How State-Sponsored Judaism Deadens Judaism

How the State Deconstructs the Spirit 

Thursday, October 30, 2003

For many who don’t live in Israel it’s difficult explaining the religious issues that are tearing Israel apart. For those of you who are Orthodox and Zionist you often look to the Chief Rabbinate as the embodiment of Religious Zionism and the return to what must have been during the previous times of Jewish sovereignty. For those who are Conservative, Reform or unaffiliated, you may see the whole religious apparatus as an attempt by the Orthodox residents of the country to hoard money and exclude others from the political process.

Both arguments have elements of truth in them, but both miss the mark. The state-sponsored and controlled religious services in Israel are exclusionary, but in more ways than you might think. The present system has a cheapening effect on the religious practices of all Jews as well as a lessening of the spiritual and halakhic importance on many of what have come to be called “life-cycle events”.

One only has to go to a wedding or a funeral in Israel in order to understand the damage that state-sponsored religion has done to the Jewish psyche. The impersonal nature of both these “life-cycle” events as practiced in Israel is enough to depress both the most ardent religious statist or committed atheist. Joy and uplift at a wedding and grief and mourning at a funeral are exchanged for anger and lightness at these two most important of religious moments. They are treated much like getting a driver’s license or taking out a passport.

The basic Israeli funeral is an affront to all those Jews who volunteered for the Chevra Kadisha (society that prepares the dead for burial) over the last 2000 years. In most Jewish communities throughout the world, the Chevra Kadisha (CK) works modestly, quietly and with dedication to a job that is not the envy of anyone. For the most part, in large communities, no one even knows who is on the CK. Once a year, on the Shabbat of or following the 7th of Adar a special kiddush or seuda shlishit (third meal eaten on Shabbat, usually after afternoon-mincha services) is given by the CK itself commemorating what tradition states is the yarzeit (anniversary) of the death of Moses. Besides that, the members of the CK (and it always includes men and women) work with dedication and without recognition or compensation.

Here in Israel, the CK is a government-run organization of highly paid civil servants. They strike like other civil servants and hold communities and individuals hostage like other Israeli employee unions. In the cemetery in Kfar Saba there is even a warning sign telling people not to solicit charity because it is against the prohibition of “hasagat gevul”. Now, this prohibition (an anti-capitalist one for mercantilists) is in place to prevent the opening of competing businesses in the same location. In other words – the CK of Kfar Saba is saying: “Hey, the cemetery is our territory – only donations to the CK are allowed”.

At the funeral, the CK lead the family through the “Service” – Kaddish is said, Keriya (ritual tearing of the garment by close family members) is done and the funeral is over. If there is a eulogy, it is mumbled quickly by the civil servant as the attendees stand around.

And what of weddings? If you are not an orthodox Jew, you of course cannot get married by your rabbi (on the odd chance that you have one). If you are an Orthodox Jew, you may also not be able to get married by the rabbi of your choice. It could be that your rabbi does not have permission from the rabbi of the city or town in which your wedding hall is located. It may be (as is the case of a prominent rabbi in Ra’anana) that the Chief Rabbi of your town does not approve of your (Orthodox) rabbi and won’t give him permission to officiate at a wedding in his own town.

The wedding itself, with rare exceptions, is performed by a local civil servant who may or may not come on time. He may say a few words – sometimes a joke about marriage, sometimes a joke about the ceremony itself. The guests will stand around with drinks in their hands and food in their mouths. (I once attended a wedding performed by then Chief Rabbi Lau and he had to turn around in the middle and ask for quiet.) It is all according to halacha and the bride probably went (against her will?) to the mikva (ritual bath), but the emptiness of the moment permeates the hall along with the loud music.

Why has this happened in the Jewish state? How have the Jewish traditions of eastern Europe and the middle-east turned into dry effortless attempts to fill the checklist that is religious life here. Read the Ketuba? check; said the 7 blessings? check; stepped on the glass? check – Ok you’re married.

The Orthodox are used to getting things for free and so won’t donate money to build shuls and mikvas or pay their rabbis. The non-orthodox are so used to seeing bearded civil servants lead them through religious events that the wedding and funeral have become the religious equivalent of filling out your tax forms.

Israelis themselves are, like Americans, a very practical people. The US though has a tradition of religion being a complement to other aspects of civil society and so it is judged beyond its utilitarian aspects. Here in Israel religion has become just another government agency that provides services that the general public needs. Religion is judged by the efficiency in which the tasks (in this case halakhot) are accomplished.

A religious event or ceremony ought to be more than a “service”. A wedding isn’t simply a contract with obligations. A funeral is more than putting a body in the ground and covering it up.

The privatization of these “religious” services might give the average Jew (Orthodox or not) the ability to reconnect with his traditions. If they could actually choose to belong to a specific synagogue it might force the secular to turn to religion at important moments in their lives.

But in an odd sort of way it would have the greatest effect on the Orthodox world. It would revitalize religious practice by giving the Orthodox world in Israel the opportunity to take responsibility for their own religious lives. It would give them the opportunity to volunteer to bodies like the chevra kaddisha.

If the essence of the funeral is really the burial of the body and the essence of the wedding ceremony is merely the formalization of a relationship then state-sponsored religion serves its purpose.

But that cannot be the basis of two of the most important of our religious events. By taking control of our religious lives the state is deconstructing the spiritual life of the individual by turning the spiritual into an emotionless action whose only goal is to get it done.

We are not speaking about turning Israel into a “secular” state. Israel ought to remain a Jewish state and use Jewish traditions to form the basis of its civil society. Yet it must be a civil society if the traditions are to become more than the technicality of providing a service.

From Out of Step Jew, here.

R’ Yaakov Kamenetzky: ‘We Have Yet to Reclaim European EREV Shabbos…’

Erev Shabbos

R’ Pam[1] once remarked that what he missed from Europe was the Erev Shabbos. “Chatzos came and people stopped their activities, focusing entirely on the holy Shabbos. People would come to shul early and say Shir Hashirim, learn a sefer on the parsha and so on. You felt Shabbos entering.” R’ Yaakov Kamenetzky expressed it in this way: “At the beginning of the 1900s, there was Chillul Shabbos in America. Over the years we recaptured the Shabbos. However, we have yet to reclaim the Erev Shabbos.”

Preparing for Shabbos is biblical[2] as it says v’hayah ba’yom ha’shishi v’haichinu es asher yaviu,[3] on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring.[4] The importance of preparing for Shabbos is shown in the gemara[5] that says Eliyahu will not come on Erev Shabbos[6] because of the difficulties this would impose on those who would need to interrupt their Shabbos preparations to greet him.

We know that there is a distinct Yetzer Hara for arguing and getting angry on Erev Shabbos. This is portrayed in the story related in the gemara[7] of two people whom the Satan regularly incited so that during every twilight period on Erev Shabbos they fought with one another… What is the origin of this Yetzer Hara? Because the first sin occurred on Erev Shabbos, the Yetzer Hara has dominance then. We can be in such a rush on Erev Shabbos that it can lead to quarreling. Indeed, the word nachash, the snake who was the instigator of the first sin, is rooted in chish, to act quickly, rush.[8] To counter this, we need to be ready early.

Erev Shabbos should be peaceful and not rushed. Then we can live up to v’zakeinu l’kabel Shabbasos mitoch rov simcha, to receive Shabbos amid abundant gladness.[9] This can be attained by following a unique interpretation of meis b’Erev Shabbos siman yafeh lo:[10] make yourself like you are dead on Erev Shabbos. Meaning, that you only deal with matters of Shabbos so that Shabbos can be brought in early and without tension.

We say in Kabbalas Shabbos pnei Shabbos nekablah, let us welcome the Shabbos presence.[11] Another explanation is to put on your Shabbos face (pnei Shabbos). All week a person walks around with expressions of anxiety, tension and the like. But on Shabbos we should feel as if all our work is done and that our worries are gone. Our faces should radiate tranquility. This is how we should welcome (nekablah) Shabbos.[12]

We need to be ready with time to greet Shabbos. We should live up to the words likros Shabbos lechu v’nalchah, let us go welcome Shabbos.[13] The Rambam[14] writes that …a person should wrap himself in tzitzis and sit with proper respect, waiting to receive Shabbos as one goes out to greet a king. R’ Chanina would wrap himself in finery and stand towards evening on Friday and say bo’u v’naitzei likros Shabbos hamalka, come, let us go out to greet Shabbos the queen. R’ Yanai would put on his Shabbos clothes on Friday and say boi kallah boi kallah.[15]

One can already feel Shabbos on Erev Shabbos. Indeed, the word Erev (Shabbos) means mixture like ta’aroves since Erev Shabbos has the kedusha of Shabbos mixed into it and one can already feel it on Erev Shabbos.[16] The Meor Einayim would actually feel Shabbos through his Shabbos preparations such as the Mikva and the like. Once, on Erev Shabbos after his preparations, he still felt some kedusha lacking. He then realized he was wearing his weekday socks!

[1] In 1993, a Sefer Torah was written to coincide with R’ Pam’s 80th birthday. Posters with R’ Pam’s picture were posted informing people of the event. Rebbetzin Pam noticed a poster with her husbands’ picture on their block and she felt it violated the privacy of her neighbors, most of whom were non-Jewish. Since it was late at night, she decided that in the morning she would remove the poster, but the next day she noticed that the sign was gone. Nevertheless, she still felt an apology was due at least to the neighbor whose house was closest to the sign. She went to apologize to the neighbor (Just to get a picture of who these neighbors were: They were Italian and owned a huge German Shepherd dog. Their son who also lived there was a lieutenant in the police force.) explaining that she didn’t post the sign but she felt it was a violation of their privacy. Rebbetzin Pam said that the sign was gone although she was unaware of who removed it. Her neighbor interjected and said, “We live next to R’ Pam all these years and are so enamored with him, as we never met anyone like him. We admire him! All this time we wanted a picture of him in our house and now the opportunity arrived when we saw that poster. We are the ones who removed it from the outside to have it in our dining room!” And so it was: This Italian family with their big dog and lieutenant son had a picture of R’ Pam hanging in their dining room!

[2] See Biur Halacha 250, s.v. yashkim. See there regarding one going shopping prior to Shacharis on Friday because preparing for Shabbos is biblical in contrast to tefilla which is Rabbinical.

[3] Shemos 16:5. So, we should bake and cook what we wish to: es asher tofu eifu v’es asher tevashlu ba’sheilu (Shemos 16:23).

[4] The holy Amoraim would prepare for Shabbos in their way. To name just a couple: Rava would salt fish for Shabbos whereas R’ Huna would light lamps (Shabbos 119a. See the Rambam, Hilchos Shabbos 30:6). This shows happiness and anticipation for Shabbos. This isn’t just for Friday but the entire week like we see with Shamai. Beis Shamai said from Sunday, one should prepare for Shabbos (Beitza 16a).

[5] Pesachim 13a, Eruvin 43b.

[6] or Erev Yom Tov.

[7] Gittin 52a.

[8] As in ki gaz chish va’naufah, for it is cut off swiftly and we fly away (Tehillim 90:10).

[9] Ribon Kol Ha’olamim on Friday night. When this is done, one can fulfill showing special warmth and love to his wife on Erev Shabbos (Mishna Brura 280:3).

[10] Kesubos 103b. The simple meaning is that if one dies on Erev Shabbos it is a good omen for him. Another explanation is that he truly lived his life and fulfilled his purpose and then died (meis b’Erev Shabbos), so that is a good omen as he is prepared for the next world, the world of Shabbos. This is similar to the idea of mi she’tarach b’Erev Shabbos yochal b’Shabbos, whoever toiled on Erev Shabbos will eat on Shabbos, meaning one who labored to perform mitzvos in this world will be rewarded in the next world (Avoda Zara 3a).

[11] The question has been raised as to why we only have Kabbalas Shabbos and not Kabbalas Yom Tov. This is because on Yom Tov, the mitzvah is to go to the house of Hashem as we are oleh l’regel. As a result, we go to Hashem. On the other hand, Shabbos is Hashem coming to us. Consequently, we go out to greet Hashem with Kabbalas Shabbos.

[12] See R’ Menachem Bentzion Zaks, the son-in-law of R’ Tzvi Pesach Frank, in his sefer Menachem Tzion.

[13] Lecha Dodi.

[14] Hilchos Shabbos 30:2.

[15] Shabbos 119a. The gemara says that one is permitted to run through the public domain just prior to Shabbos so that he can greet the incoming Shabbos and wouldn’t be liable to pay for damages (Baba Kamma 32, See the Rambam, Chovel Umazik 6:9).

[16] See Sichos Hischazkus, Chanuka, 5758, 1.

What Will Life Be like When Full Torah Law Returns

Visualizing the Temple

SUNDAY, AUGUST 07, 2005

10:10 AM
Gil Student

Do you believe that the Messiah will come? Can you picture it? What will life be like in the Messianic Era? How will a monarchy/theocracy function in the modern world? How will the Temple work in a world with advanced telecommunications and complex securities markets?

It’s hard to visualize it.

R. Dr. Gidon Rothstein does us all a favor in presenting his vision of the transitional period at the onset of the Messianic Era in his recent book Murderer in the Mikdash.

Set within the plot of an exciting murder mystery that takes place a few years after the arrival of the Messiah, while the world is still in transition, R. Rothstein’s book outlines a functioning model for a benign theocratic monarchy in which the laws of the Torah are followed. Levites, trained in public relations and pedagogy, guard the Temple Mount from the impure while educating the public. The police carefully monitor infractions of Torah law, preferring counseling to punishment. Expulsion from Israel is the last resort for serious offenders. Stoning and other forms of execution are unsurprisingly absent, given the Mishnah’s statement of how rare such punishments are meted out. A two-class system of citizens exist — haverim, who have officially accepted upon themselves strict observance of all laws, and non-haverim. The limitations and privileges of priests are described, including the care they need to take in what objects they can touch, particularly when handed over by a non-haver. The finances of the Temple, in particular, are described. How is money raised for all those utensils and sacrifices? The Temple’s coffers must be constantly maintained and, let’s face it, many people would prefer to give money to orphans than to a Temple in Jerusalem.

It can, realistically, be done, and this book makes it clear how life would not have to change too drastically for it. This is, to me, the single most important message of the book and is why I am glad that I read it before Tisha B’Av. It is easier for me to mourn a Temple that I can see as a realistic possibility.

Most powerful in the book are the moving descriptions of the neck-breaking (eglah arufah) ceremony after an unknown death is discovered and the city of refuge (ir miklat). How can a society allow family members to chase after murderers and try to kill them? Through what processes can this occur in a civilized community and what are its positive and negative repercussions? These are all explored.

The book is written from the perspective of a non-observant Jew, a woman who recently gave birth, whose husband has been mysteriously missing for months and whose best friend recently died under suspicious circumstances. Her lack of education in Jewish matters gives the author the opportunity to explain everything properly, allowing the book to be entirely understandable to someone with little Jewish background. However, there are bonuses for those with more knowledge of Jewish sources. Occasional references to Talmudic texts are made that the casual reader will miss. Some characters will have you recalling specific examples from the Talmud. Many obscure laws are laid out in practice, all according to authoritative sources (none of which are cited in the text, of course).

R. Rothstein’s fidelity to Jewish tradition has him focusing on the Messianic Era and not the personality of the Messiah himself. There is very little mention of the Messiah, which I think adds to the message of the book. We have never really cared who the Messiah will be and have, instead, focused on the society that he will create. This book is all about that society and, to my knowledge, is the only book to realistically explore how it will function.

One note of caution: A major weakness of the book is the all-too-frequent transparent names of characters. A helpful man whose last name is “HaOzer”; a police officer named “Yoshor”; a lording priest whose name is “Moshel”; etc. Towards the end of the book, it gets even worse. This is just too cutesy for me and annoyed me greatly. But it should not stop you from reading the book and experiencing the beginning of the Messianic Era.

From Hirhurim, here.

Does Maharal Say We Should All Die Rather Than Violate the 3 Oaths?! – DEBUNKING the Satmar Lie

I recommend listening to Rabbi David Lichtenstein’s recent “Headlines in Halacha” podcast!

The main topic is important enough: How not to go to jail…

(We have written peripherally on this.)

But before he gets down to business, Rabbi Lichtenstein discusses the Satmar “suicide pact” notion of giving up autonomy over the land of Israel to a United Nations police force (right…).

He’s a little too gentle for my taste, but he gets the message across.

And yes, others have already pointed this out, but never in such beautiful English language audio.

Listen from minute 11:40 to 25:48.

We all need to know how to shut down the madmen!