Re: Whoa there!

[Jordan Hirsch <trombaedu...>]

At no time did I suggest that Halachot should not be questioned. In fact, I am
unconcerned with whatever conclusions one draws challenging halacha. I have
never said to anyone on this list that they should or should not do something.
Halacha is malleable, and open to a variety of interpretations. There is ample
halachic literature which reminds us of this all the time. By all means,
challenge Halacha!
But challenging halacha by declaring that it has nothing to do with Judaism is
part of an attempt to remove from Judaism the one thing that identifies it,
namely, the idea that the way the covanent between God and the Jewish people is
enacted is by our adherence to Halacha. Without Halacha, we are just anther
ethinc group. People on this list texplain that the essence of Judaism is
Tikkun Olam. What is Tikkun Olam but the mandate of halacha to do certain
things to perfect the world? Some of thos things are intuitive, but some are
not. People talk about observing Shabbos. What is shabbos without the
identifying behaviors mandated by halacha, without which it would just be a day
of vacation? It does not matter if one is Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. At
some level or other, Judaism demands that we do something we might not normally
do if halacha, however it is interpreted, didn't tell us.
I do not suggest that halachos of KI are not restrictive for some people. In
fact, I have been careful to note at all times that each one of us has to find
a relationship to Jewish observance that works for us. As I have said again and
again, no performer should ever be treated unethically by anybody, and
contracts should be carefully written and scrupulously enforced.
But I do not accept the idea that Halacha is automatically misogynist by
nature, and that if the result of the halchic process is a conxlusion that some
of us find uncomfortable, it invalidates the place of halacha and halachic
observance in Judaism. To do so is to call for the gutting of the Jewish
religion. It may be unintentional, and in fact, these assertions may be made in
the spirit of trying to save Judaism for the twenty first century, but
de-Judaizing Judaism is Anti semitic.

Jordan



Sylvia Schildt wrote:

> Dear Jordan,
>
> I can understand your taking offense at the comparison of burkas and
> chastity belts to Kol Isha -- but instead of cooling the tone, you really
> shot an arrow by characterizing the questioning of halakhic demands as not
> reflecting Judaism to a very sly form of anti-semitism.
>
> That is a very hurtful thing to say.  Kol Isha is an "isha" to only a very
> small minority of Orthodox Jews. And it is not a monolithic interpretation
> within Orthodoxy as a number of thoughtful postings have pointed out.
>
> Halakha is a flexible movable thing - consider its root - hey lamed khes -
> to go..
> Halakhic rulings have changed over time and the role and power of those who
> interpret it is undergoing transition.
>
> This ability to change and redefine is the secret of our survival as Jews.
>
> I for one question the right of Rabbis to make definitive rulings that
> oblige me to obey. While at the same time, I respect their collective wisdom
> over the centuries as it was the glue that held us together in Exile. But as
> a Jew I cannot check my brains at the door - I have a thinking mind, honed
> by the centuries of thinking Jews, and I can ask the hard questions.
>
> This is not anti-Semitic, sly or overt. The Rabbinic/halakhic era was our
> survival response to separation from the Temple. There was a form of Judaism
> that predated the Temple. Elements of these stages are still part of our
> Jewish observances, but they are superseded and transformed by changing
> times.
>
> Now there is an Israel in our lives again. Now women are as well educated
> and a part of the workplace as men. Their voices, physical and metaphorical,
> are heard everywhere.
>
> This is not the doom of Judaism, but an indication that our needs are
> changing and if we respond properly, we will continue as a people and as a
> religion into the millennia.
>
> Don't be surprised if women feel KI to be as restrictive as chastity belts
> and burkas - it does have that effect in their lives, in their pursuit of
> parnassa which in today's world is a necessity not an option.
>
> Disagree with it yes. But don't call it sly anti-semitism.
>
> That which makes us Jews transcends the temporal -- it is the vision of a
> better humanity, of higher values, of a loving, merciful and Creative Deity
> who has created the universe and who has a special place for us as mankind
> evolves.
>
> Sylvia Schildt
> Baltimore, Maryland
>
>  1/28/04 2:11 PM, Jordan Hirsch at trombaedu (at) earthlink(dot)net wrote:
>
> > I am sorry if I do not seem sympathetic, but this statement is horribly
> > offensive to me, and quite frankly, I do not care how justified your
> > desire to sing in front of whatever audience you desire is, or whether
> > or not you or I or anyone else observes the demands of Halacha.
> > Suggesting that Kol Isha and burkas or Kol Isha and chastity belts are
> > the same is a polemical flame, and in my opinion should have been left
> > off the list. Your categorical assertion that God, religion, or Judaism
> > has nothing to do with Kol Isha may make you feel better, but it
> > suggests that Halacha has nothing to do with Judaism or God if it does
> > not meet the criteria ofyour version of twenty first century feminist
> > dogma. In fact, asserting that halachic demands do not reflect Judaism
> > is a very sly form of anti semitism.
> > Religions should be flexible, but what makes a religion a religion is
> > that it answers to it's own systems.
> >
> > Jordan
> >
> >
> >> but things like Kol Isha, Burkas, Chastity belts, (shall I
> >> continue...?) are ALL things that men do to women. G-d,
> >> religion, and our beloved Judaism have nothing to do with
> >> these rules as such - only provide the "legitimization" for
> >> this form of abuse. Women, representing 50% of humanity had
> >> NO SAY in the CREATION of these so called "cultural" or
> >> "religious" customs.
> >>
> >
> >
>

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