In Response to a Challenge to "Bring It On"

I spent a wonderful week learning with colleagues and lay leaders in Orlando last week at the Union for Reform Judaism's Biennial Convention. 5000 Reform leaders spent five days in a convention center seeking deeper understandings on issues like Audacious Hospitality, Strengthening Congregations, Tikkun Olam ("Social Action"), and Text Study. There were also some wonderful panels with religious leaders and Israel advocates, including a speech by Birthright Israel founder Charles Bronfman.

I was recently pointed to an article in the Times of Israel by Rabbi Avi Richler, a Chabad rabbi who points to a line in Bronfman's address where he suggests the Reform movement "take back Birthright from Chabad." The article suggested that we "Bring it on," meaning that if we bring more Reform Jews to Israel, more Jews in general will be going to Israel, and that will be marked as a success to both Chabad and the Reform movement. On that point, I completely agree with Rabbi Richler. He actually did not say much in the article about Chabad and Birthright except that he led trips more than eight years ago, and that rabbis and rebbetzin invite their constituents to Birthright. 

He did suggest that the Reform movement should "challenge our members to put on tefillin, observe Shabbat, keep a kosher diet, or the countless other ways they can promote growth in Jewish practice and observance." On this point we disagree.

Clearly Rabbi Richler does not understand what Reform Judaism is. Or perhaps he is confusing Reform with Secular Judaism. The Reform movement stands on three guiding principals: God, Torah, and Israel. We engage with these principals from a variety of different experiences and backgrounds, and come to our own conclusions about them, and we accept the choices that come from this engagement because we hold sacred the idea of personal autonomy backed by educated choice. The emphasis in the Reform movement is on educated here. We Reform rabbis encourage challenging our constituents about tefillin, kashrut, and Shabbat. We accept it when our congregants accept or reject our teachings, and this is where we differ from Chabad.

Chabad teaches one way of living Jewishly. Even the Talmud rejects the notion that there is only one way to observe. On the very first page of the Talmud (B. Brachot 2a) the Mishnah asks a question (What is the proper time for reciting the evening Shema?) and presents three answers. The conclusion (that we should recite Shema by midnight but we have uno dawn if we must) creates a general rule for the rabbis (that whenever it says "until midnight" the implication is that it is okay to lawfully do the mitzvah in question until dawn arises). This first mishnah teaches us two very important things about Talmudic thought. 

First, the opposing views are not ignored. They are taught along with the conclusion so that we understand the logic of all of our honored teachers. This is a lesson that Chabad misses, which is evident just by the language Rabbi Richler uses in his article. He only understands one way of doing things, as evidenced by his examples of a young man wrapping refilling and a young woman lighting Shabbat candles. In Chabad, these activities are gender restricted. The Reform movement is egalitarian, and invites all people to participate in all mitzvot they would practice to bring meaning into their lives. He claims that Charades philosophy is "loving, caring, and guiding every single Jew..." but does not explain what happens when he guidance is challenged or opposed. I guarantee Rabbi Richler would not extend to my female colleagues the respect that I extend him by referring to him as Rabbi Richler. This is not loving and caring, this is stubborn and ostracizing.

Second, by showing the preferred way as well as the option should the preferred way not be possible, the Talmus answers the essential question about living a Jewish life: What do we do when life gets in the way? The Reform movement answers this question exactly as the Talmud does: We adapt. We find ways to be mindful of what we eat when we do not trust the heksher (kosher symbol) of what can be corrupt organizations. We find ways to keep Shabbat according to how we interpret the use of modern technology such as electricity. We welcome Jews of every sort: women and men, LGBT and straight, Jews-by-Choice and Jews-by Birth, agnostic and faithful, observant and not.

Reform Judaism is authentic Judaism. It is a Judaism that struggles with tradition by embracing and learning from the past, looking toward the future, and bringing Jews together toward creating a stronger faith.

As declared in the Central Conference of American Rabbis' Statement of Principals in 1999:

The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition, to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and to bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship.

 When Bronfman asks us to "take back Birthright," he is reminding us that strong, informed, Reform Zionism is at the forefront of Israel today. It is up to the Reform movement to follow the examples of those who bring scores of young adults to Israel, to keep them engaged with Jewish life, and to teach them what authentic Judaism really is.