere to the tradition,
maintaining that only the Torah observant can live a truly authentic Jewish
existence. Do you agree? And what do you make of the institution of the
zaddik (or rebbe)? In an increasingly secularized world, is there a place for
such charismatic religious leaders?
Action Points

Go to Google. Type in such terms as ‘Hasidism’, ‘zaddik’, ‘Hasidic
Judaism’. Look for websites which describe the nature of Hasidism, as well
as others put on the web by the Hasidim themselves.

Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with Hasidic Judaism.

If you live in a city where there are Hasidim, find out where they reside and
go see them for yourself.
14
Conservative Judaism
Reflection Points
Conservative Judaism emerged out of the Reform movement as a reaction
against its radical tendencies. In 1845 Zacharias Frankel broke ranks with
other reformers, and subsequently became head of the Jewish Theological
Seminary in Breslau. In the United States, a number of like-minded adherents
of the positive-historical approach to Judaism established the Jewish
Theological Seminary in New York which was later headed by the Cambridge
scholar Solomon Schechter. As Conservative Judaism expanded in the 1920s
and 1930s, a degree of uniformity was instituted within the movement, yet
there was a general reluctance on the part of most thinkers to enunciate a
comprehensive philosophy. Yet, as time passed there was an attempt to
invest authority in official committees empowered with the responsibility to
determine the central principles of Conservative Judaism. Like Reform
Judaism, the Conservative movement has distanced itself from the traditional
understanding of divine revelation. The Torah is perceived as a composite
work containing various strands of tradition, dating from different periods in
the history of ancient Israel. As a result, there is considerable uncertainty
about the status of both Jewish belief and observance. Some traditionalists
assert that Scriptural and rabbinic law remains authoritative. Others press for
halakhic change. The same lack of consensus is found in the sphere of
halakhic interpretation. In general, Conservative Jews accept that the
halakhah has a pivotal role to play in the modern world. Yet within the
movement there are widely discrepant patterns of observance.
What do you make of such a lack of uniformity of belief and practice? Unlike
Orthodoxy with its all-embracing belief system and code of law, Conservative
Judaism offers a more flexible approach to the tradition. Torah observant
Jews argue, however, that the central weakness of Conservatism is its lack of
consistency and internal disharmony over the fundamentals of the faith. Do
you agree? Or, do you think that such openness is in fact its greatest strength
in providing a means whereby modern Jews can adapt their heritage to
contemporary circumstances?
Action Points



Go to Google. Type in 'Conservative Judaism' and look for websites about
Conservative Judaism as well as official websites of the movement.
Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with Conservative Judaism
If possible, attend a service at a Conservative and Orthodox synagogue
and compare the two experiences.
15
Reconstructionist Judaism
Reflection Points
According to Mordecai Kaplan, Judaism must divest itself of supernatural
belief. The spiritual dimension of the faith must be reformulated in humanistic
and naturalistic terms. For Kaplan, God is not a supernatural being but the
power that makes for salvation. God, he wrote, is the sum of all the animating
organizing forces and relationships which are forever making a cosmos out of
chaos. In his view, the idea of God must be understood fundamentally in
terms of its effect. In Kaplan’s view, God is a ‘trans-natural’, ‘super-factual’
and ‘super-experiential’ transcendence which does not infringe on the law of
nature. Such a notion was far removed from the biblical and rabbinic concept
of God as the creator and sustainer of the universe who chose the Jewish
people and guides humanity to its final destiny.
Many of the ideas found in Kaplan’s writings were reflected in the movement’s
religious literature. The New Haggadah for Passover, for example, applied
Kaplan’s theology to liturgical texts, subordinating miracles and plagues in
the traditional Haggadah to the narrative of Israel’s redemption from Egypt.
The Sabbath Prayer Book was designed for those who were dissatisfied with
synagogue worship — its aim was to arouse emotion by eliminating
theologically untenable passages and adding inspirational material drawn
from tradition. This new prayer book deleted all references to the revelation of
the Torah on Mount Sinai, the chosenness of Israel, and the doctrine of a
personal Messiah.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the leaders of Reconstructionist Judaism insisted
that they were not attempting to form a new branch of Judaism. Throughout
this period Reconstructionists hoped to be able to infuse the three major
groups within North American Judaism (Orthodoxy, Conservative Judaism,
Reform Judaism) with its ideas. However, by the end of the 1960s the
Reconstructionist movement had become a denomination — it had
established a seminary to train Reconstructionist rabbis and instituted a
congregational structure. Regarding halakhah, the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical Association issued a statement of its 1980 convention that placed
authority in the Jewish people (as opposed to the rabbis) and created a
process whereby each congregation would be free to evolve its own customs.
As you can see, Reconstructionism offers a radical option to those Jews who
can no longer accept the existence of a personal Deity. For Kaplan and his
followers, Judaism should be understood as an evolving civilization. What is
critical is the desire to maintain the central features of the Jewish heritage
despite such a non-theistic approach. What do you make of this movement?
Unlike previous subgroups that emerged in the history of the Jewish nation,
Reconstructionist Judaism has rejected the basic theological beliefs of the
tradition that we surveyed in Chapter 1. In your view is the rejection of
supernaturalism a fatal flaw? Or do you think such a modernist reformulation
of Judaism is a legitimate interpretation of the Jewish tradition? Is
Reconstructionist Judaism an acceptable formulation of the Jewish religion, or
is it a heresy?
Action Points

Go to Google. Type in ‘Reconstructionist Judaism’. Look for websites that
deal with Reconstructionism.

Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with this new movement
including Judaism as a Civilization.

If possible, attend a Reconstructionst service. Try to speak to members of
the synagogue about their beliefs.
16
Reform Judaism (2)
Reflection Points
As we have seen, at the end of the eighteenth century advocates of the
Jewish enlightenment such as Moses Mendelssohn encouraged fellow Jews
to integrate into the mainstream of western European culture. Subsequently,
early reformers attempted to reform Jewish education by widening the
traditional curriculum of Jewish schools. Preeminent among these figures was
Israel Jacobson who founded a boarding school for boys in Westphalia and
subsequently established other schools throughout the kingdom. In these new
foundations general subjects were taught by Christian teachers while a
Jewish instructor gave lessons about Judaism.
Simultaneously, a number of Reform Temples were opened in Germany in
which innovations were made to the liturgy including prayers and sermons in
German as well as choral singing and organ music. The central aim of these
early reformers was to adapt Jewish worship to contemporary aesthetic
standards. For these innovators, the informality of the traditional service
seemed foreign and undignified; therefore, they insisted on greater decorum,
more unison in prayer, a choir, hymns and music responses as well as
alterations in prayers and the length of the service.
In response to these and other developments, Orthodoxy asserted that any
changes to the tradition were a violation of the Jewish heritage. For these
traditionalists the Written and Oral Torah constitute an infallible chain of
divinely revealed truths. From the 19th century to the present day, Orthodox
Jews have championed the tradition, asserting that Reform Judaism is a
fundamental distortion of the faith. In response, reformers insist that the
Jewish tradition has always undergone fundamental change, and that this
process is a healthy development. In their view, modern Jews should discard
those elements of the tradition which are no longer spiritually significant. In
their view, the modernizing of Judaism is necessary if Judaism is to survive.
Do you agree? Or, are you persuaded by Orthodox critics that Reform
Judaism has mistakenly abandoned the central tenets of the Jewish heritage
and discarded the fundamental legal dimensions of Judaism?
Action Points

Go to Google. Type in ‘Reform Judaism’, ‘Central Conference of American
Rabbis’, ‘Union of American Hebrew Congregations’. Look for websites
that describe the nature of Reform Judaism as well as websites sponsored
by Reform organizations.

Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with the history and nature of
Reform Judaism. Don’t forget to look for books critical of the movement.

If possible, attend services at Reform and Orthodox synagogues and
compare the experience.
17
Humanistic Judaism
Reflection Points
In Judaism Beyond God, the founder of Humanistic Judaism, Sherwin Wine,
offered a critique of the different religious movements within the Jewish
community. Modern Orthodoxy, Conservatism, Reconstructionism, and
Reform are, in his view, the ‘ambivalents’. Although these groups endorse the
secular revolution in their everyday activities, they have one foot in the world
of faith and the other in that of reason. However, since these two spheres are
incompatible, such a stance is incoherent. Ambivalents, Wine asserted, are
experts in avoiding actuality—they seek to avoid any form of painful
confrontation. Unable to disown either faith or reason, they attempt to
combine the humility of prayer with the dignity of personal freedom.
Unlike the mainstream religious movements, Humanistic Judaism rejects the
authority of the Biblical and rabbinic tradition. It is also distinct from
Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism in jettisoning theistic
language. Such a shift in perspective is due to the influence of science,
capitalism and secular culture which have dramatically transformed Jewish
life. As proponents of a secular Jewish life-style, Humanistic Jews believe in
the power and beauty of human potential, the necessity of reason, the right of
each person to satisfy his needs, and the goal of the unity of humankind.
Humanistic Judaism constitutes a decisive departure from the Jewish past,
designed for those unable to subscribe to a belief in a supernatural Deity but
who nonetheless desire to identify as Jews. No doubt it will appeal to
individuals for whom secular humanism provides an ideological framework for
the improvement of modern life. Yet you need to consider whether such an
ideology makes sense in the light of the events of the last century. It is difficult
to sustain confidence in human progress. If anything, the suffering brought
about by two World Wars, the dropping of the atomic bomb, and the
subsequent series of conflicts over the last five decades illustrate the basic
inhumanity of men and women.
Action Points

Go to Google. Look for websites dealing with Humanistic Judaism,
particularly those sponsored by the movement.

Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with Humanistic Judaism. A
good starting point are the writings of Sherwin Wine.
18
Jewish Buddhists
Reflection Points
As we have seen, Jewish Buddhists seek to combine the Jewish heritage with
the spiritual insights of the Buddhist tradition. The first instance of an
American Jew being converted to Buddhism in the United States occurred at
the 1883 exposition on world religion. The convert, Charles Strauss, stated
that he was a Buddhist at a public lecture that followed the World Conference
on Religions in the same year. After World War II there was an increasing
interest in Buddhism among Jews associated with the Beat generation. At that
time Zen Buddhism was the most widely known form of the Buddhist tradition.
In the 1960s more Jews became interested in Buddhist teachings.
Robert Kamenetz’s The Jew in the Lotus outlines a new spiritual path for
Jews. On the surface it appears that the beliefs and rituals of Judaism and
Buddhism could not be more different. Yet, Jubus (Jewish Buddhists) argue
that an immersion into Buddhism can serve to help Jews to discover their
Jewish roots. The Jewish history of persecution and displacement, for
example, is echoed by the treatment of Tibetan Buddhists at the hands of the
Chinese. Both Moses and the Buddha had life-changing experiences that
caused them to flee the royal court. Both wandered — Buddha as a yoga
practitioner and Moses as a shepherd. There is also a similarity between the
tree of knowledge in Genesis and the bodhi tree under which the Buddha was
first enlightened. Jubus further point out that both traditions encourage
questioning and debate.
Surveying this new development, you should ask yourself whether the
differences between Buddhism and Judaism are so great as to prevent any
true synthesis. Obviously the most conspicuous difference concerns belief in
God. While Judaism is the foundation of monotheism, Buddhists do not
espouse belief in a supernatural Deity. Is such a fundamental difference
sufficient to invalidate the approach of contemporary Jewish Buddhists? Or,
are Jubus correct in believing that they can live an authentic Jewish life by
integrating the spiritual insights of the Buddhist tradition into their religious
experience.
Action Points

Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with Jubus, in particular The
Jew in the Lotus.

Go to Google. Look for websites hosted by Jubus themselves.
19
Messianic Judaism
Reflection Points
The Messianic movement emerged out of the insights of leading Hebrew
Christians who sought to remain loyal to the Jewish tradition while
incorporating Yeshua into their lives. In contrast with early forms of Hebrew
Christianity, Messianic Judaism affirms its links with the followers of Yeshua.
By accepting Yeshua, Messianic Jews believe that they are fulfilled Jews.
Such leaders as Martin Chernoff fostered the conception of living as a Jew by
acknowledging Yeshua as the Messiah.
The growth of this new movement has caused considerable consternation
within the Jewish community. In some cases direct action has been taken
against the Messianic community by Jewish critics of the movement. While
deploring such tactics, officials within the Jewish community generally regard
Messianic Judaism as a pernicious influence. In the view of many, it is simply
impossible for Jews who believe in Jesus to remain members of the faith. As
Rabbi March H. Tanenbaum, national inter-religious director of the American
Jewish Committee, stated: ‘While humanely one might emphathize with
Messianic Jews who wish nostalgically to retain some cultural linkages with
the Jewish people — whether for guilt or other emotional reasons — in point
of fact, re-enacting Jewish rituals of the Sabbath, the Passover, the Bar
Mitzvah, without commitment to the convictions they symbolize soon make a
mockery of their sacred meanings.’
In surveying the origins and growth of Messianic Judaism, you should ask
yourself whether you agree with these Jewish critics. Is Messianic Judaism
essentially a modern form of Christianity? Is it deceptive to describe this
movement as a form of Judaism when its followers accept the messiahship of
Jesus? Responding to their critics, Messianic Jews insist that they are loyal to
the Jewish heritage and do not seek to identify with Christianity. In their view,
Messianic Judaism is the legitimate heir of biblical Judaism. What do you
make of such a claim?
Action Points

Go to Google. Look for websites dealing with Messianic Judaism. You
should look for websites sponsored by the movement, as well as websites
of their critics.

Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with Messianic Judaism
written by Messianic Jews themselves as well as by scholars outside the
movement. A good starting point is: Richard Harvey, Mapping Messianic
Jewish Theology: A Constructive Approach, Paternoster, 2009.
20
Jewish Renewal
Reflection Points
Jewish Renewal began in the early 1960s under the leadership of Reb
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Initially called B’nai Or (Sons of the Children of
Light), the movement was conceived as a community responsible for the
preservation of Hasidic teachings which could be used as the basis for the
creation of a new form of spirituality. Although it attracted Jews from a wide
range of backgrounds including Reform and Conservative Judaism, B’nai Or
was ritually observant. One of the features of earlier B’nai Or was a rainbowcoloured prayer shawl developed by Reb Zalman in response to a vision he
had had. The colour, width and arrangement of each stripe related to a seven
lower sefirot in the kabbalistic tradition (as well as the seven days of the
week). Even though women belonged to B’nai Or at the outset, it changed its
name to P’nai Or (Faces of Light) in 1985 to indicate its inclusive character.
Since 1993, the movement has been known as ALEPH (the Alliance for
Jewish Renewal) and serves as a network of affiliated groups based in North
America which sponsors the Shalom Center and the Jewish Renewal Life
Centre. In its early days B’nai Or combined traditional and contemporary
Torah study and prayer with various Hasidic practices such as storytelling and
solitary prayer in the woods. As a consequence, it was regarded as Hasidic in
nature. Later, it has become increasingly syncretistic and has absorbed the
spirituality of other faiths. In addition, it has absorbed the insights of modern
psychology and philosophy — as such it has incorporated elements from
Sufism, Buddhism and North American religion. Assessing the development
of this new spiritual movement, you should consider whether such syncretistic
tendencies have diluted the Jewish tradition? Or conversely, has Jewish
Renewal in fact revitalized the faith for contemporary Jews?
Action Points

Go to Google. Look for websites dealing with Jewish Renewal.

Go to Amazon.com. Search for books dealing with this new movement.
21
Jewish Kabbalists
Reflection Points
The fundamentals of the medieval kabbalistic system were expanded by such
luminaries as Moses Cordovero, Isaac Luria, the Baal Shem Tov and others.
In the modern period, interest in kabbalistic thought outside Hasidism was
promoted by Jews associated with the Jewish counterculture. A number of
those who belonged to this circle were poets and artists. Although all the
streams of Jewish counterculture were interested in Jewish mysticism, the
counterculture kabbalists reclaimed magical, heretical and heterodox
traditions.
This approach is illustrated in Jerome Rothenberg’s anthology, A Big Jewish
Book, and in David Meltzer’s kabbalistic journal Tree. Meltzer also published
Tree books in which he made available the work of various Jewish poets. His
magazine also included texts on Jewish mysticism, including the writings of
Abraham Abulafia. Meltzer and his followers were particularly fascinated by
Jewish letter mysticism, Jewish letter permutations and the golem. Jewish
mystical traditions were also linked to certain trends in contemporary
American poetry as in Hirschman’s Black Alpha.
Such a counterculture marked the beginning of popular interest in kabbalah
as evidenced by Rabbi Herbert Wiener’s 9 ½ Mystics which depicts the quest
for an authentic form of Jewish mysticism. Other books by Charles Ponce and
Perle Epstein similarly provided popular, non-academic introductions to
kabbalah for a wide audience. In the 1980s and 1990s such an interest in
kabbalistic ideas intensified. In the 1990s kabbalistic centres sprang up
throughout the United States. As we have seen, Rab Berg’s Kabbalah Centre
has become increasingly important through the involvement of celebrities
such as Madonna. Another central focus of pop kabbalah has been the
magical use of kabbalah, and its association with astrology, palm reading, and
face reading. Other exponents of kabbalistic techniques explore the
connection between Judaism and spiritual practices including yoga.
Surveying these developments, you should ask yourself whether the
kabbalistic tradition makes sense given the secular and scientific world view
that pervades modern life.
Action Points

Go to Google. Look for various websites that deal with contemporary
kabbalah.

Go to Amazon.com. Search for books dealing with contemporary
kabbalah, such as the writings of Rav Berg and his sons.
22
Jewish Feminism
Reflection Points
Through the activities of their movement, Jewish feminists have gained
increasing support. Innovations, such as baby-naming ceremonies, feminist
Passover seders, and ritual celebrations of the New Moon have been
introduced into communal settings in the home or synagogue. These
ceremonies have been aimed at the community rather than the individual. In
this way Jewish feminists have sought to enhance women’s religious roles in
Jewish life. The concept of egalitarianism has evoked a positive response
from many quarters. In the Reform movement, the principle of equality
between the sexes has become a cardinal principle. Similarly, within the
Reconstructionist movement women have gained equal status. The
Conservative movement has also accepted the principle of equality.
Even though the Conservative movement led the way for Jewish feminism in
the 1970s and 1980s, Jewish feminism was interpreted in different ways in
the4 Orthodox community. In 1981, Blu Greenberg made a case for Orthodox
feminism in On Being a Jewish Feminist. Alongside this work, a small number
of Orthodox feminists established women’s tefilah (prayer) groups that
respected halakhic restraints on the role of women in Jewish life. Even though
the Orthodox leadership deny feminist claims of the secondary status of
women within traditional Judaism, Jewish feminism has had an important
impact on American Orthodoxy. Girls are provided with a more
comprehensive education in Orthodox schools, and Orthodoxy has embraced
such rituals as celebrations of the birth of a daughter and bat mitzvah rites.
In support of feminist principles, Blu Greenberg founded the Jewish Orthodox
Feminist Alliance in 1997 to advocate for women’s increased participation in
modern Orthodoxy and to create a community for women and men dedicated
to principles of equality. In its mission statement, the movement declared that
its aim is to expand the spiritual, ritual, intellectual and political opportunities
for women within the framework of halakhah. Surveying the development of
Jewish feminism, you should ask yourself whether the arguments put forward
by Jewish feminists are valid. Is Judaism inherently sexist? Is it true that
women have been relegated to a secondary position within the tradition?
Action Points

Go to Google. Search for websites dealing with Jewish feminism. You will
find a wide range of material from various religious groupings. Also look
for websites that are critical of the activities of Jewish feminists.

Go to Amazon.com. Look for books dealing with Jewish feminism.
23
Jewish Vegetarianism and Ecology
Reflection Points
Judaism forbids the infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering. The principle
of tsaar baalei hayyim (preventing the suffering of living creatures) is extolled
in biblical and rabbinic sources. Although this principle is not explicitly
formulated in Scripture, it is based on biblical teaching concerning the
compassionate treatment of God’s creatures. Such an attitude shows an early
appreciation of the sentiency of other creatures, and according to the rabbis,
Israel was unique among the nations in advocating this approach.
On this assumption, rabbinic codes of law enshrine the principle of tsaar
baalei hayyim as an important feature of the faith. Specifically the rabbis
continued to formulate law concerning Sabbaths and Festivals. For example,
rabbinic legislation stipulates that animals — like human beings — should be
allowed to move about wearing bandages and splints for their wounds, and
that cushions should be supplied if needed. Further, one is allowed to put
salve and oil on an animal’s wound and seek assistance of a gentile if milking
is required. Again, it is permitted to put an animal in cold water so as to cool it
off as a remedy for congestion, or raise it out of a body of water into which it
has fallen. As we have seen, this tradition of concern about animals has
persuaded an increasing number of Jews to become vegetarians.
As an extension of the concern with animal welfare, many Jewish vegetarians
also focus on the significance of numerous environmental problems including
acid rain, the green house effect, ozone layer depletion, erosion of topsoil,
destruction of forests and other habitats, pollution of water and soil, and toxic
waste. Pondering the growth of Jewish vegetarianism and ecological concern,
you should consider the validity of the arguments put forward by these
advocates. Given Judaism’s attitude to animal welfare, is vegetarianism the
ideal? Do Jews have a responsibility to the planet as Jewish ecologists
assert? If so, what should be done about environmental issues?
Action Points

Go to Google. Look for websites that deal with Jewish vegetarianism and
ecology.

Go to Amazon.com. Search for books dealing with both of these subjects.
24
Gay and Lesbian Jews
Reflection Points
There is no doubt that traditional Judaism regarded homosexuality as an
abhorrence. As we have seen, two verses in Leviticus state the position
unequivocally: ‘And you shall not cohabit with a male as one cohabits with a
woman; it is an abomination.’ (Lev. 18:22), and ‘If a man cohabits with a male
as with a woman, both of them shall have done an abominable thing. They
shall be put to death.’ (Lev. 20:13). Today defenders of gay rights argue that
such biblical teaching should be put into context. Scripture was written long
ago, they maintain, by those with little understanding of human psychology.
As a consequence, the condemnation of homosexuality in the Bible should be
regarded as a vestige of the past which should now be set aside given our
increased awareness of the nature of human sexuality.
In modern times, there has been a fundamental change in attitude within the
non-Orthodox branches of Judaism. The Reform movement, for example, has
adopted a positive acceptance of gays and lesbians. Such liberalism is now
perceived as a moral principle: any manifestation of homophobia is
condemned. Today, gay and lesbian rabbis conduct services for synagogues
whose membership is composed of practising homosexuals. Such a step
forward has enabled many Jews who felt ostracized by the Jewish community
to express their loyalty to the tradition. Within Conservative Jewish circles a
similar acceptance of homosexuality has been adopted.
Beyond the confines of these religious bodies, the World Congress of Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews has championed gay rights. This
world-wide body seeks to strengthen Jews who previously been perceived as
outsiders. Their goals include fostering a sense of community among diverse
individuals and organizations and to achieve equality and security for its
members. What do you make of this development? Given the fierce
condemnation in the past of homosexual practices, have these Jews betrayed
the tradition? Or, do you think Judaism must adopt a more progressive
attitude toward sexuality in the light of modern insights into human behaviour?
Action Points

Go to Google. Look for websites dealing with homosexuality and
lesbianism within the Jewish community.

Go to Amazon.com and search for books dealing with Jewish sex laws,
and gay and lesbian Jews.