Rabbi Emanuel Feldman has written a wonderful article in Cross-Currents (this is getting to be a habit) about the way in which all Israelis have been praying for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s health and raises some interesting things to reflect upon. Should a person who is not considered religious by Orthodox standards, never-the-less still be considered religious? Orthodoxy generally considers one who does not observe the Sabbath laws as not being religious. But is it so? Can a secular Jew call himself, religious? Are Israelis after all is said and done a mostly religious people... in spite of the fact that their secular non-observant lifestyle would indicate they aren’t? I believe that Rabbi Feldman comes to the conclusion that they are. And I agree.
And that should be enough in my opinion to bridge the religious-secular gap that is the source of so much enmity between these two groups. The religious world, primarily the Charedi portion of it has always maintained a careful distance from the secular world. They live insular lifestyles so as not to be influenced by the ways of the secular. This causes the two groups to really not know much about the other and each thinks the other is out to “get” them.
The secular Israelis are always complaining that the religious are out to coerce them into Halachic observance against their wills which would prevent them the freedom to live as they choose. For their part, the religious think that the secular Israeli is out to destroy Torah through his decadent lifestyle and his refusal to recognize, respect, and support Torah institutions.
But it isn’t really true. While Israel does have its share of anti Torah citizens, it seems to me that the majority of secular Israelis do believe in God and do pray to him as Rabbi Feldman demonstrates in his article. It might therefore also be true about other faulty assumptions made by Charedim about Chilonim. Not all secular Israelis are degenerate. Not all non observant Jews want to bring down the Torah. Not all secular Jews avoid all religious rituals or holidays. The opposite is true. I would say that most Jews in Israel are religious to one degree or another, even if they are not Sabbath observers.
What we have to do is redefine the word “religious”. We cannot really get any understanding of the world of the secular Jew in Israel if we draw such a sharp dividing line between religious and irreligious. Sabbath observance can no longer be the wall that divides us. We cannot afford to continue isolating ourselves from our neighbors... our brothers. This will only keep us down the path of increasing resentment and enmity. We need to understand that we are all in the same boat. We are all believers and children of believers. No one has a free pass to heaven. Although we all are born with a share in the world to come, we may just not all get there. Shmiras Shabbos is not the only Mitzva and lack of Sabbath observance is not the only Aveirah.
Sefardim understand this. Their social world includs all levels of observance, Shomer Shabbos or not. They all go to the same Shul and the same rabbi. There are no denominations. Everyone is accepting and non judgmental. We can learn a lot form our Sefardi brothers and sisters.
It’s time the Charedi community had a Cheshbon Hanefesh. It’s time we stopped worrying so much about being contaminated by secular society and trust our own Chinuch enough to embrace our secular brothers with the warm embrace of non-judgmental love and understand that they too are religious... in their own way. It can only lead to a better world for all.
