Unity, Yes. But Not at Any Price

Conservative Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove addressing a AZM event

I have never met the man. But I truly like Elliot Cosgrove, the Conservative rabbi of the Park Avenue Synagogue. I really do. Although I doubt he will think much of me after reading this post - should he somehow come across it.

He is what I would call a religiously right-wing Conservative rabbi whose observant lifestyle differs little from that of Modern Orthodox Jews. I doubt, for example, that he relies on the Conservative ‘heter’ (rabbinic permit) to drive to shul on Shabbos. He is probably as observant as many Orthodox Jews. And perhaps more importantly is among those in his movement who urge their congregants to become more observant - realizing that the future of Judaism depends on that.

His sermon calling for  new York Jews to oppose the election of Zohran Mamdani motivated over 1000 rabbis to sign a letter urging the same thing. It was the right call even though it didn’t help much; Mamdani won with a majority of the vote. The point is though, that Rabbi Cosgrove was on the right side of the issue, and as a leader within his movement he got a lot of other rabbis to join him.

His overall support for the Jewish state and their war in Gaza was the right call as well.

So what’s my problem with him?

He represents a belief system that accepts biblical criticism as a legitimate interpretation of the Torah. Something that is unacceptable in Orthodoxy. Without getting into much detail, biblical criticism allows for the belief that the Torah was written by man and is not the direct word of God as transmitted to Moshe at Sinai. To accept that as legitimate is to accept apikursus (heresy) as legitimate.

People can choose to believe whatever they wish. I have no control over that, nor do I harbor any ill feelings toward people who do. What I cannot accept is the assertion that this belief is a legitimate form of Judaism. That Rabbi Cosgrove teaches it  as acceptable  is primarily what makes his denomination illegitimate in the eyes of Orthodoxy.

To put it simply: If the Torah was written by man, there is no compelling reason to observe its commandments. If one thinks that following the Torah is simply about living an ethical lifestyle, I would argue that there are many other belief systems that also require ethical living.

If you are a believing Jew, you must by definition believe that the Torah is the word of God and was in no way written by man. You must believe that it was dictated to Moshe verbatim by God, who faithfully recorded every word transmitted to him in the Torah. This is what is meant by Moshe kibel Torah miSinai — Moshe received the Torah from Sinai which is where God gave it to him.

This brings me to Rabbi Cosgrove’s lament about one of the reasons there is so little unity among the Jewish people. Especially in Israel. He believes changing that requires tolerance and understanding between the widely disparate views among Jews. Both politically and religiously. Addressing the Biennial National Assembly of the American Zionist Movement in New York City, he made the following lament as JTA reported:

“Israel neither supports, defends nor recognizes Judaism as I teach it and preach it.”

He is of course understandably upset by this inequity. If you are a secular or heterodox Israeli, you will of course agree. But if you are an Orthodox Jew, how can you recognize what he teaches and preaches if you believe any of it to be heretical?

It’s true that Israel is not a theocracy, nor has Orthodoxy been the sole arbiter of what the state chooses to do. But it is also true that Orthodox Jews have the right - even the obligation -  to oppose recognition of movements they believe to be heretical in a Jewish state. That Rabbi Cosgrove obviously disagrees is his right. Just as it is his right to advocate for official Israeli recognition of his and other heterodox movements. Just as it is my right to oppose recognition.

He would certainly not at all appreciate my calling the Conservative movement heretical. To say the least.

The sad part is that he’s right about one thing: the majority of Jews who have historically supported Israel are not Orthodox. And as lovers of democracy, many insist that all Jewish denominations deserve official recognition. And that this is the only path to achdus - unity.

At this point in time, he may be right.  if you reject a movement that so many Jews consider themselves part of, you are not going to get unity. You are only going to increase the divisiveness that already exists.

The problem is that you cannot sacrifice your fundamental belief in the divine authorship of the Torah for the sake of unity. Because what kind of unity can last if it is built on a foundation that is believed to be man-made — and therefore subject to revision according to the cultural winds of the moment? It would be a unity built on a house of cards. A unity at that best would be temporary and ultimately result in the extinction of the Jewish people.

That said, I still like Rabbi Cosgrove. I think he’s an honorable man with great Jewish and secular values that he tries to transmit to his congregation. I just don’t think he will like me much after reading all this.

Still - sad as it is to say - I cannot accept as legitimate what Rabbi Cosgrove teaches and preaches, even though I believe the observance he practices and preaches is admirable. I actually admire him for doing so.  But observance comes only after belief. Without belief in a Torah that was given by God directly through His servant Moshe, and instead written by man – such observance is utterly meaningless.

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