The Noachide Dilemma part 12

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

Suppose you went to a therapist to help you deal with your problems. You get to his office, and begin to explain your concerns. Suddenly, he interrupts you, and says "Why are you telling this to me? I have my own issues! My health is not the best, I have problems with my kids, I have trouble paying the mortgage. I simply have no time for you!" You would probably walk out of the office bewildered and angry. But what if what he was saying was true? The therapist had several options. He could leave his profession He could take some time off in order to get his affairs in order. Or he could put his cares aside,giving his patient the attention and help he deserves. The prophet Isaiah is saying in the above passage that Torah is not just for the Jews, but, rather, we have a mission to be a "light unto the Nations". Many non-Jews complain to me that they do not find the Jewish People to be open to sharing anything. Like the therapist I have just described, the Jews could answer "Hey, I don't have my own problems? I am persecuted. I am hated. Keeping my children Jewish in an open society takes up all my time, resources and energy. My salary goes to Yeshiva tuition (most Jewish Day Schools cost $20,000 per child annually)."
What we have here is a true dilemma. The Jew is commanded to spiritually lead the world that wants to destroy him. The great commentator, RASHI, living in France on the eve of the first Crusade, which brought in two centuries of unspeakable persecution for the Jews, took the passage quite non-literally. It couldn't possibly mean that we should impress the importance of Torah Truths on the savages who are burning us alive, throwing us off cliffs, killing our pregnant women by cutting open their bellies and throwing their unborn children to the ground. The "Nations" referred to in the text must mean the Northern Tribes that have strayed from Torah. What else could it mean? In context, the verse clearly states that we have a mission to the world. But, for at least 2,000 years, we have been is survival mode. The exponential rise in antisemitism keeps us there. In all my years, I have never, ever heard a rabbi speak of our obligations to the non-Jewish world (except for humanitarian relief efforts, and political lobbying against discriminatory laws; but even these are few and far between). If a rabbi is asked, he will say "Oh, that means teaching by example". I know of no source for this. The early Zionists did make reference to being "a light unto the Nations", but that was interpreted as setting up a model Socialist society, which would show the world how it's done. Survival is vital. But is survival in a sheltered, self imposed isolation really survival? The "Teshuvah Movement" really started in the aftermath of the Six Day War in 1967. But Chabad had been involved in this for over a century; and others were NOT pleased. When I was in college, I met many who grew up "frum", who told me that their parents hated Chabad for making Baalei Teshuvah, thus "diluting the community". I will never forget when, in 1970, I was dating a young women. I came to her home and met her parents (that's how it was done in those days). When they learned that I was a Baal Teshuvah, they stood up and left the room, ordering their daughter not to see me again. What would they have said about a convert? In this whole issue of Noachides, Converts, and Baalei Teshuvah, the Orthodox Jewish community needs to do a great deal of soul searching, and seeking their raison d'etre.. I will end this series with an incident I witnessed a little over a year ago. My teacher, Rabbi N.D. Kiwak, was visiting the States. He took ill, and was hospitalized for several days. Sima and I went to visit him, as did several people in my extended family. One of my sons in law told a friend that he was going to visit a Tzaddik in the hospital. His friend said that he also wished to go. To everyone's astonishment and embarrassment, the friend made a "sales pitch" to Rabbi Kiwak for a project he was running. He was planning to organize converts into moving to Lakewood, New Jersey (the heart of the Lithuanian Yeshiva world in the U.S.) That way, they could absorb "True Torah Judaism" completely. Rabbi Kiwak listened politely. When the man left, i asked the rabbi "do you agree with that approach?" He sat up, looked at me and said "are you joking?" We cannot keep doing the same thing, and expect different results. May Hashem guide us in the right path!

The Noachide Dilemma part 11

A potential pitfall in my proposal of independent Noachide communities is the issue of observance. As I have already shown, rabbinic opinion varies as to what a Noachide may or may not do. My own belief is that a Noachide may do any mitzvah voluntarily, other than the few which state specifically that "it is a sign between Me and the Children of Israel". The problem might come in with some wanting to do more, with others wanting to put their spiritual efforts into other types of devotion. While conformity to a community standard can be a good think, it can also be stifling. Care must be taken that these independent communities not become a reflection of the larger Jewish community's struggles. For example, there was an incident a number of years ago, in which a Leftist, Secularist Israeli female politician wanted to "liberate" ultra Orthodox women. In some religious areas in Israel, the buses maintain separate seating for men and women. She got on such a bus, and defiantly sat down in the men's section. She expected cheers from the women. She saw herself as a Jewish Rosa Parks. Instead, the women shouted at her, and threw her off the bus.The separate seating arrangement was in accordance with the ideologies of both genders. These women did not want to be "liberated" by a person who "marched to the beat of a different drummer". I have written about how women in general are halachically permitted to do much more in Judaism than they are currently doing. Many do feel the need for this. But many others are opposed. "Why can't I be like my Mother and Grandmother?" Any community, as I envision it, would need to set loose boundaries; these actions are permissible, but there are other options as well". Can we not have one Noachide putting of Tallit and Tefillin, while his neighbor refrains, feeling that this is not HIS covenant? If such a community would include Baalei Teshuvah and Converts, the need for parameters would be great. The integrity of each group would need to be honored; with sharing where possible, but with differences likewise respected. When I was in college, I had an instructor who was a Black Power advocate. The FBI followed him all over. I once asked him about Black antisemitism, in light of the fact that Jews had been huge supporters of the Civil Rights movement. He answered "suppose the situation was reversed, with the Blacks being affluent and the Jews poor. Imagine I came to your synagogue, and advocated for a free ham for every Jewish family every Friday night. That's what you did to us. We want to celebrate who we are, and rediscover out African heritage. Jewish leaders came to us and said no, you must become doctors and lawyers. That is why we hate you". In my opinion, Noachides, Converts, and Baalei Teshuvah must honor, even celebrate each other's paths. If allowed, we have a great deal to learn from each other. The Jewish establishment might not be happy with this. Means must be found where that would no longer matter.

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.