A New Philosophy of Judaism for the Modern Age

The Enlightenment brought about major changes in Jewish life. No longer were Jews insulated from non-Jewish currents of culture and thought, and this transformation of Jewish existence led many Jews to seek a modernization of Jewish worship. The earliest reformers engaged in liturgical revision, but quickly the spirit of reform spread to other areas of Jewish life; eventually modernists convened a succession of rabbinical conferences in order to formulate a common policy. Such a radical approach to the Jewish tradition provoked a hostile response from a number of leading Orthodox scholars, a reaction which led to the establishment of the neo-Orthodox movement. Simultaneously the Hasidic movement, grounded in kabbalah, similarly sought to revitalize Jewish life. The founder of this new development, the Baal Shem Tov, attracted a wide circle of followers and eventually, under the influence of his successor Dov Baer, Hasidism spread throughout Eastern Europe. Like Reform Judaism, this departure from tradition engendered considerable hostility on the part of rabbinic authorities, yet in time it became a major defender of the traditional Jewish way of life in the face of increasing secularism.

The modern period has also witnessed the creation of other non-orthodox sub-groups. In the middle of the 19th century Zecharias Franckel pursued a less radical interpretation of the tradition than that advanced by Reform Judaism: this new development, subsequently known as Conservative Judaism, took root in the United States under the influence of Solomon Schechter. Today Conservative Judaism ranks as one of the major Jewish movements on the American scene. As an off-shoot of Conservative Judaism, Reconstructionism was established in this century by the Jewish thinker Mordecai Kaplan. Adopting a non-supernatural understanding of Jewish civilization, it too gained a strong foothold on the American continent. In the 1960s another non-supernatural form of Judaism was advanced by Rabbi Sherwin Wine: Humanistic Judaism, like Reconstructionism, has rejected Jewish theism in favour of a Humanistic approach to the Jewish past. For Wine and his followers, Judaism must be divested of its supernatural elements if it is to function as a vibrant force in contemporary society. What is important, Humanists argue, is the Humanistic value system implicitly within the Jewish heritage. In addition to these religious movements, Zionism as an ideology has also generated wide-spread acceptance among all sections of Jewry. Initially Zionists believed that all Jews should reside in the Holy Land. However today there is a general recognition that Israel greatly benefits from the presence of Jews in the diaspora.

Ideologies Suffer Defects

All these ideologies suffer from various defects, and it is therefore difficult to see how any form of modern Judaism could serve as a basis for Jewish life in the 21st century. Due to its unwillingness to acknowledge the findings of biblical scholarship, Orthodox Judaism promotes an anachronistic understanding of the origins and nature of Scripture; further, it is unable to provide a coherent account of divine providential care in the face of the overwhelming tragedies of the current era. In addition, by uncritically accepting the traditional doctrine of Torah Misinai, Orthodoxy has failed to recognize the evolutionary character of the Jewish legal system.

Like Orthodox Judaism, Hasidism has also adopted an unenlightened approach to scientific discovery — instead it champions an archaic conception of cosmology based on kabbalistic lore as well as an unsupported conception of the composition of the Bible. Moreover, its endorsement of the role of the zaddik as an intermediary between human beings and God is an antiquated survival of the authoritarian Jewish past, totally unsuited to the modern world.

Turning to the varied branches of non-Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism is untenable as a religious system due to its lack of internal consistency. Not only are Reform Jews divided over the fundamental principles for Jewish heritage, there is no common agreement as to the central features of a Reform Jewish life-style despite Reform’s proclamations of common policy. Instead, Reform Judaism embodies a wide variety of followers who differ dramatically over the interpretation of the faith.

Conservative Judaism also lacks a coherent religious framework for modern Jewish living: within the movement there are divergent groups espousing radically different philosophies of Judaism. The major weakness of Conservatism is its internal disharmony over the fundamental features of the faith. Although Conservative Jews seek to preserve traditional Judaism, there is no consensus over which features of the Jewish heritage should be preserved. Indeed the inability of the movement to produce agreed statements of policy (like the Platforms issued by the Reform movement) illustrates Conservative Judaism’s chaotic character.

Numerous Difficulties

As far as the non-supernatural interpretations of Judaism are concerned, Reconstructionist Judaism is beset by numerous difficulties. The advocacy of loyalty to Judaism on the one hand and the endorsement of secular values on the other is internally inconsistent: a Jewish lifestyle and secular values are incompatible, regardless of Kaplan’s assurances. Another serious defect relates to Kaplan’s view of the supernatural. Jewish observance is traditionally grounded in an acceptance of divine revelation, yet it is precisely this theological foundation that Reconstructionism rejects. But what sense can be made of the notion of Jewish civilization if it is not based on God’s will? Humanistic Judaism’s naturalistic interpretation of Jewish life is similarly inadequate. Jewish Humanists seek to preserve the Humanistic features of Judaism while abandoning theism, however without such a basis it is difficult to see how such a conception of Judaism would be able to sustain the Jewish people. Further, Humanistic Judaism’s endorsement of human potential is at odds with the horrific events of this century which have eclipsed the optimistic assumptions of the post-Enlightenment age. Zionism — as a non-religious option for modern Jewry — also fails to provide an ideological basis for Jewish living in the next century. The creation of the state of Israel has not eliminated the problem of anti-Semitism nor has it provided a guarantee for Jewish survival.

No Solid Foundation

Thus, none of these options appears to provide a solid foundation for Jewish existence in the future. Arguably what is required, therefore, is a new philosophy of Judaism which acknowledges the plurality of approaches to the Jewish heritage which currently exist within the Jewish world. All the modern branches of Judaism espouse different conceptions of the tradition. Yet the adherents of each movement are at liberty to decide for themselves which beliefs and practices are personally relevant. Despite the pronouncements of leaders of each sub-group, all Jews in fact select those features of the tradition which they find meaningful — this is true for Orthodox Jews as much as for members of Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and humanistic congregations.

In past centuries such freedom was not allowed; instead the Jewish establishment was able to coerce members of the community to conform to its dictates. But today this is no longer the case; rather there is a conscious recognition that Jews are free to make up their own minds. Coercion in the community has virtually disappeared except in the narrow sphere of personal status where the different movements are empowered to enforce various standards. Hence, the hallmark of the modern age is the guarantee of personal autonomy. This is the basic underpinning of Jewish life in Western democratic societies. Just as Jews are free to make personal choices about all aspects of their everyday existence — from place of residence to holiday travel — they are at liberty to decide for themselves how to conduct their religious lives.

Vibrant Philosophy

A vibrant philosophy of Judaism for the 21st century must acknowledge the universality of this central feature of the modern world. A more open form of Judaism would seek to grant all Jews full religious independence. This new ideology would allow each member of the Jewish community an inalienable right to religious autonomy. In other words, the freedom of each person would end only where another person’s freedom begins. The central feature of this new concept of Judaism is therefore the principle of personal liberty; such a form of Judaism would grant all Jews the right to select those aspects of the tradition which they find religiously significant. Adherents of this interpretation of the faith would be encouraged to make up their own minds about both belief and practice. No one — no rabbi or rabbinical body — would be permitted to decide what observances are acceptable. In other words, a more open form of Judaism would foster the same conception of personal liberty which is essential to a democratic society. This vision of a truly liberal form of Judaism would thus be consonant with the realities of everyday Jewish life — in democratic societies Jews in fact do decide for themselves which feature of the Jewish tradition they wish to adopt or reject.

Supermarket Analogy

This notion of Judaism as an amorphous religious system can perhaps best be illustrated by the analogy of the supermarket. If we imagine Jewish civilization as a vast emporium with articles from the past arranged in long aisles and individual Jews with shopping trolleys, a more open form of Judaism would encourage each person to select from the shelves those items he wishes to possess. Orthodox Jews would leave with overflowing trolleys; Conservative and Reconstructionist Jews would depart with less; Reform and Humanistic Jews with even fewer commodities; and non-affiliated Jews with hardly any.

This image of the supermarket emphasizes the non-judgmental character of this new ideology. Just as when shopping each person is able to make selections without the fear of coercion or criticism, so within this open model of Judaism individuals would be allowed to decide for themselves which features of the Jewish past they desire to incorporate into their own lives. Shoppers in such a Jewish marketplace would be free agents, charting their own personal path through the tradition.

Further, as in a supermarket where there is no critical assessment made by other shoppers or by the supermarket staff of the choices made, so within such a conception of Judaism censorious evaluations of the decisions of others would have no place. As a remedy for the bitter divisions that beset the Jewish community, this new approach to the Jewish heritage offers the hope of unity beyond diversity for the 21st Century. •