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January 21, 2000/7 Shevat 5760, Vol. 52, No.20
Can right actions define religious identity?
MARTY LATZ
Special to Jewish News
"Who is more religious, you or your parents?" asks Rabbi William C. Berk of Temple Chai. Break into groups of two and discuss this, he suggests.
I look at the group of 25 or so members of the Young Leadership Division (YLD) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, and wonder how we will respond. It's the first event of the YLD's "Passion Speaks Educational Series," and Berk's question is intriguing.
Titled "Big Picture: Why This is the Most Exciting Time to be Jewish in 2,000 Years," Berk first asks us to consider and to discuss, a traditional form of Jewish learning. So I ask the person beside me if he is more religious than his parents. "Yes," he says. And then he tells me about his upbringing and his current adherence to many of our religious customs.
He then asks me, and I fudge. "I'm not sure," I respond. "In fact, I'm not really sure what Rabbi Berk means by 'religious.' If he's asking whether I go to temple as often as my parents, it's about the same. If he's asking whether I feel as deeply Jewish as my parents, certainly. If he's asking about my knowledge of Jewish traditions, my folks know more."
Berk picks up on this theme later, noting that there's been a "meltdown" in what the word "religious" means. At one point in our history, he says, one's religiosity was largely measured by the level of adherence to Jewish traditions. This has changed. He illustrates this by explaining how today's Jewish world fits historically into the bigger picture.
He tells us we're living in the wake of the two greatest tragedies in our history: the Temple's destruction in 70 C.E. and the Holocaust. In their aftermath, Berk argues, we view the past differently. For instance, the Nazis in 1944 calculated a Jew's worth at just less than 2 cents, based on the amount they spent to kill Jews.
Contrast this with a meeting in the 1980s between then U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz and Jewish leaders. In it, Schultz asked if we would privately raise sufficient resources to save the Ethiopian Jews - at a cost of $10,000 per Jew. We said yes - and then did it.
Berk asks: "Was raising this money religious or secular?" He then answers the question, saying the "core of holiness is spending for human life." Every human has infinite worth and is equal and unique, he says. We're living in a time - after the Holocaust - where there has been an "explosion of dignity all over the world."
Central to this holiness is the rebirth of our Jewish homeland almost 2,000 years after the Temple's destruction. Our ability to survive and thrive, despite overwhelming challenges, and to return to Israel constitute what Berk called the "greatest miracle in the history of the world."
This is one reason why it's exciting to be a Jew now. And because, today, Berk says, "holiness is to be found in where we work and play and eat." It's everywhere, among the "secular" and the "religious." All we do to help others - from charitable donations to physically helping the needy - is "religious" in a larger sense.
I strongly agree with the rabbi - but add that much remains to be accomplished. Israel was largely born out of the world's guilt over the Holocaust, not because the world felt Jews deserved a homeland. Plus, Berk's question about religion raises a host of other issues. To what extent does adhering to customs and tradition impact one's Judaism? If one defines "religious" as purely acting morally, what might happen to our unique and rich traditions?
Berk presents some interesting ideas. They deserve further study and discussion.
Marty Latz is a Valley attorney and negotiations consultant. Send comments to mlatz@negot.com.
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