The Noachide Dilemma Part 10

In my last post, I advocated for independent communities of Converts, Noachides, and Baalei Teshuvah. I believe that these three groups have far more in common with each other, than any of them have in common with the wider Jewish community that is rarely ready to accept them, unless there is complete conformity, and a willingness to simply be quiet and deal with what is, rather than what should be. The experience of a friend of mine is very telling. He lives in a medium size Jewish community, with a huge percentage of sexual predators and clergy abusers. Those going public about their experiences are quickly ostracized. One day, my friend received a phone call from a very prominent rabbi in that community. "Hello, Mr. .... your kids play with the kids of the ...family? Don't let them. The father is a child molester." My friend was grateful for the heads up. But he was puzzled. "Why are you telling this to me in secret? Why are you not alerting the community?" The rabbi answered "You Baalei Teshuvah. We worked very hard after the war to rebuild Orthodoxy in America, and we did a damn good job. Then, you come along and criticize. . We must denounce you and fight you, in order to maintain the honor of our rabbis and institutions. But keep on doing it. You are keeping us honest." I beleive that herein lies a major problem. Those who are FFB ("Frum"; religious from birth) have accepted a status quo, which often features some very ugly ideas and people.The bad guys are a tiny minority, but they are greeted with a conspiracy of silence, protected by the bugaboo of an exaggerated concept of "Lashon Hara". The three groups I mentioned did not grow up that way. Evil is exposed and dealt with. Some, out of fear of being condemned by the community, learn to "keep their mouths shut". But most do not. Their higher expectation force them to speak out. Community leadership, although not happy about moral failings in their society, are used to dealing with such situations quietly...or not dealing with them. The Baal Teshuvah, Noachide and Convert come to Judaism for a better, more spiritual life. They may be admired, but they are also "loose cannons". Most people who make a huge shift in their belief system fit into two categories. Some have deep seated psychological problems. I have met many Baalei Teshuvah, and some converts, who were certain that they were the Messiah, and were angry and frustrated by not being immediately recognized as such. But these people are seen early on as unstable, and are usually greeted with pity. The majority, however, are the best and brightest. They have the morality and integrity to make a drastic change in their lives, They are angry and frustrated too, but not for reasons of not being recognized, but for finding blemishes where they expected to find perfection. This is why I suggested in my previous post, that communities of those new to Judaism, should have their own leaders, rather than "regular" rabbis, who are not in a position to understand their feelings and concerns. These leaders would need to be trained by sympathetic rabbis, who would remain available for consultation. Yes, there are Baal Teshuvah yeshivot., But they primarily train young men and women for conformity, rather than to question from within Torah, and work for change. Judaism would, I beleive, profit greatly from knowledgeable and sensitive leadership. Baalei Teshuvah, Converts, and Noachides would benefit from a leadership that shares their own hopes and ideals. We read in Psalms (102:18) "This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the L-RD". Perhaps this means that those who were far from Torah, will come near, and begin anew the Jewish nation, praising and serving G-d in a new way, which is actually a return to the very old way. There is reason for Hope.