BLUETHREAD READERS TALK
BACK
On Wed, 24 Dec 1997 David
Jackson <Gangus48@aol.com> wrote:
Dear Mr. Silver,
I found this website very informative. One thing that I
noticed that in your definition of Orthodox Judaism you
define it as "The trend in Jewish life and thought which
accepts without reservation that the Torah was given to
Moses on Sinai, and that the practices of Judaism in
Halakhah and Talmud are to be strictly observed." The word
TREND in Jewish life and thought implies that it is
relatively a new trend (development), and that it is not
genuine trend.
Thus I would request that you change the wording here
becasue certainly acceptance without reservations "that the
Torah was given to Moses on Sinai, and that the practices of
Judaism in Halakhah and Talmud are to be strictly observed "
is not a new trend it has long been accepted even without
reservations by many Jews. Thanks
Bluethread responds:
Saturday, January 03, 1998
David Jackson
Gangus48@aol.com
Dear Mr. Jackson,
Thank you for your feedback on our web pages. We enjoyed
discussing your challenge to us. We are trying to create a
neutral ground for people from every movement to consider
and reconsider the divisions between us as well as the
common ground. Your comments have shown us where we could
use some improvement.
Certainly, by the use of the word "trend" we never meant
to imply "recent trend." Do we think Orthodox Judaism is a
trend at all? Yes. Until Reform there was only "Judaism."
With the rise of Reform, those who did not embrace the
Reform movement became referred to as "Orthodox." Thus if
there had not been any Reform there would not have been a
need for Orthodoxy to become a separate movement or trend.
Orthodoxy, to our minds, is not exactly the same as the
traditional Judaism that preceded it. It was forced, in
reaction to the Reform movement, to become a little less
flexible. It also lost, at the time of the schism, many of
its more modern-thinking adherents. The good news, from our
perspective, is that Orthodoxy preserved traditions and
learning that would otherwise have been permanently
destroyed by the extreme among the early Reformers. The bad
news is that the division is now so vast that it is
sometimes hard to respect each other as Jews, let alone have
a productive dialog.
Do we think that Orthodoxy is not "genuine?" Absolutely
not. We think that many in each movement have a genuine
commitment to the principles and ideals of Judaism, each
from their own perspective.
Do we agree with you that the word, "trend," can be
misleading? Yes, we do. Therefore we have changed all three
definitions, substituting the phrase "The stream of Jewish
life and thought..." for what we had previously used.
Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to write to
us.
1/3/98
© 1997 Rosemarie E. Falanga, Cy H. Silver
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