I wrote about Bret Stephen’s recent State of World Jewry speech at length. One part of his speech that I did not discuss in that post was when he said,
The Jew haters have a certain point because Judaism and Jewish values and Jewish habits of mind are indeed in many ways subversive to many social orders.
We are most successful when we are holding to our values, ethics, and morals, not those of the dominant society. Ever since the Romans took control of Israel, we have been under the control of dominant societies. It wasn’t until 1948 and the creation of the modern State of Israel, that we were the dominant culture anywhere in the world. For more than 2,000 years we survived because we lived within the dominant society but refused to give up who we are, what we believe, our morals and our ethics. Stephens was very clear about what this means.
The Jewish people are a counter-cultural nation. To make matters even worse, our counter-cultural convictions have generally helped us to flourish nearly everywhere we have put down roots.
What are some of those convictions? We believe there is one God, not many, not none, and therefore a common moral universe with a common moral code that applies to all people everywhere. We believe that human beings are made in the image of God and therefore that human life is inherently precious and that the lowest among us is equal in basic dignity to the highest. We believe in freedom and the quest for freedom and therefore we pose fundamental challenges to every tyrant who would deny that freedom.
We believe the Messiah has not come and therefore we are not beguiled by any self-declared redeemer. We believe in the word and in the text and therefore in literacy as a foundation for faith, not a threat to faith. We believe that questions are of equal if not greater importance than answers and therefore that curiosity, second guessing, and the quest for knowledge are social goods.
We believe in argument for the sake of heaven and therefore in disagreement that is not impudence and heterodoxy that isn’t heresy. Above all, we believe in the word no. No to the sun gods and graven images and child sacrifice.
No to pharaoh and Caesar, the inquisition and the reformation, the czar and the commissar. No to emancipation from our peoplehood by the French Revolution or to the erasure of our faith by the Russian Revolution or to the destruction of our statehood through the siren song of bi-nationalism. No to the erasure of God by reason or of moral judgment by moral relativism.
No to the seductive offer of eternal salvation at the cost of our covenant with God. I don’t mean to suggest by any of this that Jews are incapable of making our peace with our political and cultural surroundings. Obviously, we can, we have, and we do.
Powerful words and a lot to unpack. The more I read these words, the more I think about them and the impact of these beliefs, the more clarity I get. The belief in one God isn’t so controversial in today’s world. It’s not what drives Jew hatred today. However a common moral code is something has driven and continues to drive Jew hatred. People assume it means we think we are better than them. They misunderstand what ‘The Chosen People’ means. Instead of understanding that it means we chose to accept the Torah and the laws of the Torah, they think it means that we think we are better than them. Living by a moral code is not only difficult, when you choose to do so, you set yourelf apart. We value education and our signature coming of age ceremony is standing in front of the community and showing to them that we can read. It’s not a physical challenge like most coming of age ceremonies, but a statement of our values. Bnai Mitzvah is about showing the community that we have values, we understand our values, and we are accepting to live by these morals and values.
For those who don’t want to live by morals and values – dictators, bigots, power hungry individuals – the thought of a people who rejects that is a slap to their face. Everytime they see us, they see the reflection of their lack of values and morals. They can’t stand that reflection and so their hatred grows. As Stephens said, we believe people are created in the image of God which means that every human being has godly virtues and is of immense value. For those who hate ‘the other’ – be it based on age, race, gender, sexual orientation, income level, or anything else – the Jewish people are a reflection of their hatred and how they believe that all people are NOT made in the image of God. That somehow God made mistakes in creating those people who are different from them. Rather than change their beliefs, it’s easier to hate the Jews and blame us for anything they can.
As Jews we believe in freedom. Individual freedom and group freedom. We don’t try to make anybody become Jewish. In fact, if somebody asks to convert, we are supposed to tell them no three times before allowing them to begin the conversion process. This leads us to claims of exclusivity and once again, the false belief that we think we are better than anybody else. Our belief in freedom scares and intimidates the dictators and despots. There is no ‘King of the Jews’, no “Jewish Pope”. The fact that there are so many ways to be Jewish, so many different ways to interpret the teachings of the Torah scares those who rule by fear. The Gemmara is a compilation of hundreds of years of arguments about the meanings of Jewish texts. It’s Rabbis arguing with each other over centuries. As Stephens stated, we believe in argument and debate. Not just for the sake of argument and debate for the sake of heaven – for the greater good. There is no final word from any human being, it is always up for debate and discussion. I often wonder how Jewish identity would change if instead of the current supplemental religious school education, we taught our children to argue and debate. To learn in chevruta (groups) and debate with each other. We assume they aren’t capable but I’d make the argument that they are more than capable, that it’s what is missing. Challenge them, inspire them, and let them learn with and from each other. It is time for us stop following the same playbook that has gotten us to where we are – divided, uneducated, disunified, fearful, and threatened. It’s time for us to be raising a generation of proud and knowledgable Jews.
Finally, as Stephens clearly stated, Judaism has a core focus on the power of ‘No’. From the 10 commandments which clearly state many things we are prohibited from doing – murder, adultery, stealing, lying, coveting what others have, and taking God’s name in vain. 7 of the 10 are telling us what we must say no to; what behavior is not acceptable. Our Jewish norms and acceptable behavior is clear and from the beginning has been different from those of the general world. We don’t attempt to impose our beliefs on them, just on ourselves. We manage to be true to ourselves and respect the culture we live in at the same time. It isn’t us that has the problem with the differences, it’s them. We don’t demand everybody observe Shabbat. We don’t mandate the world keep kosher. We don’t demand perfection, as Jews we simply ask everybody to be the best version of themselves that they can be. There is a great midrash about Rabbi Zusha that demonstates this.
The great Reb Zusha was found agitated and upset as he lay on deathbed. His students asked, “Rebbe, why are you so sad? After all the great things you have accomplished, your place in heaven is assured!” “I’m afraid!” Zusha replied, “Because when I get to heaven, God won’t ask me ‘Why weren’t you more like Moses?’ or ‘Why weren’t you more like King David?’ God will ask ‘Zusha, why weren’t you more like Zusha?’ And then what will I say!?”
Bret Stephens challenged all of us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be. We don’t need to be perfect. We don’t need to be afraid. We need to learn, to grow, to live moral lives. We have control of our own actions. Our ancestors chose to live as Jews despite hardships. For thousands of years we have had to deal with Jew hatred and have successfully weathered it because we stayed true to who we are, to what we believe and what we stand for. Neither Stephens nor I am saying everybody needs to be religious, needs to follow every commandment or be a torah scholar. Both of us are saying that we need to learn what being Jewish really means and then act upon what we learn. Be proud of who we are and what it means to be a Jew.
If you belong to a synagogue, use Bret Stephens’ State of World Jewry as a starting point for a discussion with your Rabbi or in your men’s club or sisterhood. If you don’t, bring it up with Jewish friends and start a conversation. Challenge each other. Do something different. The future of World Jewry depends on what each of us will choose to do right here, right now.
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