points of view

How Judaism Will Flourish

without ethics, both personal and
societal, is a contradiction in terms.
Do we need to study Torah,
I have no patience for survival
Judaism. Whenever I hear someone embrace Jewish ritual and observe
Shabbat? Absolutely, although Reform,
talk about what Jews must do in
Conservative and Orthodox Jews will
order to "survive I head for the door.
interpret these obligations
Joel Alperson, in his
. --
differently. The work of
Commentary "Floodgates
social justice, absent text
Of Assimilation" (Aug. 4,
study and ritual practice as
page 26), has joined the
a foundation, is inauthentic
long list of Jewish corn-
and will not sustain itself.
munal leaders offering a
Indeed,
I have found that
formula for Jewish survival.
the
work
of tikkun olam
Along the way, he informs
(repair
of
the world), for all
us that Modern Orthodoxy
its
rewards,
is lonely and
has all the answers and
discouraging
work; and
Reform and Conservative
only
by
absorbing
the light
Judaism are on the road to
Rabbi Eric
of
the
Shabbat
candles
and
extinction — a point with
Yoffie
by studying and worship-
which I strongly disagree,
ing with a strong, dynamic
but that I will not argue
Jewish community can I immunize
here. What does need to be said, how-
myself against the cynicism and alien-
ever, is that he shows a total misun-
ation that surround me.
derstanding of what Judaism is about
and fails to comprehend that Judaism
Divinely Oriented
obsessed with survival is a Judaism
But the point that Mr. Alperson
that will not survive.
misses is that social justice is not, as
Anyone who has urged college stu-
he claims, a secular pursuit meant
dents to care about Jewish survival
to compensate for the absence of
knows that they will respond with
"God-based" Jewish experience. Social
indifference, incomprehension and
justice is God-mandated in precisely
contempt. They are not interested in
the same way that Shabbat observance
being Jewish so that we can survive.
and Torah study are
They need to hear the
God-mandated. In
opposite message:
the book of Jeremiah
Jews do not observe
(9:24), we find these
Torah in order to
words: "I am the
survive; they survive
Eternal, who exercis-
in order to observe
es kindness, justice
Torah. And — this
and righteousness on
is the key for such
earth, for in these I
students, and for most
North American Jews
Serious Jews know
— observing Torah
that in the Jewish
means much more
tradition, healing
than worrying only
the sick, clothing the
about our own souls.
naked, helping the
Observing Torah
poor, pursuing peace,
involves fulfilling a
loving my people and
grander purpose. It
my neighbors — these are the attri-
means taking to heart the words of
butes of God. And we testify to God's
R. Hayyim of Brisk, the greatest tal-
existence by emulating God behavior.
mudist of the late 19th century, who
The essence of Mr. Alperson's argu-
defined the rabbi's task as follows: "To
ment, and the height of his folly, is
redress the grievances of those who
that "we can't have it both ways." We
are abandoned and alone, to protect
cannot, he says, both insist that tikkun
the dignity of the poor and to save
olam and social justice are central and
the oppressed from the hands of the
also embrace serious Jewish education
oppressor."
and Jewish practice. But we can, and
in fact, we must. To do one without the
Text Based
other is to retreat from the world and
Social justice, in short, is required by
distort Judaism's very essence. Li
our religious texts and is inseparable
from our religious mission. There is no
Rabbi Eric Yoffie is president of the Union
such thing as a morality that is selec-
for Reform Judaism. He has announced his
tively indignant — that looks within,
mid-2012
retirement.
but fails to look without. And Judaism

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28 August 11 • 2011

iN

The work of
social justice,
absent text
study and ritual
practice • • •
will not sustain
itself.