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| Rabbi Shlomo Riskin |
The Church once considered us to have broken our covenant with God, thus losing His grace, and blamed us collectively and for all time for the death of Jesus. They had believed that Christians replaced the Jewish people covenantally in God’s eyes.
The same is true for many Protestants. At least those that
are termed Fundamentalist or Evangelical Christians. They too have in most
cases abandoned trying to convert us. They see our destiny entwined with theirs.
And act toward us by the directives expressed numerous times in what they call ‘the
old testament’ (our Torah). That God blesses those who bless the Jewish
people. I am convinced that this is - if not their sole motivation – by far
their primary one.
This attitude has resulted in some amazing support for
Israel and the Jewish people by virtually all Fundamentalist denominations. For
example Pastor John Hagee an Evangelical minister whose church has more members
than any other denomination has shown more support for the State than AIPAC –
if that’s even possible. I will never forget for example the enthusiastic
applause Pastor Hagee received when spoke to AIPAC for the first time.
All of this is unprecedented. Not all that long ago the only
thing we knew about Evangelicals was that they had a mission to convert us.
That is by far no longer the case. I completely reject the notion by some that it
still is. While I realize that there are still some organizations that do this
(e.g ‘Jews for Jesus’), they are minuscule in number and do not represent the
vast majority of Fundamentalist Christians in this country whose numbers have
been estimated to exceed 60 million Americans.
I have therefore long advocated that we do everything we can
to strengthen the relationship we have with them. Never has there been a better
time to do so. And I believe that is indeed being done.
Unfortunately with every rose, comes a thorn. This new blessing which God has bestowed upon
the Jewish people has also caused some very misguided activity by
well meaning people. Activity that has been rejected as illegitimate by
the greatest Halachic minds of the 20th century spanning all of Orthodoxy. Both
Rav Moshe Feinstein and Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik have completely opposed the
idea of interfaith dialogue of any kind. Rav Soloveitchk could not have been
clearer in his essay entitled ‘Confrontation’. Here is how he put it:
"the language of faith of a particular community is totally incomprehensible to the man of a different faith community. Hence the confrontation should occur not at a theological, but at a mundane human level... the great encounter between man and God is a holy, personal and private affair, incomprehensible to the outsider..."
Theological dialogue between Judaism and Christianity was
not possible. And certainly not anything remotely close to a joint prayer
service. Two completely separate theologies that are anathema to each other.
That is not to say that we should not interact with them in
other ways. Of course we should. God gave us this blessing and we ought to
accept it and develop it. Not on theological issues. But on those issues where
our own religious values overlap. Of which there are many.
Many values of western civilization – especially in America
- are based upon what has in recent times been referred to as the Judeo-Christian ethic. Which means that we both Judaism and Christianity
have in common many of the values expressed in the Torah. That ought to be the basis
of our relationship. These values ought to be promoted together by Christians
and Jews in our society.
Which brings me to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. It appears that he
has once again parted company with his Rebbe, Rav Soloveitchik. It was done by Rabbi Riskin’s
protégé, David Nekrutman, who heads Rabbi Riskin’s Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and
Cooperation (CJCUC) located in Efrat. The very existence of an organization that is
in part dedicated to theological discussions with Christians violate’s his
mentors directives. But their latest project has gone even further. By promoting
and hosting a joint prayer service in an Orthodox Shul on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Christians
were invited to join us and say Hallel and read scripture from the pulpit!
Opposition to this came swiftly from the Charedi community.
But they were not the only ones. R’
Shlomo Amar, former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel (and current Chief Rabbi of
Jerusalem) quickly penned his strong opposition to it. So too did Rabbi Sholom
Gold, a leading Religious Zionist rabbi.
Their strong words can be seen at the Jewish Israel website. I join them in opposition
to this.
I understand Rabbi Riskin’s motives. I am sure they are
pure. He wants to strengthen ties with the Christian community. I agree with that goal. But his methods have
crossed lines that Poskim across the board have drawn. Lo Zu HaDerech. This is
not the way to do it.
Which is why I am so disappointed in him. Again. I had always seen
him as a champion of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. A role model
for rabbinic leadership in the modern era. A man that has done so much in the furtherance
of Judaism. He has inspired many Jews to take a closer look at their heritage
and their faith and become more observant. And to foster a closer relationship with the Christian community. I believe he still has these goals. But as important as it is to promote
our common values, it is equally important to make sure our differences are
clear. So that there never will be a blurring of the lines.
