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June 20, 2003/Sivan 20 5763, Vol. 55, No. 43
In defense of OrthodoxRABBI ZVI HOLLANDHoward Weinstein's letter to the editor, "Misused application of Halacha?" (Jewish News, June 13) shows his sincere frustration and pain. But his feelings stem from a lack of understanding of the topic.Torah-observant Judaism, commonly called Orthodoxy, is an unbroken chain of tradition from Sinai, based on empirical data and rational ideas, not blind faith. "Orthodox" Judaism counts among its followers not only white-bearded Hasidic rabbis and Sephardic Hachamim but contemporary upstanding members of American society such as Herman Wouk, Sen. Joseph Lieberman and Jeff Jacoby. Enter every major hospital in the country and you will find Orthodox physicians. Walk the halls of law firms and you will find Orthodox attorneys. Witness the Orthodox volunteer ambulance corps Hatzalah, the first group to arrive at the World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001. Were Weinstein to have made an effort to get to know the Orthodox world, I suspect he would have been proud of his Orthodox fellow Jews. The doors of The Phoenix Community Kollel are open to him; it offers every kind of Torah study imaginable with the premier center for advanced Judaic Studies in the state. To the points in Weinstein's letter to the editor, relating to "A Chained Woman" (Jewish News, June 6): Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, noting the fact that Conservative and Reform rabbis perform weddings without satisfying halachic requirements regarding witnesses, permits a woman who did not have a halachically valid marriage to marry without a get (Jewish divorce). That is an example of how halachic realities can be effectively invoked to help Jewish women. The ketubah (religious wedding contract), moreover, is not the instrument of marriage, nor do the witnesses signed on the bottom validate the ceremony. The ketubah was instituted by the Rabbis to protect the woman from being widowed or divorced; in effect it is the world's first prenuptial agreement. The witnesses Rabbi Feinstein is referring to are those who witness the kiddushin, the actual ring ceremony, who, by witnessing the transfer of an object of worth, seal the marriage as legal. We need to take a moment to ponder the American Jewish future. With the intermarriage rate as it stands, Orthodox Jewry is likely to emerge in a mere handful of generations as the only viable Jewish movement left. As to Weinstein's fears that Orthodox Jews don't care about other Jews, please look around. There are scores of Orthodox chesed (kindness) and Torah organizations committed to all Jews. Mr. Weinstein should discover my world because no matter how he worships, it's his world, too. Rabbi Zvi Holland is the director of the Phoenix Community Kollel/Aish Hatorah Scottsdale. Contact him at 602-433-300 or e-mail rabbiholland@aztorah.com. |
