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| NCSYers (public high school kids) in Lakewood |
That is because, despite my differences with them, Charedim are
an essential cog in the wheel of Jewish continuity, and in defining one of the
most vital missions the Jewish people on this planet: the study of the Torah
– the word of God as interpreted by the sages throughout Jewish history.
No single Jewish demographic pursues that mission more
diligently than does the Charedi world. Especially the yeshiva world, which is
dedicated entirely to that purpose, to the exclusion of almost everything else.
I am not going to debate whether there are other ways - or
even better ways for some people to achieve this goal. But there is no debate
about the time and intensity of Torah study that takes place in a yeshiva like
BMG (Beis Medrash Govoha) - better known as Lakewood. And there are many other Yeshivos,
both here and in Israel, about which the same can be said.
And yet, the differences that I - and many others - have
with them are so divisive that they almost seem insurmountable. If anything
revealed that sad reality more clearly than the war in Gaza, I would like to
know what it is. The anger between religious Jews who support army service for Charedim
and those who oppose it has never been greater. And it still prevails even now,
after the fighting in Gaza has ceased.
I am a Centrist Modern Orthodox Jew, with some pretty strong
opinions that and - about other Jewish demographics. And yet, I long for unity among all
the people of Israel. Including left-wing Orthodox Jews, secular Jews,
heterodox Jews, Sephardi Jews - and certainly no less Charedi Yeshiva type Jews and Chasidic
Jews.
At the core, however, the unity that should be a given - is
the unity of observant Jews. This does not mean we cannot be unified as a
people with non-observant Jews. It is simply that by our observance - and their
lack thereof - we have less in common. That being said, the love we must have
for each and every Jew is the same.
Meanwhile the shared observance that should automatically
unify Jews of every observant demographic - is about the furthest thing from reality.
And even further from reality is the Orthodox unity with non-Orthodox Jews.
Strangely enough, it may be non-Orthodox youth who can show
us the way.
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| NCSYer shaking hands with BMG's R' Yisroel Neumann |
One might think this is the last place you would take a
group of public high school teenagers to inspire them. But that is exactly what
happened. These young men were exposed to a part of Judaism they probably
didn’t even know existed. And I would be willing to bet they admired what they
saw.
That’s because they have not been tainted by the personal biases the rest of us carry. True - we have legitimate differences with them But that does not mean we shouldn’t unite as one large observant family despite those differences. We need to hear what the other side says and understand how sincere they are in their beliefs. At the same time we need to admire what each side contributes, agree to disagree on some things and still consider ourselves part of the same family. Unified as a people despite those differences.
These young public high school students show us that it can be done.
The question then becomes: what about heterodox rabbis who preach what observant Jews consider anti-Torah views? How can we possibly unite with them?
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