A raging debate has befallen the world of Orthodox Judaism which strikes at the heart of what it means to live a Torah observant life in a secular society.
I am frequently told that in my capacity as a clergyman, I must have a Modern Orthodox approach and be able to encourage and accommodate the requirements of a diverse community with a wide range of religious observance and knowledge.
Yet, the coinage “Modern Orthodox” is an amorphous term that everyone claims in accordance with their own views.
The clarity of this term has been dimmed further by how it has been employed by many movements or ideologies that wish to seek a respectable mantle for whatever its cause.
This — in addition to being bandied about, inaccurately, by detractors to the right and left of the religious/political spectrum — has conflated its meaning.
In a conversation with a devoted member of a Reform congregation, I was told that, in her estimation, Modern Orthodoxy implies a bending of the rules.
This criticism has also proliferated in the sphere of the more hard-lined Orthodox community, that Modern Orthodoxy is little more than a fig-leaf covering a less-than-serious commitment to Judaism and Halacha, ritual law.
In general, I eschew titles and labels as they never do an individual justice. Things are never as black and white as our social tags might suggest.
In addition, the moment pragmatic leaders within a brand make a decision which conflicts with an estimation of a movement’s tenets, they find themselves embroiled in a fray. As such, framing who is Modern Orthodox is fraught with prejudice, ego and controversy.
A simpler task would then be to articulate what the term means to the individual. Others can either find places of commonality or disregard entirely the point of view.
Our sages tell us (Midrash Eicha Rabbah 2:13), “If one were to tell us, ‘There is Torah among the nations,’ do not believe him. Yet, if one were to say, ‘There is wisdom among the nations,’ we believe him.”
I believe this statement to be the underpinning of what it means to be Modern Orthodox.
We are told in this statement that though our sense of the divine come from the Torah, “modernity” must not be rejected. The “secular” has much to teach us and can even add greater dimensions to what we consider “sacred.”
Through a comprehensive study of science we have a greater understanding of the greatness of God’s creation. Through technology we have insight to God’s wisdom.
Through the examination of philosophy we gain a more comprehensive inkling of the great answers the Torah provides.
No matter what ones’ background, one has something to contribute. No part of human intellectual endeavour should ever be cast aside simply because it fails to conform to one’s previously learned dogma.
This, however, does not translate into laxity in the sphere of ritual law or Halacha. As the Torah was given by God, the search for the best and most effective way to live up to the commandments is our method of interfacing with the divine. God is, literally, in the details.
Our scholarship and study of halachic opinion must reflect an utmost desire to serve God properly, not to push an agenda that seeks to alleviate perceived “inconveniences.”
To delve through source material and inductively read a result to conform to a politically motivated desire is, at best, intellectually dishonest. We must continually ask ourselves, “Is this what God wants from me?” in our pursuit of what is right. Not “Is this what is convenient?”
Interestingly, it was Samuel Holdheim, one of the leaders of the early Reform movement in Judaism, who wrote, “Religion may under no circumstances pander to the ‘needs of the age.’ To do so would elevate the ‘needs of the age’ to religion. Religion would cease to be religion when it lowers itself to become the handmaid of the ‘age’ and its needs.”
To me, Modern Orthodoxy is a way to view the broader world and encourage participation in the greater community around us.
Yet, at the same time, it teaches a rigor in seeing the Torah as a guide to the divine. Halacha is the basis for religious practice and the theological foundation for Jewish thought.
I am indifferent to the label, but, these are the values that motivate me as a rabbi.
Rabbi Nisan Andrews is spiritual leader of Lake Park Synagogue.
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