Rabbi Rami on Lukewarm Judaism
Judaism, Jewish Community, J-Bloggers, Living Jewishly, Jewish Spirituality April 25th, 2007The more I Learn about Rabbi Rami Shapiro the more I’m impressed with him. I think it’s because Rabbi Rami is the kind of person who is able to draw beautifully outside of the lines. Reading him I can’t help but think to myself here’s a guy who is an outsider but not in some sort of finger-pointing disgruntled way. Nope, he just comes off as a guy with the right balance of self-deprecation, humor, insight and honesty.
If you haven’t checked out his blog I highly recommend it. I mean you know it’s gotta be good when Steg is commenting on it.
Anyhow Rabbi Rami’s latest post explores the issue of what he’s referring to as Lukewarm Judaism. Although I’m not sure I agreed with it 100%. I would say that 99% of it hit the target in terms of where my thinking on the subject is these days.
Here are a few snippets from his latest post which I found to be rather interesting.
I agree with Michael: “watered down versions of religious faith fail.” Where I disagree is over the implication that Reform Judaism is watered down. Today’s Reform Judaism is actually thickening up. Traditional norms, rituals, and Hebrew liturgy are making just enough of a comeback as to thicken Reform into Conservatism Lite. What I would say is that lukewarm religion fails, and that contemporary Reform Judaism is definitely lukewarm.
I haven’t been around long enough to base my thinking on anything other than intuition and limited experience and although I agree with Rabbi Rami that Reform is indeed thickening up. I’m not certain that I agree that Reform Judaism is just lukewarm. There’s something about the way he phrased it that sounds too definite, too permanent and I’m not sure that I agree. The way I see it reform is doing exactly what it is supposed to do “Reforming” itself and I don’t think that necessarily makes it Conservative light.
The original Reform Judaism of the late 19th century was ice cold. It had bite. It stood for something. You either loved it or hated it. It was either genius or heresy. Today it is long forgotten as Conservative and Reform Judaisms slowly merge into a massive blob of tasteless porridge, Orthodoxy is dynamic, creative, hot, hard, and authentic. It is also homophobic, misogynist, and medieval.
I think it’s great how he’s characterized the polar oppositeness of these two traditions and I think that he’s right on the money. However he may have been a little bit unbalanced because although he’s right in pointing out how orthodoxy is indeed homophobic, misogynist and medieval he leaves out how Classical Reform was in many ways disrespectful, flat and intellectually dishonest. Having said that I’m not sure that he would disagree with my statements (not like I know him or anything) but it would’ve been nice if only for the sake of balance if he had also mentioned these things in his post.
We need a new Judaism. One that is a icy alternative to Orthodoxy’s blistering heat. One that blends the Neo-Hasidic fervor of Jewish Renewal with the theological daring of Mordecai Kaplan, and the religious humanism of Martin Buber. We need a Judaism unafraid to be deeply spiritual, contemplative, postmodern, scientific, soulful, and blessedly anarchistic. We need a Judaism of which Spinoza and Einstein could be proud.
Amen To That!!!
He is indeed right on the money with the above statement and reading it I couldn’t help but be struck by an overwhelming sense of synchronicity. What Rabbi Rami has written is a pithy summary of where my own thinking has found it’s self over the last couple of months.
Anyhow both this post and Rabbi Rami are certainly worth checking out.
Be well
Technorati tags: Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Post Denominational Judaism, Mordecai Kaplan, Orthodox Judaism, Rabbi Rami Schapiro
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April 25th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
One that blends the Neo-Hasidic fervor of Jewish Renewal with the theological daring of Mordecai Kaplan
Is that possible? Looking around the world it seems like one can have religious fervor or theological “daring,” but not both.
April 25th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Hi JA
Nice of you to stop by and post a comment.
I realize that you come from an Orthodox background and I also gather from reading your blog that you are not all that well versed in either Neo-Hasidism or Mordecai Kaplan and his theology. I’m also fairly certain that you’re locked into an Orthodox view and conceptualization of both G-D and theology. Of course I’m not suggesting that you believe in either of them yourself. But reading your blog it seems fairly clear to me that your Orthodox reference points are the only ones you view as being validly Jewish (at least in terms of kosher religious discussion) despite the fact that you yourself reject them as being true.
All of that is simply to say that I’m not surprised you have a hard time fitting these two pieces together but as I’ve already mentioned IMO that’s because of your own attitude towards the question. For many people including myself there is little or no problem in believing that such things can be fit together and in fact some would say need to be fit together.
April 25th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Nice of you to stop by and post a comment.
Any time.
For many people including myself there is little or no problem in believing that such things can be fit together and in fact some would say need to be fit together.
I wasn’t clear. Of course individuals may combine religious fervor with theological daring. What I’m skeptical of is whether movements having both can exist and maintain themselves. In the real world it seems to me that there’s an inverse correlation between the religious fervor of a movement and its theological daring.
April 25th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Hello again and thanks for clarifying the question.
I’m still going to suggest that your difficulty (skepticism if you will) comes down to the assumptions, assertions and perceptions you are bringing to the question.
I mean at this point Reform/Progressive (which IMO includes Reconstructionist and Jewish renewal) Judaism is the largest ideological denomination, which of course includes Institutions and institutional thinking. Reform certainly is a theology and although flawed like all human endeavors it does seek to integrate religious fervor and theological daring. Of course this is where Rabbi Rami and I could very well disagree but nonetheless it’s an assertion I believe there’s enough evidence to support it.
I’m not suggesting that things are perfect and that any one group has the correct answer simply what you don’t believe is happening I see happening all around me.
April 25th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
it does seek to integrate religious fervor and theological daring.
But does it succeed? Maybe I’m just not aware of it.
April 25th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
IMO absolutely, simply by the fact that such denominations and institutions do exist and are actually in many ways growing.
Of course if one is only seeing things as black-and-white in terms of measuring anything short of absolute success as being failure, then maybe he/she won’t be able to see it. Success is relative and is measured differently by different people at different times. What was successful 10 years ago may not be viewed as such by today’s standards and I would suggest that both the successes of today and of future will never be perfect or absolute either. Theology and Spiritual Insights & Practices are all human Created processes, which are constantly evolving up the spiral (or latter if you prefer) closer to G-D. And G-D is the ultimate process which envelops all of it. Including the Theology, Spiritual Insights & Practices and the very Humans who created them.
We are after all an evolving species with an evolving understanding of G-D, the cosmos and our role in joining the two. Therefore our success or rather our understanding of success is evolving in the same way that we are.
April 25th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Maybe I haven’t given Reform and other progressive Judaisms enough credit. It’s true I don’t have much direct experience.
April 25th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
“Maybe I haven’t given Reform and other progressive Judaisms enough credit. It’s true I don’t have much direct experience”
Agreed but its not like you cant learn more if you want to however thats up to you to work out!
As for me I like being in place where I can believe in both G-D and modernity.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
As for me I like being in place where I can believe in both G-D and modernity.
Probably easier than having Judaism without God.
I wasn’t exactly blown away the 2 times I attended a Reconstructionist service, but it was in a small community, to be fair.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Shul in general for me isn’t the best place to connect to thing spiritually. For me it’s the small things every day. Like studying texts, meditation, prayer, finding ways to apply the traditions in ways that reflect modern needs and circumstances.
Not that you’re suggesting this with your last comment but I think someone can never set foot inside a synagogue and still quite easily be a spiritually engaged Jew.
Probably easier than having Judaism without God.
I don’t know that it’s any easier but in all honesty I certainly think it’s a lot healthier in the long run.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
I don’t know that it’s any easier but in all honesty I certainly think it’s a lot healthier in the long run.
Could be. There must be some reason belief in God has stuck around so long.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Could be.
BTW I just wanted to make it clear that everything I’ve written here is just my take and I could well be wrong.
Also someone mentioned to me that my comments came off as being harsh. If they where I apologize because that wasn’t my intent.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Also someone mentioned to me that my comments came off as being harsh.
Not at all!
(And I’m going to respond to your email soon, busy at work.)