Our approach is that Jewish Renewal is open to all Jews with
all varieties of Jewish belief (including atheists) who have an interest in the
Jewish Renewal Philosophy, as well as non-Jews who have an interest in Jewish
Renewal.
On the other hand, it is clear from the American Jewish
Renewal movement that central to the philosophy of Jewish Renewal is the
Divine.
[The next 9 paragraphs were compiled from notes provided by
Rabbi Daniel Siegel of ALPEH, USA].
Jewish Renewal tries not to make a business out of
recognizing or not recognizing who is a member of Jewish Renewal. The one
exception is in relation to Messianic Jews
(Jews for Jesus), who are not recognised as being part of Jewish Renewal.
Whilst many in Jewish Renewal personally believe in a
transcendent God, there are many in Jewish Renewal who do not. They may have a
belief similar to that of Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, i.e. God as process, or they
may not think that deeply about their theology. Many of these people do have a
serious spiritual practice, though theirs tends to gravitate toward an approach
similar to that of Insight Meditation.
The focus on the spiritual is the awareness of the ultimate
unity of all (in God).
We do not think in terms of members and followers. This is
too static and we think of ourselves more dynamically.
We are about the spiritual renewal of Judaism, without
reference to creating either a denomination or a new religion. A healthy
scepticism in relation to God does not define one out of the religious world.
We are not a denomination and we are focused on the practice
of Judaism as a spiritual path.
Religious is used synonymously with "observant."
To us, observance means a personal and communal spiritual practice, so in that
way Jewish Renewal is religious.
You can a humanist spiritual Jew, in the same way as you can
be a cultural or nationalist Jew, whilst being atheist, and also be a full
participant in Jewish Renewal.
We spend as little
time as possible worrying over who is who is not recognizable and more time
concerned with how to help people actualize their need for spiritual practice
within a Jewish framework.
= = =
For more details see the web site for the Alliance for
Jewish Renewal at: www.aleph.org Their
principles state:
ALEPH exists to awaken and sustain Jewish souls to conscious
partnership with the Divine through Tikkun Olam/Healing the World and Tikkun
haLev/Healing the Heart.
For a statement of the 18 principles of ALEPH go back to the
main Jewish Renewal menu and select The 18 principles of ALEPH.
DISCUSSION:
The question is whether according to Jewish Renewal
philosophy, you can be an atheist and a "member" of Jewish Renewal,
as distinct from attending our practices because you are interested in Jewish
Renewal.
Whilst you can be a Jew and an atheist (because you are
Jewish
culturally or nationally or whatever), it appears you can’t
be a "religious Jew" and an atheistic. (This is probably a
tautology). Thus to ask whether you have to be a religious Jew to be a member
of Jewish Renewal is really to ask whether Jewish Renewal is a religion.
(From the ALEPH website:)
Jewish renewal is a worldwide, transdenominational movement
grounded in Judaism’s prophetic and mystical traditions.
Jewish renewal seeks to bring creativity, relevance, joy,
and an all embracing awareness to spiritual practice, as a path to healing our
hearts and finding balance and wholeness—tikkun halev.
Jewish renewal is non-denominational (sometimes referred to
as trans- or post-denominational) Judaism. It honors the important and unique
role of each denomination, but does not seek to become a denomination itself.
Because of its emphasis on direct spiritual experience and mystical or
Kabbalistic teachings, Jewish renewal is sometimes referred to as Neo-Hasidic
or Four Worlds Judaism (a reference to the "four worlds" of Jewish
mysticism). While we seek to restore the
Is this "New Age" Judaism?
Not really. Jewish Renewal is sometimes referred to as
"New Age" by people who do not know that meditation, dance, chant,
and mysticism have been present in Judaism throughout the ages and not, as some
mistakenly believe, patched on to Judaism from other cultures or made up out of
whole cloth.
What is ALEPH's position on Messianic Judaism?
ALEPH has a policy of respect for other spiritual
traditions, but objects to deceptive practices and will not collaborate with
denominations which actively target Jews for recruitment. Our position on
so-called "Messianic Judaism" is that it is Christianity and its
proponents would be more honest to call it that.
Where does Jewish renewal come from?
Paradigm shifts in Judaism go back as far as the destruction
of the Second Temple and the transition from the Priestly Judaism of the Temple
Cult to the Rabbinic tradition that has evolved up to present time. Other major
shifts have occurred in response to the various upheavals such as the Expulsion
from Spain, the Enlightenment, the founding of the Hasidic movement, the
emergence of Reform/post-halachic Judaism, the trauma of the Holocaust, etc.
The current phenomenon called Jewish renewal traces its roots to the Havurah
movement, feminism and other late 20th century phenomena, but primarily to the
work of Rabbis Shlomo Carlebach (z'l) and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Both Reb
Shlomo and Reb Zalman were trained in the Lubavitch Hasidic movement and later
left it to found their own institutions, ordain their own students and plant
the seeds of renewal worldwide. ALEPH is the outgrowth of B'nai Or Religious
Fellowship, founded by Reb Zalman in 1962.
= = =
Thus whilst Jewish Renewal is not a denomination, it sees
itself as religious.
You may have heard of the Jewish Humanist Society. In USA
they have a seminary which trains atheist rabbis and they have a synagogue for
Jewish Humanist ceremonies. But their
rabbis are not recognised by other congregations.
It should be noted that Jewish Renewal rabbis are probably
not recognised by non-Jewish Renewal congregations, if they were ordained by
Jewish Renewal and not trained elsewhere.
Why cant you be a humanist spiritual Jew, in the same way as
you can be a cultural or nationalist Jew, whilst being atheist? And therefore a
full member of Jewish Renewal?
It may be that over time, Jewish Renewal will recognise this
category of Jews, but currently, on our understanding, they do not.
There is more acceptance of Jews who are agnostics, if they
are willing to be part of a struggle to find out about God.
See: http://www.shirhadash.org/rabbi/askrabbi/askrabbi1.html
(This is the Reform Judaism i.e. Liberal Judaism approach).
Ask the Rabbi: Can an Atheist be a Good Jew?
Rabbi Melanie Aron, in Jewish Community News
I enjoyed your column in the current (Jan) issue of JCN, in
particular
because I believe that your response is right on the mark. I
am a Jew,
initially religious (in my youth), then secular, more
recently atheistic. I
believe that I will always be a Jew, irrespective of my
religious beliefs,
because of my birth; and I remain immensely proud of my
"people" (read: ancestors) and my heritage. My questions are: 1) Can
an atheist who believes neither in God nor in prayer be a "good Jew?"
2) Is there any reason at all for such an individual to go to synagogue?
The question you asked: "Can an atheist be a good
Jew?" is one that is asked of me frequently. Many people struggle to
reconcile their theological questions with their general Jewish commitment.
Judaism is an amalgam of religion and peoplehood. You refer
to the ties you feel to your heritage and community. Certainly no one would say
that you, a child of Jewish parents, are no longer a Jew because you do not
believe in God. However the question can become more complex when asked in a
different way. For example, can an individual convert to Judaism without a
belief in God? Or, as was asked recently by a Midwestern community, can a group
of people convening for study and reflection without a belief in God, be
considered a Jewish congregation, a kehilla kedosha?
We often say that Judaism is a religion of "deed and
not creed" and it is true that in general in Judaism the stress is on what
we do rather than what we believe. However it is also true that some belief
about God, however differently expressed, has been a part of Judaism throughout
our history.
Personally, I would accept as a convert an individual who
has studied Judaism, taken on the
practice of Jewish ritual, but who considered themselves an agnostic with
regard to God.
After all Maimonides advised that we know more readily what
God is not, than what God is. It is an appropriate human humility to say that
we do not know the Ultimate One.
I would have more difficulty with an individual who was unwilling to explore the issue of God, to pursue an understanding of what God has meant to past generations of Jews, and to commit to struggling with the issue on an ongoing basis.
In l994 the Union of American Hebrew Congregations rejected
the application of the Congregation Beit Adam, a Jewish humanist congregation.
By a vote of 115 to 13 the governors of the U.A.H.C. voted that a congregation
that rejected God, could not be considered a part of the Reform movement. While
I think that decision was made without a complete understanding of the
philosophy of that congregation, I agree with that decision on a theoretical
level. While
an individual might find great meaning in attending
"services", and being connected to a community where God was not
mentioned- a congregation which does not study about God, discuss the issue of
God in Judaism, or teach about God in their religious school, is not
representing Judaism authentically.
So much for being a Jew. Your question was about being a
good Jew. What can we say about that issue? While there are many answers, I
thought it might be interesting to look at one of the Talmudic teachings often
studied around the High Holidays. In one passage our tradition teaches that in
final judgement we will be asked:
Did you conduct your business fairly?
Did you concern yourself with your family?
Did you set aside a fixed time for the study of Torah?
Did you continue to hope for and work for the fulfillment of
the prophetic ideals of the messianic promise?
Whether you believe in final judgement, or take this passage
as guidance for self-judgement, I think it illuminates our issue.
In this passage belief per se does not seem to be a
criterion for being a good Jew. This is consistent with the
debate that exists in our tradition in the commentary on the Ten Commandments.
The rabbis ask: Is the first Commandment, the belief in God, or is the
statement, "I am the Eternal Your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt," merely a preamble?
While a belief in God may not be a requirement, I personally
have found that some sense of God, of a greater Unity in creation, of an Ultimate
Source of moral and ethical direction, some openness to a sense of the
Transcendent, makes a person more likely to be able to answer yes to the four
questions above, and thus to be fulfill the criterion of a good Jew.
An atheist might chose to come to synagogue to be with other
Jews and to share in the responsibilities of the community. They might also
find intellectual and even spiritual enrichment if they are open to the
experience, whether or not they change their mind on the
existence and definition of God. They might also find that "the God they
don't believe in" is not the only vision of God that exists in the Jewish
tradition.
Updated October 1, 1998
= = =
[This was originally written for Kehilla's Shavu'ot study
session in 1992
and later adapted as a Kol Kehilla article for the High
Holydays.
My theology is hard to define, even for myself. If we use a
traditional
definition of God, some sort of entity with awareness who
created the world with consciousness and design and who watches human affairs
and intervenes, then by that definition I am an atheist. But if we posit God as
a process, perhaps indistinguishable from the process of the universe itself,
then I may be a theist and not necessarily very different from Spinoza,
Maimonides or Mordechai Kaplan. What is most essential for me in all this is
Yir'at HaShem, usually translated as "the fear of God," but which I
translate (perhaps more accurately) as "awe of the Existent," that
core experience of the enormous and mysterious power of which we are a part
that is both awe-inspiring and intimidating. Each mystical tradition finds a
way to place the mystic in a relationship with this core where the borders
between the
observer and God dissolve.
All mysticism, theism and atheism aside, the challenge in
Jewish Renewal in general, and in Kehilla in particular, is not in finding a
theology on which we all agree, but rather, how to stay united as a community
in spite of our theological diversity, and how do we insure that this diversity
be the asset that it is.
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