Monday, February 17, 2014

Mah Nishtana Ha-Fundamentalism Hazeh?

Recently I found myself in the company of a Jewish tour guide describing Christian theology - e.g. why when Mary went up to Heaven in her sleep that's called an "assumption" as opposed to "ascension," how at the crucifixion Jesus' blood flowed down, seeped below the ground and touched the skull of Adam which happened to be buried right below, thus atoning for the Original Sin, and of course the whole business of the virgin birth, etc. When I expressed some incredulity at how Christians could actually believe all that, the guide came back and said, "And how do so many Orthodox Jews believe that the world is 5774 years old?"

Precisely the point! I often find myself incredulous at what Jews believe. Which for me begs the question: Mah nishtana? How is Judaism different?

Well of course it's different - in countless ways. It's different in terms of deed over creed. It's different in that it doesn't believe in the concept of the "God-man." It's different in its whole attitude toward the world. Judaism is about acts, earning one's place. Christianity is about grace, acknowledging oneself as a sinner and coming to God in contrition asking for salvation. And even regarding the idea of miracles, while religious Jews often like it when scientists weigh in, e.g. talking about land bridges and wind patterns explaining how the Sea of Reeds could have split, Christians generally stay away from naturalistic explanations, e.g. parthenogenesis as accounting for the virgin birth, since they see such explanations as taking away from the miracle.

But that's not enough mah nishtana for me. To me, the fact that at the end of the day Jews have to justify what we do and what we believe based on the argument that "my God is right" is a chilul Hashem, something which degrades us as a people, and demeans the Torah. What do I think the mah nishtana should be? That Judaism contains no supernatural dogma whatsoever. That there's not an ounce of pressure on a person to accept miracles or gods - period. Yes, we have a moral imperative in the world. Yes, we have an intellectual heritage, and a cultural package, a whole slew of religious norms which give us a distinct identity, meaning and memory as a people. And these are obviously crucial. But at the same time we can and should have clear and free minds. No cult-like beliefs where if you don't conform your mind to them and say aloud "I believe" you're outa there.

Now you might justifiably say, "But that's not Judaism!" You might say, "You don't want to believe - fine, but don't try to pass off this non-belief as Judaism."

But I will say similarly: You want to believe in a Creator? You want to believe in a personal God? You want to believe in miracles? Great, but don't try to pass that off as being so wildly different from Christianity. Don't try to say that Christians are nuts for believing in a man-god and a virgin birth while at the same time you believe in "Vaydaber Hashem el Moshe leimor" (God speaking to people and issuing commands).

I don't have as much of a "Jesophobia" as many Jews do. I have no doubt that Jesus had many intelligent and helpful things to say. What he said obviously resonated with a lot of people at the time - and of course now. But I do have a problem with Torah being no better than Christianity insofar as requiring a person to sacrifice the mind in any form. To me, the mind is kodesh.

And my feeling about Torah is that ultimately it is capable of embracing a total anti-dogma position. In fact all along Torah has arguably taken a minimal-dogma approach. It has gone through fantastic intellectual contortions to make sense of itself - and even remake itself - over time. The Biblical mentality and practice is like something from a different planet compared to the Judaism we practice today, and compared to our modern outlook.

Yes, the "party line" is that nothing has changed - except for a few "fences" and the fact that we've become much "lower" spiritually, but to me that is just as implausible and cult-like a tenet as other metaphysical claims. So in essence, my answer to the "that's not Judaism" critique is that you could've asked the same question to Chazal and countless others throughout the millenia. Judaism morphs and evolves over time. That's part of what Judaism is.

Point being, we've always adapted our understanding of Torah to be meaningful and have something positive to contribute in the contemporary world. But until very recently, that world has been utterly pervaded with supernatural and superstitious beliefs. It would have been nearly impossible to believe in "no gods and no miracles," let alone come out and say it as a religion.

But we're in a different age now. Torah can and should remake itself once again, and this time go all the way. Zero cult-like pressure to believe. Zero justifying what we do based on supernatural premises. No saying "Judaism" believes in X, Y or Z metaphysical events, or that the Bible should be taken literally - or as a document written by God. No more chilul Hashem by saying things which degrade the kedusha of the mind and the legacy of Torah and Am Yisrael.

And no more giving zealots any opening for their zealotry. If we hold that "God wants us" to dress modestly, make no mistake, this can and does lead to women wearing burqa-like garments - no, not just because they're "crazy" but because they sincerely want to be the most pure "in the eyes of God." If we hold that "God wants us" to keep Shabbos, this leads to people throwing stones at Shabbos desecrators - not because these zealots are crazy but because they truly feel they are doing the right thing - that this is a life-and-death absolute necessity that we stop the "opposition to the will of God" by any means necessary.

In a "God says" reality, the only way you get non-zealotry, what we'd call "normal practice," is due to people adopting a watered-down approach, where most people don't take the religion with such deadly seriousness. And I say thank God for the half-hearted, watered-down, milquetoast approach! We ought to celebrate people's religious mediocrity, laziness and lack of faith and commitment - because it's the only thing keeping us from being a raving fundamentalist mass. Seriously.

My advice: Just pull the plug. Stop the God-talk as a matter of religious policy. Take away the opening for fundamentalism. Why should we have to pray for people's religious idealism to be blunted? We should set up the "ideal" to be something where we'd actually like it if people really took it seriously! Why should we be no different from other religions in basing ourselves on a "my God is right" position? Why should we give any opening to zealotry? Why should we degrade the kedusha of the mind by telling it what it has to believe - or else? Why should we degrade Am Yisrael by sustaining a cult-like belief in any dogma, however minimal? Why should we degrade Torah/Judaism by saying that it believes in things which are patently untrue? Why should we accept anything less than the very best from ourselves and our Torah?

That's my position at any rate. There's a whole lot more about our current concept of Judaism that could - and should - be "nishtana."

15 comments:

  1. Great post.
    Question: If Judaism has changed dramatically from previous incarnations a number of times in the past, to the point of hardly being recognizable, what is to stop us saying the ideal current incarnation is secular humanism. To say it's not Jewish would really just be because it's not familiar, but so is today's Judaism. Additionally, there are pesukim and maamrei chazal to be found to align with our new form of Judaism - secular humanism.

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    1. Hi SJA,

      what is to stop us saying the ideal current incarnation is secular humanism

      There's nothing stopping us, and indeed many Jews are choosing this as a path for their lives. Some might view it as a logical incarnation of Judaism, but I imagine that most see it as rejecting Judaism altogether.

      Personally, I very much resonate with secular humanism in terms of rational benevolence being the goal to shoot for, but at the same time I'm hardly "secular" since I affiliate as an observant Jew. I believe in retaining the norms and intellectual heritage of Judaism - both because they have value in their own right and also because IMO they are our ticket to survival as a distinct people.

      Just curious - what psukim/ma'amarei Chazal did you have in mind?

      Thanks for the comments,
      AJ

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    2. Hi,
      Off the top of my head I was thinking of the pasuk in navi (Yeshayahu) that all that Hashem desires of us is charity, justice and such. The Gemara that goes down in number of the main things ending at a similar point. And Hillel saying on one foot the Torah is do unto others as you would like and the rest is commentary. (sorry for not exact quoting).

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    3. Right - there's the whole first perek of Yeshayahu basically. One of my personal faves.

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  2. > my answer to the "that's not Judaism" critique is that you could've asked the same question to Chazal and countless others throughout the millenia.

    The argument can be made that Judaism is what it has evolved into, not what it would be made into. I think that is essentially the argument of those OJ who are aware of the historical reality. You can even go a step further, and say that God guided the changes, so that although Judaism today is different from what it was, it is still an expression of God’s will.

    You can argue that because Judaism has changed over the millennia, there is no such thing as an “authentic” version, but that’s not the same thing as saying that some versions aren’t closer to original than others. Of course, the current version is so different from the original as to be almost unrecognizable, but at least, if you go back year-by-year, there are very few places you can point to and say *this* version is different than *that* version.

    > In a "God says" reality, the only way you get non-zealotry, what we'd call "normal practice", is due to people adopting a watered-down approach,

    I think that even real firm belief can be tempered by other considerations. So someone might truly believe that driving on Shabbos is wrong, even evil, but also believe that most secular Jews should be considered tinokim shenishbah, that stoning people for driving on Shabbos is something that can only be done by a duly constituted beis din, that speaking kindly to people is more effective than throwing rocks at them, and so on.

    I think the danger is not so much, “God said so,” but, “I am absolutely certain I’m right.” And that applies to any ideology, religious, political, or social. People who are absoloutly certain they’re right are dangerous. Now, it’s true that it’s easier to believe that your right when you have God on your side, but I think that even for those that believe that they’re following God’s will, all you need is some doubt, an acknowledgement of the possibility that they might be wrong, to alleviate the danger. After all, even if you’re pretty sure you’re right, are you going to persecute or kill someone for disagreeing with you? After all, what if you’re wrong?

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    1. Judaism is what it has evolved into, not what it would be made into

      Interesting distinction - I'll have to think about that.

      and say that God guided the changes, so that although Judaism today is different from what it was, it is still an expression of God’s will

      I have an idea - I'll come up with a new Judaism, and if it catches on I can simply say, "Well I'll be - it must've been God all the way!"

      but at least, if you go back year-by-year, there are very few places you can point to and say *this* version is different than *that* version

      Hmm - maybe. But how about before/after the Chizkihyahu and Yoshiyahu reforms? Or before/after 586 BCE? And I wonder whether between the Perushim, Tzedukim, Essenes, and other apocalyptic break-off groups during Bayit Sheni, there were times of radical/quick changes. The other thing is that even though I'm saying "pull the plug" I know very well that we're talking about changes which would happen over decades.

      even real firm belief can be tempered by other considerations

      A very fair point.

      After all, even if you’re pretty sure you’re right, are you going to persecute or kill someone for disagreeing with you?

      That's a possible factor. But I could also imagine that many/most would say that just as certain as they are that driving on Shabbos is wrong, they're equally certain that taking violent action against such people is wrong. And the reason that one is certain that violence is the right approach, and the other is certain it's the wrong approach, is that this is what their community has taught them to believe. So maybe it's not so much a question of "certainty" as it is certainty about "what" - and how much urgency and paranoia is pounded into people's heads surrounding that certainty.

      You're right of course that violence and zealotry is in no way limited to religion. So I can't blame *everything* on God...

      Best, AJ

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    2. I think you're close to something but missed it by that much. (points if you know the quote)
      The fundamental difference between Judaism and Chrisianty is:
      1) Chrisianity: believe in God/JC = ye shall go to Heaven
      2) Judaism: believe in God = demonstrate this by performing the mitzvos = ye shall go to Heaven
      Ultimately there are very few mandatory beliefs that define Judaism but they're there. You cannot have authentic Judaism without a belief in God since the whole system is based on the assumption of His existence and His authority to order us around in the first place. You have to believe in Matan Torah because again, that's the foundation for the authority of the Torah. If you want to keep the Torah voluntarily that's fine but such an approach would only work for a small group of motivated people, not a large nation.
      Think of the American counterpart. Everything legal in the US goes back to the constitution and before that the declaration of independence which made that constitution possible and how does that start? "We hold these truths to be self-evidence", in other words "We believe". Yes, there are a handful of Americans out there who would stop at red lights even if it wasn't the law because they know it's the right thing to do and they don't need a cop hiding in the bushes to motivate them into doing it but the majority need that cop and that authority he wields.
      The other thing you have to consider is the quest for excellence. It almost sounds at times that the post is arguing for mass mediocrity. Excellence demands effort, obsession and, at times, zealotry but it is what makes a system worthwhile. How can you have a mass religion where everyone simply sits around and says "Meh, I'm not going to get worked up about anything"?

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    3. MGI, I'll claim those points. "Get Smart."

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    4. Garnel,

      It almost sounds at times that the post is arguing for mass mediocrity. Excellence demands effort, obsession and, at times, zealotry but it is what makes a system worthwhile.

      I think you might have misread me here. My point in celebrating mediocrity is only because I'm concerned *here* (and with good reason) about what "excellence" leads to when people act in the name of God. Because if a Being which represents "eternity" and "perfection" is telling you what to do and what not to do, "excellence" can easily be interpreted as making that vision a reality AT ALL COSTS. After all, "ein od milvado" ("there is nothing other than Him)" - including other people.

      The reason I'm trying to present (or reconceptualize) Torah in this admittedly unconventional way is precisely because I DO want us to be able to strive for excellence and idealism - so that being more idealistic only leads to positive things.

      If you want to keep the Torah voluntarily that's fine but such an approach would only work for a small group of motivated people, not a large nation.

      That may be so, but there are more and more people finding themselves in a similar boat as me - and they need the chizuk to stay motivated. Giving people a choice either of "believe it" of "you're outa here" is really a non-choice. You can't just tell the mind to "believe". And it's a shame that otherwise intelligent, good-hearted, idealistic, mitzva-doing folks are being shunned by the frum world for no other reason than they've chosen to stand firm as truth-seekers. (I understand the reasons for shunning them, mind you, but it's a shame just the same.) It also strikes me as a terrible chilul ha-Torah, since ostensibly Torah is supposed to represent "emet". And for a person rejected by the Torah world for honestly seeking truth, the phrase "Torat Emet" sounds like something out of "1984" - "ignorance is strength" or "sheker is emet". To me that's an unacceptable status quo. Which is why I'm in my own small way trying to do something about it.

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    5. > Chrisianity: believe in God/JC = ye shall go to Heaven

      That’s Protestantism, not all forms of Christianity.

      > Yes, there are a handful of Americans out there who would stop at red lights even if it wasn't the law because they know it's the right thing to do and they don't need a cop hiding in the bushes to motivate them into doing it but the majority need that cop and that authority he wields.

      It’s the other way around. Most people would follow the rules anyway, but we have to have laws for the handful of idiots who don’t understand how unpleasant being hit by two tons of speeding metal can be. Every time someplace decides to experiment and remove speed limits, stop signs, etc., traffic fatalities go down. Most people stop at red lights because car crashes are a Bad Thing. And when you remove the perceived safety of the rules and the signs, people become more cautious.

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  3. AJ, as you might know, I write a blog about Jewish-Christian topics. So I thought I should jump in here. One of the most difficult things to do in a discussion of Judaism and Christianity is to compare-and-contrast. The problem is in trying to make a comparison that both religions would agree upon, and that would improve the understanding of each religion by adherents of the other religion. In practice, I think that very few comparisons achieve these goals. So please understand, I'm not especially critical of YOUR particular comparison!

    You write: "It's different in terms of deed over creed." That's probably true, in a subtle way. It must be a subtle difference, because if it were a stark difference, there'd be no reason for your blog! It might be more accurate to introduce more complexity, and talk about a difference in the centrality of belief in Christianity identity, versus a picture of Jewish identity where belief exists in a complex mix along with practice and national identity. But even this more complex comparison has its problems. There are Christian atheists too.

    When you say that "Judaism is about acts, earning one's place," and that "Christianity is about grace," you are making a comparison that has a long and unfortunate history. Doubtless there's some truth in this comparison, but it has led to a Christian view of Judaism as a "dead" religion of "works-righteousness," where Judaism amounts to unfeeling performance of ritual without meaning. Two generations of scholars (most famously, E.P. Sanders) have worked to overcome this impression. These scholars (correctly in my view) stress the importance of election and covenant in Judaism, that Israel was chosen by G-d as a gift of grace, and that Jews are members in good standing of this covenant without having to do anything. Jewish law contains the rules of the covenant community, but something more than violation of these rules is required to get tossed from the community. Overlying all is the Jewish concept of a merciful and forgiving God. This view, which I think is a lot more accurate than the one of "works-righteousness", is all about grace.

    Against the formerly dominant view of Judaism as "works-righteousness" we can see a natural but unfortunate Jewish counter-reaction, where Jews see Christianity as teaching that it doesn't matter what you do, so long as you acknowledge Jesus at your last breath. In practice, the difference here between Jews and Christians is not all that great. A better compare-and-contrast (albeit one with its own problems) is that Christians believe that faith brings one to good works, and Jews believe that good works bring one to faith.

    I could probably take issue with a few other compare-and-contrast statements here, but I won't, mostly because there's some truth in all of them, and because the problem lies in trying to understand another's religion in this way. Also, I don't want to criticize when it's so natural to try and understand a new thing by comparing it to something you already know.

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    1. Aw, come on - but these generalizations are so convenient! ;-)

      Thanks for the edification.
      AJ

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  4. Why not a "God wants us" reality, where G-d wants us not to behave like zealots?

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    1. Absolutely it's possible - and I hope you'll consider starting such a religion.

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    2. I would, only I think you've already started it for me.

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