Notes from my Shabbat Discussion of August 28
This is a link to the discussion:
The next Odd Couple- Both Professors at my
Rabbinical School-yet polar opposites
Here we look at the development of new Jewish
thought in the emerging Jewish America- exemplified by two religious scholars
who came from the world of Orthodoxy to give Jewish tradition a voice in a
secular world. Two very diametrically opposed approaches. Rabbis ( note that
the other great figures I had discussed were not trained as Rabbis) who shaped
America.
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Mordecai_Kaplan.jpg
Personal- his grandson- Dr. Daniel Musher was chair of Education committee when
I was asst Rabbi in Beth Yeshurun, TX. His father was co-founder of cosmetic
company-Aveeno (because all products include avenanthramides, but he told me confidently, named after Avraham Avinu!) The
grandson davened in the Orthodox chapel of the Conservative synagogue(much like
our chapel)- an Orthodox service with the one exception of mixed seating. (He
broke with the chapel service only when his daughter became Bat Mitzvah).
I had the opportunity of hearing Kaplan once
give a guest lecture at my seminary- he was already in his 90’s. In very
American style, he presented his arguments on the blackboard in a flow-chart
diagram.
In Los Angeles, Kaplans most prominent expounder-
Rabbi Harold Schulweis, who helped found the first Havurah based in a synagogue
( my congregation, Beth Shalom, Whittier).
Very creative- founder and influencer of more important Jewish
institutions than you can shake a stick at!
At the same time-Very controversial-even the
Reform, at its most un Halakhic- did not elicit the fiery reaction:
One of my Orthodox friends told me he was
looked upon with the Moslem declaration: varied: There is no God, and Mordecai
is his prophet.
The Controversy:
Even his own Rabbinical school colleagues were
not happy with his position. I will explain what it was further down.
Kaplan's central
idea of understanding Judaism as a religious civilization was an easily
accepted position within Conservative
Judaism, but his naturalistic conception of God was
not as acceptable. Even at the Conservative movement's Jewish Theological
Seminary, as The Forward writes, "he was an outsider, and
often privately considered leaving the institution.
In 1941, the
faculty illustrated its distaste with Kaplan by penning a unanimous letter to
the professor of homiletics, expressing complete disgust with
Kaplan's The New Haggadah for the Passover seder.[God is
mostly missing from it, flips the Haggadah on its head by emphasizing Moses,
who is AWOL in the traditional text] Four years later, seminary
professors Alexander
Marx, Louis Ginzberg and Saul Lieberman went public with their rebuke
by writing a letter to the Hebrew newspaper Hadoar, lambasting
Kaplan's prayer book and his entire career as a rabbi."[6
I personally recall in Israel, at our branch in
Jerusalem, one person was called up for an Aliyah who was reocnstructionst-used
the phrase asher kervanu- and it caused an explosion with the resident
professor.
But this reaction-takes the cake:
*******************************************
The Herem on Rabbi Kaplan:
As reported in HaPardes, 1945
 |
June 12, 1945, McAlpin Hotel, NYC:
Excerpt, in translation:
Text of the Decree of
Excommunication
My help comes from the
Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
(Psalm 121:2)
The leaders of the people,
rabbis of Greater New York and surroundings, heads of yeshivos, hasidic
leaders, and scholars from the great yeshivos of this community, gathering
together on the third day of the week of the parashah of Korah (Numbers
16:21), the second day of Rosh Hodesh Tammuz, 5705 – at the calling of the
executive body of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada (Agudas
HaRabonim) and of the Rabbinic Committee [Va-ad HaRabonim] of
Greater New York, because of the terrible scandal done in a high-handed and
openly insolent manner by a certain person called Dr. Mordecai Kaplan, in
publishing a new monstrosity by the name of Siddur Tefihlos in
which he demonstrated total heresy and a complete disbelief in the God of Israel
and in the principles of the law of the Torah of Israel – and the future of a
heresy that continues like this who can contemplate? – therefore, it has been
decided unanimously and in one congregation to banish him and to excommunicate
him and to separate him from the community of Israel until he fully
repents in accordance with law and custom.
We hereby publish and
declare, by the authority of the King of the Universe and by the power of our
holy Torah, with complete fortitude and strength and with the full weight of
the law, A Total Prohibition and Total Ban on this Siddur, which
must be neither seen nor found throughout all the territory of Israel, and by
the bite of the snake [of excommunication], the curse of the rabbis that has no
remedy is upon anyone who holds this siddur in his hand or who
looks at it, whether in private or in public. Anyone who obeys all of the above
will be doubly blessed.
https://kaplancenter.org/believing/the-excommunication-of-mordecai-kaplan/herem-text/
The siddur was then burned; Soon , the Rabbis gathered
there tried denying responsibility for it, claiming that one Rabbi had gotten
carried away. That was in response to the terrible outcry it caused in the rest
of the Jewish community, that was still aware of the book burnings of the Nazis.( The only thing close in Jewish history that is recorded was the burning of the writings of Maimonides by Domincan Friars at the instigation of the Rambam's oponents.)
Image by Aharon N. Varady
(transcription) and Mordecai Kaplan, July 28, 2021, a link back to this source, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0
International copyleft license ]
[
What was so scandalous?
Mordecai Kaplan- could be seen as the quintessential
American philosopher- highlight-Pragmatic philosophy-Do what works, not what
fits theory.
(1881-1983) Lithuania- his father, a Rabbi, came to US
to serve under the first Chief Rabbi of New York, Jacob Joseph. Studied at Yeshiva
and also at my Rabbinical school, which at the time straddled both Orthodox and
Conservative, as well as doctorate in philosophy at Columbia. Ordained by Rabbi
Reines, founding of Modern Religious Zionism (Mizrachi).
A builder by nature-straddling from Orthodox to non-
As Orthodox rabbi at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, a synagogue in New York( Still active,
today, affiliated with modern Orthodox Ramaz)
In 1912, he was an advisor to the creators of
the Young Israel movement of Modern Orthodox Judaism, together with Rabbi Israel
Friedlander.[3] Young Israel is not so young,
but it certainly is wide-spread. Several branches here in LA. It used to be on
the liberal side, with mixed social dancing, today, closer to the stricter
Yeshiva Orthodox world.
He was a leader in creating
the Jewish community center concept. From his time on, almost
every synagogue would be built with a basketball court!
Helped found the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, still active flagship synagogue of Reconstructionist movement.
There, he held 1st Bat Mitzvah service ever for his daughter!
He would go on to establish the Reconstructionist
Movement, even while retaining his identity in the Conservative movement-
eventually, would lead to establishment, by his son in law, of Reconstructionist
Rabbinical School . I was actually one of the first applicants, but did not
follow through. The premise was fascinating- 1) all students would pursue a
full PhD program in some area of Judaica at a major university. In parallel,
they would pursue a full rabbinic academic course, premised on the idea of
learning Judaism in its course of historic development- The first year,
Biblical civilization, the second, the Rabbinic period, the third, the medieval
period, and, in the final year, the modern period.) I thought it was too new to
risk , and I found the philosophy-too cold. The movement has since then become
much more New Age/ metaphysical mystical in orientation)
The UJ- now AJU: He called for
a university setting that could present Judaism as a deep culture and
developing civilization a college to train Jews to live fully in American and
Jewish culture as contributing citizens, a school to train Jewish educators,
and a rabbinical seminary to train creative and visionary rabbis. called
for a university setting that could present Judaism as a deep culture and
developing civilization. His proposal included programs on dramatic and fine
arts to stimulate Jewish artistic creativity, a college to train Jews to live
fully in American and Jewish culture as contributing citizens, a school to
train Jewish educators, and a rabbinical seminary to train creative and
visionary rabbis in 1947.David Lieber, the second president, was associated for
many years with HTBE, where he led Bible study classes.
******************************************
What burned up the Orthodox that they were ready to burn his prayer book?
Kaplan's naturalistic theology has been seen as a variant
of John
Dewey's philosophy: naturalism combined atheism with religious
terminology in order to construct a religiously satisfying philosophy for those
who had lost faith in traditional religion.( It would be wrong to say that
Kaplan was an atheist- but, he was a material determinist, against
“metaphysics” so that God could not be described in terms of “ spirit” separate
form the world, but as “ the power that makes for salvation.”, Kaplan was also
influenced by Émile
Durkheim's argument that our experience of the sacred is a
function of social solidarity. Matthew
Arnold and Hermann Cohen were among his other influences.
In agreement with prominent medieval Jewish thinkers
including Maimonides,
Kaplan affirmed that God is not personal, and that all anthropomorphic descriptions
of God are, at best, imperfect metaphors. Kaplan's theology went beyond this to
claim that God is the sum of all natural processes that allow man to become
self-fulfilled:
“To believe in God means to accept life on the
assumption that it harbors conditions in the outer world and drives in the
human spirit which together impel man to transcend himself. To believe in God
means to take for granted that it is man's destiny to rise above the brute and
to eliminate all forms of violence and exploitation from human society. In
brief, God is the Power in the cosmos that gives human life the direction that
enables the human being to reflect the image of God.[7]”
It is, one may say, theologically, having one’s
cake ( God) and eating it to( turning God into a process of the material
world).
Kaplan turned the Revelation of Sinai on its
head. Tradition- There is first, the revelation and then the formation of a
people, Israel. In Kaplan’s view” Judaism as a Civilization”, there is first
and foremost, the people, and out of the people comes the revelation of the
teachings of justice and ethical living.
On Halakha- he was a traditionalist in his
behavior, but felt the Conservative too afraid to take major steps. Halakha-
result of the people as source of authority, not Sinai, not the Rabbis- binding
“ folkways”.
What is being “ reconstructed”?From
My Jewish Learning: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mordecai-kaplan-founder-of-reconstructionist-judaism/
The practical side of Kaplan’s
position called for the re‑establishment of a network of all‑embracing,
“organic” Jewish communities around the world that would ensure the self‑perpetuation
of Jewish identity and further secular as well as religious components of the
Jewish heritage (art, music, philanthropy, and so on). … leadership would be
democratically elected, and private religious beliefs would not be infringed
upon (Kaplan is a strong advocate of
cultural and religious pluralism, and he maintains that American Jews should
participate fully and creatively in both Jewish and American civilizations.)
To clarify the international status of Jewry, Kaplan proposed a world‑wide
Jewish assembly that would adopt a formal covenant defining the Jews as a
transnational people, the hub of which was Zion and the spokes the branches of
the diaspora. The religion of a group is manifested in “sancta,” spiritual
symbols such as persons, places, events, and writings, which inspire feelings
of reverence, commemorate what the group feels is most valuable, provide
continuity through the flux of history, and fortify the collective conscience
of a people. Kaplan felt a deep attachment to Jewish sancta and Jewish
religious literature.
[This is essentially the most
Zionist of all the movements, as it is founded upon the concept of the Jews as
a people, not a religion.]
However, in elevating Jewish
peoplehood, he also eliminated Jewish choseness. Thus, the Torah blessing_
Asher bachar Banu-becomes
Asher kerevanu. Musaf is eliminated,
since it is in essence a petition for return of the sacrificial worship.
(https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mordecai-kaplan-founder-of-reconstructionist-judaism/)
******************************
What did Kaplan
suggest kept the center ( Conservaative) movement together?
Mordecai Kaplan's four areas of agreement (see Waxman, Tradition
and Change, pp.214-215): 1)Eretz Yisrael, 2) The primacy of Religion, 3)
The maximum plenitude of Jewish content, 4) The encouragement of scientific
learning.( from my own course paper, later an essay in Jewish Spectator) http://www.rabbinorbert.com/2021/07/judaism-in-transition-1970.html
The Reconstructionist
Movement
As a movement, it has not become major,
but as an inspiration , it has been highly effective.
Current distribution in USA:
est. 38% are members of Reform synagogues, 33% Conservative, 22% Orthodox, 2% Reconstructionist, and 5% other types.( like New Age Judaism-Aleph).
The movement itself has moved back
to a traditional perspective of theology:
Reconstructionist Judaism, the small religious movement
famed for challenging many of Judaism’s most cherished precepts, has issued a
new prayer book that defies some basic tenets of Reconstructionism itself.
Entitled “Kol Haneshama,” or voice of the soul, it is
the movement’s first new prayer book in 44 years.
As its name hints, the prayer book abandons the
classical Reconstructionist disdain for the spiritual and other-worldly. It is
steeped in awe of Divine mysteries, including once-spurned miracles such as the
parting of the Red Sea.
It even restores — albeit as an “alternative” reading —
Judaism’s most defiant declaration of chosenness, the “Aleynu” prayer.
Quotes:
“The church maintained that having
been founded by Christ, who was God incarnate, it alone, through its bishops,
was the final and authoritative instrument of divine revelation. Allegiance to
the church and obedience to its ordinances were the sole means to salvation. No
salvation was therefore possible to anyone who remained outside the church —
nulla salus extra ecclesiam. Likewise, Islam placed the main emphasis upon the
Koran as the final revelation of God's will. Adherence to the teachings of the
Koran, together with the recognition of Allah as God, and Mohammed as the
greatest of prophets, constituted for the Moslems the sine qua non of
salvation.
The Jews were not quite as emphatic as were the
Christians and the Moslems in declaring the rest of mankind ineligible to
salvation. Rabbinic teaching was inclined to concede that Gentiles, who were
righteous or saintly, had a share in the world to come.”
― Judaism as a
Civilization: Toward a Reconstruction of American-Jewish Life
The chief opposition to the
traditional conception of God in that sense arises not from the scientific
approach to the study of nature in general, or even man in general. It arises
from the objective study of history. The natural sciences like physics and
chemistry cannot disprove the possibility of miracles, though they may assert
their improbability. But the objective study of history has established the
fact that the records of miracles are unreliable, and that the stories about
them are merely the product of the popular imagination. The traditional
conception of God is challenged by history, anthropology and psychology; these
prove that beliefs similar to those found in the Bible about God arise among
all peoples at a certain stage of mental and social development, and pass
through a process of evolution which is entirely conditioned by the development
of the other elements in their civilization.”
― Judaism as a
Civilization: Toward a Reconstruction of American-Jewish Life
(Page 485)
Creativity is the result of whole-souled and organic reaction to life’s values”
of a reaction in which senses, emotions, imagination, and intelligence are
fully aroused. It is not enough for a civilization to be rich in values of a
religious or esthetic nature. Unless its people respond wholeheartedly to those
values, the civilization is artificially sterile.
(Page 486)
The very significance of Judaism as a civilization would be lost, if artistic
creativity in the expression of Jewish values were treated as something
secondary to American Jewish life.
“God is the
Power that makes for salvation”
“God is the sum of the animating, organizing forces
and relationships which are forever making a cosmos out of chaos.”
“We learn more about God when we say that love is
divine than when we say God is love. A veritable transformation takes place. .
. .Divinity becomes relevant to authentic experience and therefore takes on a
definiteness which is accompanied by an awareness of authenticity.”
· The
only way to change the world is to change yourself into what you want others to
be.
·
· Reconstructionism
seeks to put gates through the fences that divide Jews into separate groups.
·
· A
religion came to mean to me the sum of those habits and values, which give a
people the will to live in common, to perpetuate itself and to make the best
use of its collective life…[in short, the enduring definition of
Reconstructionism, that we understand]… Judaism as an evolving
religious civilization.
·
· Science
does not destroy the belief in miracle. It merely transfers that belief
from the supernatural to the natural.
·
· God
is not the conception of the ordering principle in the universe, but of a power
predisposing humans to their ultimate human good, provided each person does
his/her share learning about and living up to the requisite conditions. To view
the cosmos this way is to believe in God.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2003/01/MMK-at-Camp-Modin-1596x900.jpg
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