The World's a Stage and We Are All Hams
Dear Reader,
One of the major problems I have observed in Jewish society today is the tendency of Jews to cheat other Jews. In a societal race where the only winners are the ones who pray the longest and most enthusiastically, competitive religion arises. Jews compete against other Jews for "Yichus", roughly translated as a concept of social and religious standing based on your bloodline, and piety. Charity becomes a competition where the person who gives the most is the most honored. They have dinners in their names to promote the unselfish deed of giving charity.
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."
-Matthew, 6:1-4
An observation of the Jesus of Matthew's Gospel on the Jewish community strikes a true chord today. Our synogogues are named for people. Our schools are named after loved ones of families that donate immense amounts of money. They do this publically, as Jesus said, and they essentially 'sound a trumpet' when they have honorary dinners. In this respect, we are a lot like the Jews of the Second Temple.
Religious observance also became a contest. Swaying and enthusiasm during prayers, which should usually be very personal meetings between each of us and God, is very apparent. Those who have the trendy tzitzit, fringes, and phlacteries are those that are believed to be the closest to God. I observed at the SOY Seforim Sale at Yeshiva University male students buying incredibly complex books and volumous sets of the Babylonian Talmud. This is pretty commonly known as a mating ritual in the Jewish world. The bigger the set of Babylonian Talmud one gets, the better person they are. Possesions and appearances become the primary mode of courtship in the Jewish community. Jesus made a very true observation about his Jewish community when Matthew wrote that he said:
"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments"
-Matthew, 23:5
This hierarchy based on appearances is not the revolution in humanity that God wished to inspire. Courting and marriage based on outer religiousness is wrong but will not stop because the community feels that that is the true path to the Almighty, a building of "Yichus" based on outer appearances and bloodlines. We are not a caste system, but we certainly have the mentality for it. We have gone a long way in the wrong direction since Moses and Joshua's glorious revolution establishing a meritocracy. Earning is a new concept to the youth of the new Jewish community.
Learning is a process everyone should go through. I am not disinclined to sit and learn the Torah or Jewish Law. I was sitting in one of my classes one day and my Rabbi said something that struck me as strange. He stated that we must learn at least eight hours a day in order to please the Almighty. We inquired about making a living in order to support a family, as per the commandment of multiplying in Genesis. He stated that there was always the Sabbath by which you learn eight hours, you sleep eight hours, and you spend eight hours with your family as opposed to making a living. This is a highly disfunctional family unit, where as I responded with the following verse from the final blessings of Moses to the Tribes of Israel:
"And of Zeb'ulun he said, Rejoice, Zeb'ulun, in thy going out; and, Is'sachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hid in the sand."
-Deuteronomy, 33:18-19
This states that one can go to work in order to allow another, such as your children, to learn. Zebulun supported Issachar in learning by going out and making a living for them. Around the country there are establish kollels by which people are supported to do nothing but learn all day. As I said before, I am not disinclined to learn, but supporting people to learn is defeating the purpose.
"Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you."
Deuteronomy, 4:1
We are supposed to live by the law, not be consumed by the study of it. If we were meant to do nothing but sit and learn, practical books, such as the Mishnah Berurah or Code of Jewish Law, would not exist. Theology does not require a think-tank to innovate ideas, the divine idea has already been expressed in text. But this is still a mark of distinction and learning should be done openly and often. When you are in a busy elevator, don't let that intimidate you. Whip out a theological book and make use of that time in order to show people just how devoted to God you are.
The social division between those that worship God and respect man, and those that worship the worship of God.
-Marc Kolb
One of the major problems I have observed in Jewish society today is the tendency of Jews to cheat other Jews. In a societal race where the only winners are the ones who pray the longest and most enthusiastically, competitive religion arises. Jews compete against other Jews for "Yichus", roughly translated as a concept of social and religious standing based on your bloodline, and piety. Charity becomes a competition where the person who gives the most is the most honored. They have dinners in their names to promote the unselfish deed of giving charity.
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."
-Matthew, 6:1-4
An observation of the Jesus of Matthew's Gospel on the Jewish community strikes a true chord today. Our synogogues are named for people. Our schools are named after loved ones of families that donate immense amounts of money. They do this publically, as Jesus said, and they essentially 'sound a trumpet' when they have honorary dinners. In this respect, we are a lot like the Jews of the Second Temple.
Religious observance also became a contest. Swaying and enthusiasm during prayers, which should usually be very personal meetings between each of us and God, is very apparent. Those who have the trendy tzitzit, fringes, and phlacteries are those that are believed to be the closest to God. I observed at the SOY Seforim Sale at Yeshiva University male students buying incredibly complex books and volumous sets of the Babylonian Talmud. This is pretty commonly known as a mating ritual in the Jewish world. The bigger the set of Babylonian Talmud one gets, the better person they are. Possesions and appearances become the primary mode of courtship in the Jewish community. Jesus made a very true observation about his Jewish community when Matthew wrote that he said:
"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments"
-Matthew, 23:5
This hierarchy based on appearances is not the revolution in humanity that God wished to inspire. Courting and marriage based on outer religiousness is wrong but will not stop because the community feels that that is the true path to the Almighty, a building of "Yichus" based on outer appearances and bloodlines. We are not a caste system, but we certainly have the mentality for it. We have gone a long way in the wrong direction since Moses and Joshua's glorious revolution establishing a meritocracy. Earning is a new concept to the youth of the new Jewish community.
Learning is a process everyone should go through. I am not disinclined to sit and learn the Torah or Jewish Law. I was sitting in one of my classes one day and my Rabbi said something that struck me as strange. He stated that we must learn at least eight hours a day in order to please the Almighty. We inquired about making a living in order to support a family, as per the commandment of multiplying in Genesis. He stated that there was always the Sabbath by which you learn eight hours, you sleep eight hours, and you spend eight hours with your family as opposed to making a living. This is a highly disfunctional family unit, where as I responded with the following verse from the final blessings of Moses to the Tribes of Israel:
"And of Zeb'ulun he said, Rejoice, Zeb'ulun, in thy going out; and, Is'sachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hid in the sand."
-Deuteronomy, 33:18-19
This states that one can go to work in order to allow another, such as your children, to learn. Zebulun supported Issachar in learning by going out and making a living for them. Around the country there are establish kollels by which people are supported to do nothing but learn all day. As I said before, I am not disinclined to learn, but supporting people to learn is defeating the purpose.
"Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you."
Deuteronomy, 4:1
We are supposed to live by the law, not be consumed by the study of it. If we were meant to do nothing but sit and learn, practical books, such as the Mishnah Berurah or Code of Jewish Law, would not exist. Theology does not require a think-tank to innovate ideas, the divine idea has already been expressed in text. But this is still a mark of distinction and learning should be done openly and often. When you are in a busy elevator, don't let that intimidate you. Whip out a theological book and make use of that time in order to show people just how devoted to God you are.
The social division between those that worship God and respect man, and those that worship the worship of God.
-Marc Kolb
posted by Marc Kolb | 4:16 PM
4 Comments:
Interesting blog. However, for someone concerned with Modern Orthodox Judaism, what's with all the references to the Christian Bible? I understand the points you are trying to make, but they can be made just as lucidly and effectively without quoting Yeshu. The title of your blog speaks of "Jewish social and religious reform." What type of religious reform are you aiming at here? The Christian Bible contains many passages intended to denigrate the Jews; these passages have for centuries been the cause of countless persecutions (including torture and murder) of Jews. If you want to give mussar to the Jewish community, that's fine. But there are plenty of authentic Jewish sources out there that you can use in lieu of the Christian Bible.
And btw, loving the criticism of the CJF -- I still fail to see how they are doing anything for the Jewish future or present. Those flash drives were pretty useful though.
The point I am trying to make here is how the outsiders view us. We are a very introverted and self-consumed race, and thus we can only get opinions about us from external viewpoints. Taking a source within Judaism defeats the purpose. Additionally, what better source of social critique do we have than the original breakaway Christian doctrine. I don't understand your discomfort at the mention, or even usage, of Jesus through his appearance in the gospels.
Persecutions are done based on misinformation and ignorance. What you are mostly refering to are persecutions through the Catholic Church. The Papal See is very familiar with Judaism and would not wish Judaism to sway the subjects of the Christ, and thuse persecute them. The New Testament could have said that we were all horned goat-devils or winged seraphin, it would not have mattered to the Catholics.
On a side note, I would just like to know what your aversion to the name Jesus is. It is only a name. We do not believe him to be divine or even correct in his doctrines. To give a very coarse comparison from popular culture: Lord Voldemort / He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. None wish to utter his name, but why? Harry seems to have overcome his fear, and so have those who combat Voldemort, why should we fear names? There is nothing mystical or divine about the name of Jesus, nor is he some dread evil to be evaded, Jesus was just a man. I can vocalize and write the name of Jesus without guilt or consequence.
Thank you very much for your comment, love the part about the CJF, and I look forward to reading more of your comments in the future.
Who said there was something wrong with the name Jesus? I referred to him as Yeshu, because that's his name -- it's Hebrew for Jesus, not necessarily a pejorative term (I could just as easily referred to him by another Hebrew word, mamzer, if I wanted to do such a thing). While I do not have a problem per se with using the name Jesus, I do very much have a problem with using the word "Christ," seeing as how it means messiah, and we Jews do not believe Yeshu is the messiah...
There are plenty of sources, other than strictly Jewish sources, that are critical of our people. Many are anti-semitic, but there are plenty that are not. It is not at all necessary to quote the the "New Testament" to make your points. Furthermore, you treat the tales in this book as if they were factual -- the point I was trying to make by referring to the persecutions by the Christians throughout the centuries was that these particular passages were intended to denigrate the Jewish people, and supplant them with the "new Jews," i.e. the Christians. That is not to say that all Christians interpret it that way today, nor is it meant to imply that Christians are bad people or antisemitic in general --in fact, today the Christian right is Israel's best ally.
Perhaps my problem with what you wrote is not so clear, so consider for a moment a similar treatment of Judaism in the Qur'an. Were I to quote a Qur'anic passage to provide a social critique of the Jewish people or the Christian people today, I believe you might too find it offensive. For example:
Sura 9:30-31
"The Jews call 'Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the son of God. That is but a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. God's curse be on them; how they are deluded away from the Truth! They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of God, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary. Yet they were commanded to worship but One God: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him! (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)"
Islam considers both Judaism and Christianity to be distortions of the true religion. That is the purpose of such passages -- to replace those religions with Islam. While it may be true that many Christians and many Jews do not follow the dictates of their respective religions, using such a source to make that point is inappropriate. We cannot use such texts to learn about a different religion, especially if that other religion was in direct conflict with the one whose text we are using, and whose purpose for writing those texts was, in part, to attack the validity of the other religion. This verse is particularly demonstrative of this point -- The Jews do not, and have never (to my knowledge) considered Uzair (Ezra) to be the son of God (in the sense that Christians believe Yeshu to be the son of God).
My issue was not merely that you used a different religion's sacred texts to make a negative remark about your own, but rather that I think you should use more neutral sources in general when making such points on such sensitive topics. You might as well be using the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to make a point about corrupt Jewish leaders or businessmen.
There is nothing wrong with using Jewish sources to make a point, nor is there a dearth of secular sources that also make the same points.
Furthermore, rhetorical purposes aside, as a practicing Orthodox Jew, and I have no reason to believe that you are otherwise, I would think that you would be learning your life lessons from the figures in the Talmud, not from the tales of Jesus in the Christian Bible. I disagree with the premise that you can only get opinions about us from an external source.
In any case, your points are good. I just don't like the examples you chose to illustrate them. But keep on bashing the CJF and I'll keep on reading :)
I think you misunderstand me. I am not making negative remarks. My remarks are but observations on the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. The usage of outside sources I feel to be very pertient to the modern era by which we are judged based on a very generic ethical code. The oldest functional ethical code that lives until today, with the exception of the Torah, is the Christian ethic. I figure it is better to observe other societies as well and see how they run in order to make improvements on our own. It is far better than isolationism and keeping our heads firmly buried in the ground.
As per your comment about nuetral sources, if you can find some nuetral observations from the first century, I'd be amazed. I'd be even more amazed if you can find an observer without an agenda. This world is not such a friendly place to the Jews, and remember, when the gospels were first written, they had in mind to convert the Jews, not persecute them. Granted that some gospels are antisemetic, the same general observation holds true and I stand by my decision to use that quote as an historical source.
Additionally, Christ has become more of a last name than an actual honorarium. Names are related to and based on such a name. Names like Christopher and Christian are such names. Do you call them something else?
As per learning life lessons from the figures in the Talmud, the Talmud does contain a great many moral lessons and stories, but it also contains doctrines not very commonly known, such as the brief dialoges on demonology, conjuring, and divining nature based on names in Tractate Brachot.
Thanks for the encouragement and I really look forward to your next response, my next couple of blogs should be coming up shortly.
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