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Heads of RE Conference Wednesday 23rd November 2016 Birmingham Progressive Synagogue At your baptism you were consecrated to God and anointed by the Holy Spirit. Your anointing joins to Christ and you share in his threefold mission as Priest, Prophet and King. Through the graces of your baptism, you have received the gift of vocation. A vocation that has led you to this calling as a leader in our Catholic schools. ‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God that is within …for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline’ 2 Timothy 1:6-7 We lead through Christ as Priest Prophet King We are Priests… We bring God’s presence to others through words and actions We are a sign and bearer of God’s love, especially to children and young people We are mystic and intuitive: seeing beneath the surface of routines to the values and energy that binds our community to Christ We are Prophets… We witness to our faith with our lives, calling others to know the hope God’s call holds for them We speak the truth and challenge what works against the spirit of the gospel We are restless leaders because nothing is perfect We are Kings… We share in the kingship of Christ accepting a responsibility for building the Kingdom of God We accept the gift of authority and administration as a way of serving and loving the community We make the spirit of God a reality in daily decisions and relationships, valuing the dignity of all as God’s children Let us pray… We thank You, Father God for the vocation You have called each one of us to. Help us to rely on the graces of our Baptism to share in Your mission as Priest, Prophet and King as we aim to build Your kingdom here on earth in each of our own communities. May we know that Your spirit is always with us to guide, inspire and sustain us in all we do. We make this prayer through Christ Our Lord, Amen Diversity in Judaism Heads of RE conference 23rd November 2016 Different movements within Judaism There has always been diversity: • Pharisees and Sadducees • Karaites and Rabbanites • Chasidim and Mitnagdim • Orthodox and Progressive Progressive Judaism • Beginnings at the end of the 18th and beginning of 19th cent. Germany • Followed from the Enlightenment and Emancipation • Accepted biblical scholarship which questioned the divine origin of the Torah • Shorter services, in the vernacular, with musical accompaniment (often organ) • Education for girls as well as boys • Prayers reflecting theology (e.g. rejection of the concept of bodily resurrection) and circumstances - identity as German Jews (e.g. rejection of ingathering of exiles) Non-Orthodox Judaism in the UK Three main movements: • Reform - began 1840 from Orthodox Judaism with formation of West London Synagogue; gradually became more radical • Liberal - began 1902 as a radical alternative to bring in disaffected Jews. Gradually became more traditional Both Reform and Liberal are ‘Progressive’, affiliated to the World Union for Progressive Judaism • Masorti - traditional practice but doesn’t accept the divine origin of Torah Belief in God 1 Belief in God and the unity of God has been fundamental to Judaism, but the understanding of God has changed: • The ‘biblical’ God - from Genesis to Job • The God of the Talmud and midrash - understanding through parables (Jesus is of this time) • The God of the mediaeval philosophers e.g Moses Maimonides Belief in God 2 • 20th century and post-holocaust theology e.g. Kaplan, Fackenheim, Borowitz • Within both Orthodox and Progressive Judaism there is great variation in what Jews understand by God • Feminist theology has rediscovered and reimagined the feminine aspect of God - Shechinah The Messiah (Mashiach/Moshiach) • Belief which grew up around the first century, based on biblical prophesies e.g. Isaiah 11. • Held firmly by some Orthodox Jews • The idea rejected by Progressive Judaism from its beginnings. Reasons include: 1. Its nationalist aspect, when German Jews were trying to become part of German society 2. It’s supernatural aspect - one semi-divine individual was expected to bring about the redemption of all Jews/all humanity (depending on interpretation) 3. The past history of messianic claimants who had led to disaster for the Jewish people, e.g. Bar Kochba (2nd cent.), Shabbtai Zvi (17th cent.) and for Jewish people, Jesus. The Messianic Age • For Progressive Judaism, a belief in the messianic age, the time of redemption, has replaced a belief in the Messiah, the redeemer. • It is seen as a time of universal peace and justice, based on the visions of Micah and Isaiah • It is a hope for all humanity, not just the Jewish people • most importantly, every person has a role in bringing about the messianic age; it is something we work for actively not something we wait for passively. The Afterlife • The biblical picture is vague, e.g. ‘Sheol’, without any details • The Mishnah talks of ‘the world to come’, which all Jews with some exceptions - and the righteous of all nations have a share in. • The nature of the world to come is not elaborated; it is said that the righteous will study Torah with crowns on their heads but this is not a fixed belief • The Mishnah (2nd cent.) also affirms a belief in physical resurrection. For this reason, cremation is forbidden in Orthodox practice The Afterlife in Progressive Judaism • Progressive Judaism does not hold a belief in physical resurrection and has removed reference to this in their prayers. We therefore permit cremation. • Progressive Jews have no fixed idea of the world to come. Some believe that the soul lives on after death and that there is some form of judgement but do not go beyond this. Others believe that people live through their children if they have them, and through the influence they leave behind Life on Earth • Both Progressive and Orthodox Jews believe that it is what we do in this life that matters, since we cannot know what comes after • We are encouraged to enjoy what we can and not deny ourselves pleasures as long as this is not at the cost of other people (the Talmud teaches that we will have to account in the world to come for any pleasures we have denied ourselves) • The mitzvot (plural of mitzvah, commandment) teach us about our responsibility to God and to other human beings. Although Orthodox Jews talk about the 613 mitzvot there is some doubt about what these are and many relate to Temple sacrifice • For Progressive Jews, the ethical mitzvot have priority over the ritual mitzvot. Synagogue worship • Jews are expected to pray three times daily. • Orthodox Jews meet in the Synagogue for prayer every day. Most Progressive Jews meet only on the Shabbat but individuals often pray daily in private • In Progressive congregations women play an equal part in prayer as participants and prayer leaders • In Orthodox Judaism, women do not wear tallit and tefillin, although this is not prohibited in halachah (Jewish law). In Progressive Judaism women are encouraged to wear a tallit for services (and tefillin if they wish, although most Progressive Jews do not wear tefillin) Tallit and Tefillin Sabbath Observance • Both Orthodox and Progressive Jews emphasise the importance of sabbath (Shabbat) observance although they have different practices • For Orthodox Jews, strict observances means following the prohibition of 39 categories of work, as well as the prohibition of making fire • These prohibitions are interpreted as relating to aspects of modern life, e.g. not switching on lights or driving on shabbat • Progressive Judaism emphasises the spirit of shabbat rather than the legal observance. For example, it permits switching on lights and driving because this can contribute to the joy of the day Festivals • Progressive Jews keep all the major festivals but do not keep certain fast days, e.g. Tisha B’Av, the day of mourning for the Temple • Outside the land of Israel, Orthodox Jews keep an extra day for major festivals but Progressive Jews do not Life Cycle Rituals - Birth • Brit Milah - Covenant of circumcision, made with Abraham (Gen. 17). Observed by both Orthodox and Progressive Jews • Progressive Jews have ceremonies for baby girls, e.g. bringing girls into the covenant • Progressive Jews also have a ceremony of welcome for babies in the Synagogue Bar and Bat Mizvah • Orthodox: Boys have a Bar Mitzvah ceremony in the Synagogue at age 13. Some girls have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony at age 12 although not in the main service. Orthodox sometimes have group ceremony of Bat Chayil at age 12. • Progressive: Boys and girls have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah in the Synagogue at age 13, where they read from the Torah • Liberal Jews have Kabbalat Torah, a group ceremony at the age of 15-16, when they consider that young people are able to understand Judaism at a more adult level. Marriage • Marriage is important for both Progressive and Orthodox Jews, for companionship as well as procreation • For Orthodox Judaism, the marriage is legally a ceremony where the groom ‘acquires’ the bride • For Progressive Judaism, marriage is egalitarian, with both bride and groom taking an active part in the ceremony • Progressive Judaism also recognises same-sex relationships and their rabbis officiate at same-sex marriages Mourning rituals Progressive practices vary, although based on the traditional practices: • Kaddish is said by all the mourners, not just close male relatives. There are generally prayers in the evening following the funeral but not for seven days (shivah). • Yahrzeit is observed by individuals by lighting a candle on the anniversary of a loved one’s death • Some Progressive communities have a chevra kaddisha (‘holy fellowship’) to care for the body but tahara (ritual washing of the body) is not obligatory and only some Progressive communities observe it. Conclusions • There has always been wide variation in Jewish practice. • What Orthodox and Progressive Judaism teaches is not necessarily what their members observe • Further information from the Board of Deputies GCSE Judaism publication: https://www.bod.org.uk/judaism-gcse-religious-studies-thedefinitive-resource-order-your-copy-here/