The Why Of Being Jewish
The front page of your March 28 issue highlighted an interview with Dr. Moshe Krakowski pertaining to his recent study entitled “Attrition and Connection in American Orthodox Judaism: Journeys Within and Out of Orthodox Judaism” (“Far, Yet Still Close: OU Study Yields Surprising Finders About Orthodox ‘Leavers’”). The interview provided some insights into the destabilization of some individuals’ commitment to Orthodoxy, brought about by either the temptations of secular culture, instability in the home, or misalignment between community, school, and home values in the observant lifestyle.
The interview fails to mention the “G” word (G-d, or Hashem) in its attempt to understand “leavers.” In the article, those who drift away from observance are characterized as having problems which challenge the functional aspects of observance but which give zero traction to the why of Judaism. Victor Frankl famously supported the notion that “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”
The study acknowledges that many who “leave the fold” still maintain “select Jewish practices such as davening or Shabbat dinner, even if not necessarily within a halachic framework, and staying connected with Orthodox family members and friends and with their Jewish identity generally.” What the study is uncovering here is the realization that some in the Orthodox community are practitioners of ritualism, a form of cultural Judaism, a genre of religion which resonates more with the non-Orthodox brands than to Torah Judaism. Many who leave the fold do not understand the special mission which a Jew is called upon to engage in.
The reason why we must remain Jewish is because the world depends on our survival. We have a covenantal relationship with the Creator of the universe to be a Nation of Priests, to be holy because G-d is holy. Our mission includes being a “light unto the nations”; it includes being the default position for morality and wisdom as defined by G-d. It means being part of the Redemption, of our miraculous return to Eretz Yisrael along with the ability to finally model for the world what a just and moral society looks like. Included in our awesome responsibility are the 613 commandments which, amongst other reasons, function to insure our survival of 4,000 years, approximately half the time without a physical land, army, or government.
We who identify as Jews today are a direct result of an unbroken chain of Jewish observance which has stretched over 4,000 years. We owe it to our children to not break this chain of responsibility. There is room for fluidity in observance – it can be internal, between knit cap and black hat, between yeshivishe and chassidic and Modern Orthodox – all within the guide rails of the mitzvot. It would be sheer ignorance of the Jewish idea for anyone to throw away a direct relationship with our Creator.
Those who think that being or not being observant is a choice are mistaken. Secular Jews have a very short shelf-life; no one is descended from a long line of assimilated Jews.
David Ferster
Great Neck, N.Y.
Why Is This Year Different From All Other Years?
Pesach is usually a festive time, a carryover from Purim, with seders shared with family and friends. One of the highlights of every seder is the asking of the four questions beginning with “Ma Nishtana…” This year I would like to paraphrase the question and ask, “Why is this year different from all other years?”
The answer, of course, is that there is a war raging in Gaza. The deaths, disruptions to family and economic routines, and concern for the remaining hostages put a damper on this year’s festivities.
A related thought I would like to share is about “Vehi She’amda La’avoseinu…” (For not only one has risen against us to annihilate us, but in every generation they rise up against us to annihilate us). This has unfortunately been true throughout the ages. However, I would like to discuss our enemies’ actions against us in just the post-Holocaust period alone.
The new Jewish State of Israel came into existence in 1948 and therefore spans a little over two conventional generations. Even before it was established, that is, during the time of the British Mandate and the Yishuv, Jews were already being ruthlessly attacked by the Arabs. And then the bitter War of Independence was waged against six invading Arab armies intent on destroying the Jewish State before it even came into existence.
Since then, Jews in Israel and around the globe have been constantly under attack without any respites. There was the Munich Olympic massacre, airplane hijackings, Entebbe, the Sbarro pizzeria bombing, bus bombings, rocket and missile attacks, fire bombings, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, intifadas, constant terror attacks, the first Gaza War in 2012, and today’s Gaza war against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran.
The point is that at the seder, when we sing about “our enemies trying to destroy us in every generation,” that is a poetic figure of speech. In actuality, it is an understatement. For as we see, even after the catastrophic Holocaust, our enemies are still working continuously to destroy us by one means or another, and not just once in each generation.
However, in spite of the sober outlook this Pesach for Jews in Israel and around the world, we can maintain our optimism. “Vehi Sheamda La’avoseinu…” concludes with, “And the Holy One, Blessed is He, rescues us from their hand.”
Chag Sameach.
Max Wisotsky
Highland Park, N.J.
Cliché Judaism
Rabbi Tanny, with all due respect, you’re guilty of what I call “cliché Judaism” (“Don’t Kvetch; Reflect,” Letters, March 28). You quote a statement from the Besht that one who sees the bad in others is guilty of that malfeasance, and believe that covers all the bases. But as Ms. Kupfer stated in her article (“Fraudodox – Frum Atheists,” Mar. 21), some ostensibly Orthodox Jews do terrible things, and it’s not incorrect to label such people as atheists because they don’t believe that Hashem is paying attention to them. I had an incident involving such a person. I won’t share the details, but he is super-rich and a major philanthropist, and so he thought he could step on a “nobody” like me because of the tzedakah he gives. If you’ve been fortunate enough never to have had a bad experience with a frum Jew, then you’re lucky, but I would imagine you’re in the minority.
Dr. Yaakov Stern
Via E-mail
