Agudath Israel spokesman, Rabbi Avi Shafran, is a brilliant writer and thinker with whom I often agree. Most notable among my agreements was with his seminal article in Moment Magazine several years ago assessing the then current status of Conservative Judaism. Among other things, he challenged their claim of being a Halachic movement, and invited its more observant members ‘back home’ to Orthodoxy.
He was strongly criticized by Conservative leaders at the time denying they weren’t Halachic. But as we have since seen, the movement is tending further and further away from Halachic Judaism. Rabbi Shafran’s article was prescient.
And now once again he has written a very insightful article about the Reform movement. This time, however he offers praise to them as they have completely turned around the direction of their theology. They have gone from their founding doctrine of rejecting any an all ritual to one of encouraging it as much as possible. This trend did not start yesterday. It’s been going on for years and I’ve addressed it before.
But as Rabbi Shafran points out, an important new development in that direction has taken place recently. The Reform movement has now published a Siddur. The new Siddur defies many of the original tenets if their theology of rejection. It is in Hebrew. It opens right to left and contains passages about Techias HaMeism, God’s ability to resurrect the dead. That was once anathema to the movement.
That said, Rabbi Shafran correctly points out that their Siddur “Mishkan T’filah,” 'still pointedly omits vital elements of traditional Jewish prayer (indeed of the Torah) that its editors found discomfiting'.
It is important to note that the spokesman for Agudath Israel whose creed is that they always follow the Gedolim… has nevertheless praised this effort. This is a major step forward. The Reform movement does indeed deserve credit for publishing this Siddur even though it is not Halachic. Rabbi Shafran mentions the famous words of the Kotzker Rebbe in explanation of why this event deserves praise. Paraphrasing…It doesn’t matter so much how Frum one is on the Frum-o-meter. It matters far more which direction one is going.
And certainly the Reform movement is going in the right direction. They have a long way to go, but one might say that the Reform movement is more pleasing in God’s eyes than is the Conservative movement. Because, as the Kotzker Rebbe’s wise words indicate… they are going in the right direction. The Conservatives, on the other hand, are going in the wrong direction. That is pretty ironic for a movement that began as a reaction to Reform in an effort to ‘conserve’ Judaism.
This new Reform Siddur brings back into focus the events surrounding the ban on Rabbi Yosef Reinman’s book, One People, Two Worlds which he wrote in collaboration with a Reform Rabbi. The fact that there is such a hunger for a return to tradition is once again proven by this new publication.
While there is still a battle for the hearts and minds between the old rejectioist guard and new one which embraces ritual observance (albeit only as an option) it is clear that a major portion of Reform Jewry is ripe for outreach. And that makes the loss of an opportunity even more significant.
I would think this would be a tremendous opportunity for Agudah’s Moetzes to reconsider their ban on a book that …if I understand correctly… had approbations from some of the greatest rabbinic figures of our time. A book that was written by a tremendous Talmid Chacham whose Lakewood credentials are firmly established.
As I’ve pointed out many times, Rabbi Reinman’s only regret after acquiescing to the wishes of the Agudah Moetzes and withdrawing from that book and tour was that a Kiruv opportunity was lost. What he saw in his Reform audience was a hunger for authentic Judasim. It is that, in essence, which generated this new Siddur.
There are millions of Jews who are not religious because they simply do not know any better. They are the classic Tinokos Shenishbu... raised non religious from childhood ‘captured’ by a secular culture.
There has never been a more propitious time than now to reach out to them. We ought to take this opportunity and do something with it. There are many great outreach organizations throughout the United States and Israel but they do not have access to the kinds of masses that appeared before Rabbi Reinman on his tour.
Though there are many, perhaps even most Jews who could not care less and run away from their Judaism… clearly there are millions who want something more than simple hedonism. Why write them off? American Jews are ready and the time is now. Let’s not waste another precious moment.
