Today in class, after ~50 years in exile, we got to return to the land of Israel. The Persians, the new empire on the block, took control from the Babylonians. The Persians had a different imperial philosophy than the our previous conquerors; they believed in allowing each ethnic/social/religious/national group to live in its own land and worship its own god(s) so long as they were loyal Persian subjects. As you can imagine, Cyrus, the Persian ruler who originally made this decree is viewed favorably in Jewish tradition. Given this history our current discord with Iran (Persia) is particularly ironic.
The new material today began with one of the most important characters in Jewish history: Ezra HaSofer (Ezra the Scribe). The Tanakh tells us that Ezra, a religious scholar/leader (and for those modernists out there one prominent candidate for the role of final editor of the Tanakh) in the Babylonian community receives a letter telling him that the situation in Yehuda is not good (Ezra 7). The Babylonian imperial policy was to deport the elites to Babylon, which meant that much of the population actually stayed in Yehuda. When Ezra arrives we see that this local population has mostly left Am Yisrael. They're doing avodah zarah (worshiping foreign gods) and marrying the local non-Jewish women. Ezra arrives in Yehuda and tries to strengthen the community through, among other things, forbidding intermarriage (Ezra 9). I then asked the students what they thought about this and how they felt about intermarriage, which, as we see in this story, has been a contentious issue among Jews for at least 2500 years.
After many of them had voiced their opinions (rather than relate them here, hopefully the students will share in the comments or in their own blogs) I showed them some of the results of the recent Pew Survey called "A Portrait of Jewish Americans." After explaining to the students that they (the students) are not a representative sample (just by being here they identify themselves as being comparatively involved, active Jews with a strong Jewish identity), I showed them the data from the recent Pew survey that shows that children of intermarriages are considerably less likely to identify as Jewish (though young people from mixed marriages are significantly more likely to identify as Jewish than older people from mixed marriages). The Pew survey is full of interesting facts about the state of modern American Jewry, and if you haven't looked at it I'd encourage you to check it out (you can also Google it and you'll find a plethora of articles analyzing the data.) Do you think Reform Judaism should allow intermarriage? Is it good/bad for Am Yisrael? Would you, personally, be willing to marry a non-Jew? Do you think you're likely to marry someone Jewish? Why or why not?
We then jump to our next major character, Nehemia, cup-bearer to the Persian King (an important position, since it meant he was the one protecting the king from being poisoned), who likely was the highest ranking Jew at the Persian court. He, too, receives a letter expressing how dire the situation is in Yehuda, which makes it seem like Ezra's reforms weren't wholly successful. With the permission and support of the king Nehemia makes his way to Yehuda.
Upon arriving to Yerushalayim Nehemia is shocked to find the city walls in complete disrepair. He immediately organizes the citizens to begin building them anew. The surrounding nations mock the Jews' efforts, but quickly realize we mean business, and devise a plan to attack the workers. The Jews sniff out and preempt the plan, and from that point on build the walls with their weapons at the ready. This idea of rebuilding the country in difficult conditions among a mostly unfriendly local population was a great inspiration to the chalutzim (pioneers) who moved to Israel and started rebuilding the land 130 years ago. Working around the clock Nehemia and the Jews successfully build respectable walls around Jerusalem in just 52 days.
Having taken care of Jerusalem and the Jews' physical safety, the Tanakh then jumps back to Ezra HaSofer, and tells us how this new leadership set Am Yisrael back on the right moral/religious track. In Nehemia 8 the Tanakh tells us that Ezra takes out the Torah and reads it "in the sight of all the people." This is likely the beginning of the tradition of reading the Torah in public (and the reason it's generally read on Mondays and Thursdays is because those were market days, when the most people would be present). We are also told specifically that he reads so that the people can understand, even going so far as to translate it to the vernacular, in this case, Aramaic. The Tanakh is not supposed to be something far away that we can't understand. In Devarim (Deuteronomy) we are specifically told "It is not in the sky." (Devarim 30:12)
The Tanakh goes on to say that Ezra opened the Torah for everyone to see it, and, in response, all of Am Yisrael stands. For those of us who have ever been present at a Torah reading this ceremony is instantly recognizable. Even today at the end of the Torah reading someone lifts up the Torah, shows it to the community and says that this is the Torah that Moshe received from Sinai. I am still amazed (and I think many of the students will agree) to find out how truly ancient many of our traditions are. (Here's a video of the ceremony if you've never seen).
Nehemia then makes two more rules to try and strengthen Am Yisrael. The first is that he arranges a lottery and chooses 10% of the Jews in Israel to move to Yerushalayim. The second is that he tries to enforce observance of shabbat in Yerushalayim, for example by closing the city gates to prevent trade. When I asked the students about these measures, specifically about requiring 10% of the population to live in the capital, many of them supported the idea (though they weren't thrilled that it was a requirement, rather than optional). There are clearly a number of benefits to a plan like this; for example, it strengthens Jerusalem itself, the city of David, the Jewish capital, and all of Am Yisrael's connection to it.
In my opinion, the story of shivat tzion, while always full of lessons (it is the Tanakh after all), is especially relevant to our generation. The story of Am Yisrael returning to an Eretz Yisrael that has been neglected for years and is inhabited by often hostile non-Jews sounds an awful lot like the modern Zionist movement. When I ask the students to try and put themselves in the stories we talk about they often explain that things were so different thousands of years ago that they can't make a comparison. And while I certainly agree there are major differences, I think it's critical to try and view it as if you were there. We often judge what other people in other times should do differently from how we think about ourselves. To make that point I asked the students if any of the measures instituted by Ezra and Nehemia would be appropriate for today. For example, for those who thought requiring 10% of the population to live in Jerusalem was a reasonable requirement, do you think 10% of the American Jewish population today should be required to live in Israel? If not, why? Would it be good for Am Yisrael? What's the difference between Nehemia requiring it 2500 years ago and requiring it today? In general, do you think the various measures Ezra and Nehemia used to rebuild Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael were effective? Do you approve of the methods they used? Do you think they could have achieved the same results with different methods?
We then jump to our next major character, Nehemia, cup-bearer to the Persian King (an important position, since it meant he was the one protecting the king from being poisoned), who likely was the highest ranking Jew at the Persian court. He, too, receives a letter expressing how dire the situation is in Yehuda, which makes it seem like Ezra's reforms weren't wholly successful. With the permission and support of the king Nehemia makes his way to Yehuda.
Upon arriving to Yerushalayim Nehemia is shocked to find the city walls in complete disrepair. He immediately organizes the citizens to begin building them anew. The surrounding nations mock the Jews' efforts, but quickly realize we mean business, and devise a plan to attack the workers. The Jews sniff out and preempt the plan, and from that point on build the walls with their weapons at the ready. This idea of rebuilding the country in difficult conditions among a mostly unfriendly local population was a great inspiration to the chalutzim (pioneers) who moved to Israel and started rebuilding the land 130 years ago. Working around the clock Nehemia and the Jews successfully build respectable walls around Jerusalem in just 52 days.
Having taken care of Jerusalem and the Jews' physical safety, the Tanakh then jumps back to Ezra HaSofer, and tells us how this new leadership set Am Yisrael back on the right moral/religious track. In Nehemia 8 the Tanakh tells us that Ezra takes out the Torah and reads it "in the sight of all the people." This is likely the beginning of the tradition of reading the Torah in public (and the reason it's generally read on Mondays and Thursdays is because those were market days, when the most people would be present). We are also told specifically that he reads so that the people can understand, even going so far as to translate it to the vernacular, in this case, Aramaic. The Tanakh is not supposed to be something far away that we can't understand. In Devarim (Deuteronomy) we are specifically told "It is not in the sky." (Devarim 30:12)
The Tanakh goes on to say that Ezra opened the Torah for everyone to see it, and, in response, all of Am Yisrael stands. For those of us who have ever been present at a Torah reading this ceremony is instantly recognizable. Even today at the end of the Torah reading someone lifts up the Torah, shows it to the community and says that this is the Torah that Moshe received from Sinai. I am still amazed (and I think many of the students will agree) to find out how truly ancient many of our traditions are. (Here's a video of the ceremony if you've never seen).
Nehemia then makes two more rules to try and strengthen Am Yisrael. The first is that he arranges a lottery and chooses 10% of the Jews in Israel to move to Yerushalayim. The second is that he tries to enforce observance of shabbat in Yerushalayim, for example by closing the city gates to prevent trade. When I asked the students about these measures, specifically about requiring 10% of the population to live in the capital, many of them supported the idea (though they weren't thrilled that it was a requirement, rather than optional). There are clearly a number of benefits to a plan like this; for example, it strengthens Jerusalem itself, the city of David, the Jewish capital, and all of Am Yisrael's connection to it.
In my opinion, the story of shivat tzion, while always full of lessons (it is the Tanakh after all), is especially relevant to our generation. The story of Am Yisrael returning to an Eretz Yisrael that has been neglected for years and is inhabited by often hostile non-Jews sounds an awful lot like the modern Zionist movement. When I ask the students to try and put themselves in the stories we talk about they often explain that things were so different thousands of years ago that they can't make a comparison. And while I certainly agree there are major differences, I think it's critical to try and view it as if you were there. We often judge what other people in other times should do differently from how we think about ourselves. To make that point I asked the students if any of the measures instituted by Ezra and Nehemia would be appropriate for today. For example, for those who thought requiring 10% of the population to live in Jerusalem was a reasonable requirement, do you think 10% of the American Jewish population today should be required to live in Israel? If not, why? Would it be good for Am Yisrael? What's the difference between Nehemia requiring it 2500 years ago and requiring it today? In general, do you think the various measures Ezra and Nehemia used to rebuild Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael were effective? Do you approve of the methods they used? Do you think they could have achieved the same results with different methods?
First off, I never thought about the irony that our relationship with ancient Iran (Persia) and our relationship with modern Iran are nearly opposites. It makes me wonder where things went wrong...when/why did our civil relationship turn upside down? Also, although it was difficult hearing opinions of those who I did not agree with about the hovering question of "should intermarriage be supported in reform Judaism?" it was still very interesting and exhilarating to debate about it in class. Topics such as these that are relatable to life today are very important to me and I thoroughly enjoy discussing them and learning about new perspectives that I never would have thought about myself. With that, I am excited to learn more about the continuation of Am Yisrael and how its history connects to modern Judaism.
ReplyDeleteIn response to what Emily commented, I also never thought about how ironic our relationship is with Iran. Thinking about our past relationship makes me wonder about how we can use these events to resolve issues. I definitely don't think this is the best way to a solution, but I think basing a new relationship with Iran can be done while keeping in mind our past interactions.
ReplyDeleteWhen talking about the issue/blessing of intermarriage today, I really liked something that Elyssa said: "Things like NFTY are meant for everyone, but some people aren't meant for NFTY." To elaborate on this point, I want to say that I think Judaism follows this interpretation almost immediately. Everyone acts on their own Jewish identity, no matter who they are brought up by. I don't think there can ever be a exact answer as to whether or not intermarriage is helpful or hindering-I think the way that we interpret our own Judaism defines who we are as people.
I'd like to share my opinion on intermarriage. In my opinion, it is important for us to realize that intermarriage is definitely causing some part of the decline of size of the Jewish religion. In order for us to fully understand the problem, we must also understand the statistics. According to the PEW report, only 20% of intermarried Jews raise their children to be Jewish. That means that every time five Jews intermarry, only one of them will raise their kids Jewish! If this is true, which I believe it to be, then the size of the Jewish religion is declining at an alarming rate. We need to begin advocating for marriage within the faith. If we do not start advocating, then the number of Jewish Americans will soon go way down. While we need to combat intrermarriage, we can't exclude people if they are intermarried. While we should try our best to combat intermarriage, don't be mean if someone decides to get intermarried.
ReplyDeletePersonally I think intermarriage is a completely acceptable thing to do. Love is a basic human right and religion should not determine who we love. Though it does statistically cause a decrease in modern practicing Jews, there is still that group of Jews that continue their Judaism. Personally, I always have the thought of 'it would be nice to marry a Jew' in the back of my mind but that isn't what determines who I do and do not like. Keeping Judaism alive important, yes, but love is more important than that.
ReplyDeleteIt is important for the Reform movement to favor Jewish marriage: rabbis must endorse Jewish marriage over the alternative. However, by refusing to officiate interfaith weddings, we alienate the majority of our population who is involved in an interfaith marriage. Our synagogues must be as welcoming to interfaith families as they are to Jews. Our youth programs - Hillel, NFTY, and the like - must offer a warm Jewish future to interfaith children. Without this, assimilation will occur: those interfaith families who want to be Reform Jews will have nowhere to turn.
ReplyDeleteIt is important for the Reform movement to favor Jewish marriage: rabbis must endorse Jewish marriage over the alternative. However, by refusing to officiate interfaith weddings, we alienate the majority of our population who is involved in an interfaith marriage. Our synagogues must be as welcoming to interfaith families as they are to Jews. Our youth programs - Hillel, NFTY, and the like - must offer a warm Jewish future to interfaith children. Without this, assimilation will occur: those interfaith families who want to be Reform Jews will have nowhere to turn.
ReplyDeleteIntermarriage is a very serious, controversial topic which continues to play a part in multiple aspects of Judaism. Listening to everybody's opinions in class was very interesting to me because it's hard for me to imagine someone choosing to give up love for their religion. However, it helped me see that those are my personal beliefs and everyone has their variation. I think that love comes first in marriage, and people should be free to marry whoever they please. With that being said, in a perfect world, one should not have to give up their religion to be with a loved one. Sadly, we do not live in a utopia, and intermarriage continues to be a source of many problems and trouble numerous families.
ReplyDelete