Transcript Lecture 11
RELIG 210: Introduction to Judaism February 11, 2009 JUDAISM AND THE CHALLENGES OF MODERNITY TU BISHVAT SEDER-REACTIONS What aspects of the ritual reminded you of general concepts we discussed regarding Jewish holidays? What did you find most surprising about the ritual? TODAY’S GOAL What social and intellectual challenges does the modern period pose to Judaism? How do various streams of Jewish thought respond to these challenges? WHAT TROUBLES YOU AS MODERN READERS? “You are eternally mighty, Adonai—reviving the dead. You redeem magnificently, sending round the winds and bringing down the rains…Who is like you, Marvel Worker, and who is comparable to you…Blow a great blast of the trumpet for our liberation, and lift up the banner to gather in our Exiles, and gather us to together from the four corners of the earth.” (The Morning Amidah) WHAT IS MODERNITY? Timeframe? Intellectual Trends? Social Trends? Political Trends? HOW DOES MODERNITY IMPACT JUDAISM? Socio-Political: Emancipation Recognition of Jews as equal citizens Expectations of citizenship Judaism as voluntary Intellectual: Enlightenment Reason over revelation The challenge to Judaism PRE-MODERN JEWISH POLITICS Corporate Community-Autonomy Restricted Status based on Religion Limited Interaction with Non-Jews Religion or Nation? EMANCIPATION AND ITS BENEFITS PRICE OF EMANCIPATION But, they say to me, the Jews have their own judges and laws. I respond that it is your fault and you should not allow it. We must refuse everything to the Jews as a nation and accord everything to Jews as individuals. Count Clermont–Tonnerre, 1789 (On-line Reserve) SPREAD OF EMANCIPATION EMANCIPATION BRINGS.. Acculturation Loss of Rabbinic Authority Judaism as voluntary Judaism as a “Religion” The Enlightenment and Religion ENLIGHTENMENT Secular and anti-religious Reason in opposition to Revelation Universal not particular truth WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES TO JUDAISM’S NARRATIVE? GOD The Structure of Judaism’s Basic Symbolic Vocabulary TORAH ISRAEL MITZVOT Time/History MESSIAH BARUCH SPINOZA-THEOLOGICAL POLITICAL TREATISE (1670) The natural Divine Law does not enjoin (prescribe) ceremonial rites, that is, actions which in themselves are of no significance and are termed good merely by tradition…or…actions whose explanation surpass human understanding. For the natural light of reason enjoins nothing that is not within the compass of reason but only what it can show us quite clearly to be a good, or a means to our blessedness. MODES OF THOUGHT INFLUENCING JEWS Autonomous Reason “Think Scientific Naturalism “Prove it to me!” Historicism “What for Yourself!” really happened?” Nationalism “Where is your primary allegiance?” ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM PRE-MODERN CHALLENGES? Moses Maimonides (b. 1135) Spinoza IDEOLOGICAL RESPONSES-OVERVIEW Modernist Religious Responses Reform Orthodox Positive-Historical/Conservative Traditionalist Response Secularist/Political Responses Zionism Bundism MOSES MENDELSSOHN, JERUSALEM (1783) “The Israelites possess a divine legislation…Propositions and prescriptions of this kind were reveled to them by Moses in a miraculous and supernatural manner, but no doctrinal opinions, no saving truths, no universal propositions of reason. These the eternal reveals to us and to all other men, at all times, through nature and thing…Judaism boasts of no excusive revelation of eternal truths that are indispensable to salvation…” RESPONSE 1: MODERNIST Reconcile Judaism and Enlightenment Judaism=Religion Universal over Particular Ethical over Legal Progress REFORM MOVEMENT Begins in Europe moves to U.S. God-Ideal of ethical consciousness Torah-Revelation of Reason 1817-New Isreaslite Temple Association (On-line Reading) Historical husk (ceremonial) vs. moral core Israel-The Mission Theory Mitzvah-Ethical Commandments Messiah-Universal Integration ORTHODOX MOVEMENT Created in Response to Reform (EJ, 535) Divine Authority of Written and Oral Torah Reject Progress Criteria for Change “Torah” and “Science” Mitzvot are binding-Ethical Meaning Messiah-Redemption in Land and Loyal Citizens POSITIVE-HISTORICAL MOVEMENT Called Conservative in the U.S. Accept Halakhah/Mizvot and historical change Torah-Evolution of man’s relationship with the divine Tradition and change RESPONSE 2: TRADITIONALIST/ULTRAORTHODOX Central and Eastern European Similar to Orthodox (Mitzvah, Halakhah) Reject modern political, social, philosophical thought Premodern Messiah Present as authentic tradition Are they? “…May your mind not turn to evil and never engage in corruptible partnership with those fond of innovations, who, as a penalty for our many sins, have strayed from the Almighty and His law…Be warned not to change your Jewish names, speech, and clothing--God forbid…Never say: ‘Times have changed!’…The order of prayer and synagogue shall remain forever as it has been up to now, and no one may presume to change anything of its structure.” -Rabbi Moses Sofer, 1762-1839 RESPONSE 3: SECULARIST God-Tool for exploitation Torah-National Culture, History No Halakhah, Mitzvot (commandment) Israel-Persecuted People ready for freedom Messiah-Revolutionary Fervor Zionism: Jewish Nationalism BUNDISM Revolutionary Social change through socialism Join Jewish workers with non-Jewish revolutionaries RECONSTRUCTIONIST Originates as a left branch of Conservative Judaism in 1968 “Evolving Religious Civilization” Rejection of a Supernatural God Torah-Jewish Folkways Israel-Civilization, not Religion TO SUM UP… Major challenges of modernity Emancipation-Voluntary Enlightenment-Reason Diverse Spectrum of responses All experience significant change