 |
| Temple Shalom in Chicago |
Truer words have not been said: “I’m A Reform Rabbi, And I’m
Not Going Anywhere.” So said Rabbi Howard Goldsmith. Well, that’s almost right.
I would just apply it to his movement, not him. Reform Judaism is not going anywhere. It is becoming
less Jewish with each passing day. If it’s going anywhere it is going toward
extinction. At least as anything legitimately called Jewish… as their
definition of who is and isn’t Jewish has departed from all traditional
definitions. I do not say this with any sort of glee. I just see it as a fact.
That they do not require any ritual Mitzvah observance has contributed more to
the secularization of Jews in America than any other single thing. ‘Unaffiliated’ is how most American Jews answer
when asked which denomination they belong to. That can be traced in major part
back to the tenets of Reform’s founding fathers. It is also the reason the Reform
Movement has expanded its ‘tent’ of membership to Judaism. Which makes it even
less Jewish than it was before.
How ironic it is that a Reform Rabbi is so taken by the Jewish State. One of the founding
tenets of Reform Judaism is the rejection of the return to Zion (Israel). Something
we Jews have prayed for since the second temple era. And something Orthodox Jews
still pray for daily. Reform Judaism erased any mention of it from their
liturgy - and called their synagogues ‘temples’ to show that we don’t need the temple
in Jerusalem any more. Reform temples in America have taken its
place. Israel was considered an irrelevant detail of Jewish history with little
value to Jews of our day.
That Rabbi Goldsmith now loves Israel is a good thing. Times
change. People change. And the Reform
Movement changed. I’m actually pleased that he has fallen in love with the
country. Although I’m not in enamored with the socialist image of the Israel’s
founding fathers upon which he bases his love - loving Israel in any context is
progress.
Before anyone jumps all over me for my apparent intolerance
and lack of understanding, that is not what is going on in my mind. I actually
feel sorry for this man. He is clearly an idealistic individual with altruistic
intentions. It’s not his fault that he believes that Judaism does not require any
Mitzvah observance. I will even give him the benefit of the doubt that he keeps
many of the Mitzvos. That has been the trend in recent years. The Reform leadership
has changed direction.
In its heyday,
Mitzvah observance was practically forbidden. When I was a child, I recall my
father telling me that the rabbi of the Collingwood Avenue Temple in Toledo
required Jews to remove their head covering when entering the sanctuary. Reform
leaders now realize that shunning all observance has left Reform Judaism -
Jewish in name only and bereft of any real Jewish meaning. It has resulted in their membership
wondering what it is about their denomination that makes it different from any
other altruistic group pursuing social justice.
So they have done a 180 and now support doing as many
Mitzvos as possible. That is a plus. But without a mandated commitment, Reform
Judaism leaves in place the ability to move easily from Reform Judaism to being
unaffiliated and intermarriage.
There are those who might say that Orthodoxy does not have
the exclusive right to define who is and isn’t a Jew or what Judaism actually
means. They are entitled to their opinion. But the fact is that Judaism has
survived throughout history precisely because it was defined basically the way
Orthodoxy is defines it now.
While there may be some
legitimacy to claims that the way Orthodox rabbis rule today has in certain instances
departed with how rabbis have ruled historically - there is not a scintilla of
doubt about the fact that it has been Halacha and tradition that has kept us
Jewish historically. Can anyone imagine what Judaism would look like today if
Reform Judaism would have taken hold instead of rabbinic Judaism? You don’t
have to imagine it. I’ll tell you. It would not exist at all in any - even
remotely recognizable way.
Rabbi Goldsmith had the misfortune of not having been raised
in an environment that sees the importance of required Halachic observance.
That’s why his sermons dealt so much with supporting Israel. Israel has indeed
been the main subject of heterodox sermons when they weren’t about social justice
issues.
Although I’m sure he does not want my sympathy and might
reject everything I say – considering it insulting, I nevertheless I actually
feel bad for him (even as I understand why he would be upset). He is sincere
and feels unjustly rejected by Israel. I can’t really blame him for feeling that
way.
But the fact is that he is not rejected at all. Only his
movement is. He is as welcome to Israel as any Jew. He is also as welcome to
pray at the Kotel as as any other Jew is. That he wants to do it together with
women is just a product of his indoctrination. Israel - including its Charedim -
welcomes all Jews. The only thing the Charedim and most other Orthodox Jews
reject is the legitimacy of his denomination.
As noted here recently be a secular columnist in Ha’aretz,
most Jews could not care less about the Kotel – other than as a tourist
attraction. There is no groundswell of secular Israelis clamoring to pray at
the Kotel in any incarnation: Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox. This is all political.
A tactic being used by heterodox rabbis to gain some sort of recognition for
their denominations.
I believe that all denominations are all headed for demise. Including Orthodoxy.
At some point in the future only observant Jews will be able to be counted upon
to perpetuate our people. We will all just be Jews. Not members of a specific denimination. Just as has been the case historically. The rest will
unfortunately be lost to assimilation sooner or later. This is not a good
outcome at all. But it is a real one.
The sooner Rabbi Goldsmith realizes that, the sooner he may come to
realize the importance of ceding control to Orthodox rabbis is the only way
toward the future. I think that deep down he might even know that.
