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What is Orthodox Judaism?

Some of the consternation
Modern Orthodoxy. While embrac-
regarding Modern Orthodox
ing the mainstream Orthodox
Rabbi Asher Lopatin stems
notion of Judaism as an eternally
in no small part from a lack
unchanging set of beliefs and
of familiarity with the history
practices, Hirsch differentiated
and development of Orthodox
what he regarded as the immu-
Judaism itself.
table essentials of Judaism —
The term “orthodox,”
notably kashrut, prayer, Shabbat,
Howard Lupovitch holidays — from external aspects
derived from the Greek
words orthos (correct) and
of Jewish life (language, dress,
doxa (belief or path), means
secular education, participation in
“the correct belief” or “correct path.”
civic life) that he believed Jews needed to
Orthodox Judaism insists there is only
adapt to the demands of citizenship and
one right way to believe and observe
modern society.
as a Jew. As such, the mentality of
Hirsch’s synthesis of Orthodoxy
Orthodox Judaism is a relatively recent
and Modern prompted a reactionary
phenomenon in Jewish history, barely
backlash by disciples of Moses Sofer
two centuries old.
in Hungary beginning in the 1860s;
Before that, Jews did not identify
this came to be known as Ultra-
themselves as Orthodox Jews. At that
Orthodoxy. While Orthodoxy emerged as
time, Jews commonly associated
a response to Reform, Ultra-Orthodoxy
orthodox with some form of Orthodox
was primarily a response to the Modern
Christianity. Traditional Jewish obser-
Orthodoxy of Hirsch and his disciple,
vance and belief prior to the 19th cen-
Ezriel Hildesheimer. Ultra-Orthodox Jews
tury was more fluid and diverse than
regarded Modern Orthodox Jews as far
orthodox in its outlook.
more menacing even than Reform Jews,
Orthodoxy in Judaism began in
in so far as observant Jews were more
Central Europe around 1820 as a
likely to be led astray by modern Jews
response to Reform Judaism. In Eastern like Hirsch who claimed to be authentic,
Europe two generations later, it was
observant Jews than by Reform or other
principally a response to secular Jewish non-Orthodox Jews whom they could
movements such as Zionism. The
easily dismiss as assimilated heretics.
original Orthodox Jew, Rabbi Moses
Since then, the Orthodox world has
Sofer (known as Hatam Sofer), the
been divided predominantly into Modern
rabbi of Pressburg/Pozsony in Hungary
Orthodoxy, mainstream Orthodoxy and
(today Bratislava, Slovakia), coined
Ultra-Orthodoxy.
what became the slogan of this new
In the context of this complex story,
Orthodox mentality: Kol davar hadash
Modern Orthodoxy marks an attempt to
asur me-hatorah hi (That which is new
recapture the fluidity and diversity that
is forbidden by the Torah). Paradoxically, defined Judaism for centuries, from the
the notion that any innovation was
time of the Talmud through the end of
forbidden by the Torah was itself an
the 18th century. •
innovation.
Howard Lupovitch, Ph.D., is director of the
But approaches to Orthodox Judaism
Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies and
began to change within a decade or two.
associate professor of history at Wayne State
The first was the brainchild of Samson
University. For more on the topic, go to
Raphael Hirsch, the rabbi of Frankfurt,
yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Orthodoxy.
called Neo-Orthodoxy, known also as

ABOVE: In 2015, Rabbi Asher Lopatin, left, dances
with Rabbi Raif Melhado, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
2015 graduate, and Rabbi Ysoscher Katz, chair of the
Talmud department at YCT in Riverdale, N.Y. Lopatin
headed the yeshiva, but ended his tenure recently and
is moving to Detroit.

ing skeptics that YCT is Modern Orthodox,
a movement defined as Torah-centered,
halachic and engaged in ideas in the world
of science and the humanities. (See sidebar
on Orthodox Judaism on this page.)
“Open Orthodoxy is a new way of think-
ing,” Lopatin said in a 2017 interview with
Orthodox Conundrum, a broadcast about
being Orthodox in America. “It’s not a
break from the tradition. I’m all for new
understandings of our tradition, of what
the Torah is telling us, but I’m against
thinking it’s a change from what the Torah
has told us. Open Orthodoxy implies it’s a
break from the past, but what we’re learn-
ing here at YCT is the tradition … We’re
reading it in a more creative way. It’s part
of the mesorah (textual Torah commen-
tary).”
The Rabbinical Council of America
(RCA), the association of Modern
Orthodox rabbis that is affiliated with the
Orthodox Union, does not accept gradu-
ates of YCT as members.

continued from page 10

COMING TO DETROIT

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Lopatin was born in the San Francisco
Bay Area. At 8, his family moved to Israel,
living on a kibbutz for four years before
moving back and settling in Newton, Mass.
He earned a bachelor’s degree at Boston
University and a master’s degree in medi-
eval Arab thought as a Rhodes scholar at
Oxford University, where he also began
work on his doctorate in international
relations.
Lopatin returned to the U.S. to attend
Yeshiva University’s rabbinical program,
where he received ordination. He then
entered Yeshivas Brisk in Chicago, studying
with the esteemed late Talmudic scholar
Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik, whose late older
brother, Rabbi Joseph Solveichik, is con-
sidered a giant in the world of Modern
Orthodox thought.
For 18 years, Lopatin served as rabbi
of Anshe Shalom B’nai Israel, a Modern
Orthodox congregation in Chicago that he
won’t take credit for reviving. Lopatin says
he got there at the right time, when young,
observant families began moving back to
the Lakeview neighborhood in northern
Chicago. Former Obama
chief of staff and current
Chicago Mayor Rahm
Emanuel has been seen
davening there on Yom
Kippur.
For the past five years,
Lopatin has led Yeshiva
Chovevei Torah (YCT), a
Rabbi Avi Weiss
liberal Orthodox rabbini-
cal seminary founded by
another maverick, Rabbi
Avi Weiss, in Riverdale, Bronx, N.Y. Weiss
coined the term “Open Orthodoxy,” earn-
ing Lopatin the unenviable job of convinc-

Lopatin declined to discuss why he left
YCT as its director. He says he decided to
take the job in Detroit for a few reasons:
It’s an opportunity for his wife, Rachel,
a Hillel Day School alumna, to be closer
to her father, Dr. Warren Tessler (she
was raised in West Bloomfield), and he is
excited about being in a city in the midst
of a rebirth. Their four children will attend
Farber Hebrew Day School in Southfield.
He hadn’t thought about returning to
the pulpit, but the Etz Chayim families
convinced him to lead the new Modern
Orthodox congregation. Young Israel of
Oak Park, Young Israel of Southfield and
Or Chadash in Oak Park are the other
Modern Orthodox congregations in
Detroit. Their rabbis declined to comment
for this story.
But Elliot Shevin, president of Or
Chadash, a more progressive Orthodox
congregation, says he welcomes Lopatin.
“Or Chadash represents
a particular approach to
Judaism, which I think
Rabbi Lopatin shares:
observant but inquiring,”
he says.
Two local Orthodox
rabbis who asked that
their names not be used
Elliot Shevin
say they do not feel
threatened by Lopatin’s
more liberal views.
“I think it’s wonderful to have more rab-
bis coming to town; more Torah learning,
more mitzvahs,” one says.
If Lopatin “recognizes the authority of
the leadership that is here now, he will fit
in. If he sows dissension, he will not fit. If
his followers see him as a ticket to become
slack in their commitment to Judaism
and Torah, that is bad. If he brings people
closer to God and meaningful observance,

continued on page 14

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June 21 • 2018

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