Mail.Liberal-Judaism

• Ann Proyect <aproyect@catskill.net>
• Simon L. Klein <slklein@tiac.net>

• Robert A. Book <rbook@uchicago.edu>

• Robert Kaiser <kaiser@physiology.pnb.sunysb.edu>

• David J. Meyer <djm@shore.net>

• Awaskow@aol.com

From: Ann Proyect <aproyect@catskill.net>
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 23:37:45 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Confirmation

Hi - the same for me re confirmation, at age l3 in K.C., Mo. at Temple
B'nai Jehudah.  We also had a choir that was led by a German person.
My rabbi was Samuel S. Mayerberg and he is listed in half a dozen
books for having led the fight to rid the city of Pendergast, a
corrupt leader.

aproyect

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From: Simon L. Klein <slklein@tiac.net>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 09:10:49 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Confirmation

Joan K. Downing <downjoan@gemstate.net> writes:

>In the synagogue I attended as a young person, Temple Mishkan Israel,
>(Reform), New Haven, Conn., there was an annual Confirmation service,
>as our moderator said, for the entire class at Shavuot.  I was
>confirmed in 1934 and I still have the program of that service, plus
>the Bible which was given to each of us.  Since that was not the
>first such ceremony, I can testify that the ritual has existed in
>Reform congregations for well over 65 years.

I can't top Joan's longevity, but I can testify to the ritual being at
least twelve years older. My dad, Richard Adams Klein, was in the last
confirmation class taught by Dr. Emil G. Hirsch at the Chicago Sinai
Congregation in 1922.I was confirmed by Hirsch's immediate successor,
Dr.  Louis L. Mann in 1954. I also have my Bible and I have my
grandmother's Reform prayerbook. Three of my four children have been
confirmed in Reform synagogues (the youngest is still just 9 years
old), and now I have a granddaughter who will be raised as a Reform
Jew. Surely someone can top us. Who's next?

Simon L. Klein <slklein@tiac.net>
PageCrafters, since 1987
Chelmsford, MA (USA)

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From: Robert A. Book <rbook@uchicago.edu>
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 19:59:13 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: From Frozen Korach to Flowering Seed

> Thank you Rabbi Waskow!  I have always felt uncomfortable when this
> particular parasha is read, because my maiden name is Korach!  I
> feel much better about it now. I think I've instilled a love of the
> earth and sense of responsibility for it, and for all its living
> creatures, in my offspring, none of whom wear the name of Korach,
> but non-the-less . . .  So I was delighted to read your commentary.

There was no need ever to feel uncomfortable in the first place.  If
you read the story carefully, you'll notice that the *SONS* of Korach
did not participate in the rebellion.  Even though the father was
evil, the sons were righteous.

Since Korach (and his sons) were Levites, the descendents of Korach's
sons served in the Temple, and several of the Psalms are attributes to
them.  Look through a book of Psalms.  The first line of many -- but
not all -- of them is something like, "A Psalm of David," indicating
that that particular Psalm was written by King David.  But several of
this instead have a first line like "A Psalm of the Sons of Korach" --
indicating that this particular Psalm was written by the descendents
of the sons of Korach -- and possibly, your ancestors!

Robert Book
rbook@uchicago.edu

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From: Robert Kaiser <kaiser@physiology.pnb.sunysb.edu>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 18:41:06 -0400
Subject: Images of God

I'd like to bring a few more points to the discussion that we were
having a while back about the various Jewish ways to view God.  My
posts were quite long, and there were many of them, so I have put
together what I have to say on this subject into a form accessible via
the Web at the site noted below.

http://communities.msn.com/jewish/essays/essays.asp

Important points that I want to bring up include:

Contrary to what some might have thought, I was not pushing the
Conservative Jewish view of God.  Indeed, there is none!  Rather, as
in Orthodox Judaism, there are variety of significantly different ways
that Conservative Jews conceive of the Divine, and no one view is
mandated.  The only difference (and this is a big one) is that
Orthodoxy regards naturalism (a la Mordecai Kaplan and Marcia Falk) to
be beyond the pale, while Conservative Judaism generally does not.  My
emphasis was not on a particular view of God, but of whether God is
_actual_; whether God exists outside our own society and our cultural
constructs.  That is the primary difference between theism and
humanism/naturalism.  I have thus tried to make this clear in the
section entitled "What is the Jewish concept of God".

Of course, Conservative Judaism does differ from Orthodoxy in some
theological aspects, but not about the existence of God.  Rather, the
difference is in how Conservative Jews conceive of the process of
_revelation_ , which is a different issue, and one that I shall get
into at a later time.

Secondly, I have received a few letters off-list asking about process
theology (aks neoclassical theism).  While I attempted to answer them
to the best of ability, I was never fully happy with my responses.  I
thus have rewritten my explanation of this.  One problem was that my
explanantion made it sound too far from classical and biblical
Judaism, yet this is not so.  I personally feel that process theology
not only solves questions of theodicy, but also is a biblically sound
theology (as opposed to the neo-Aristotelian theology that many Jews
adopted in the medieval era).  This is now clearer, as I provide
examples of how process theology is nearly identical to what Abraham
Joshua Heschel called "the divine pathos".

Thirdly, I want to stress a point about Jewish principles of faith.  I
believe that to be a good Jew, there are certain things that one
should believe.  In fact, I have my own list, with commentary and
explanation, which I one day hope to put on-line.  However, for the
moment I want to make a more limited point: Some would have us believe
that there is nothing a Jew has to believe; that anyone can believe
anything at all, and still call themselves a member of the religion
called Judaism.  The only exception is that they say we can't believe
in Jesus as the messiah/God.  I can't accept this.  If that is the
only principle, then it is clear that we are talking about
anti-Christianity, and not Jewish theology.  If you only define
yourself as what you are not, then you really don't stand for
anything.

On the other hand, it is historically wrong to claim that there is
only one accepted creed in Judaism that all must agree to.
Furthermore, I am not convinced that this would be good--or
correct!--even it were true.  Thus in the section entitled "Jewish
Principles of Faith" I have tried to (a) outline the various
formulations of faith that have existed, and (b) outline how some of
them are understood by Jews in the modern Jewish denominations.

I hope people find this material of interest, and I look forward to
discussing any thoughts you might have, whether on the list or off.

Shabbat Shalom,

Robert Kaiser

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From: David J. Meyer <djm@shore.net>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 12:41:11 -0400
Subject: Re: Synagogue Honors

John Sherwood writes:

>While each reform congregation is autonomous, I feel very safe in
>saying that this practice is normative.  In light of the new
>principles statement , "We are an inclusive community, opening doors
>to Jewish life to people of all ages, to varied kinds of families, to
>all regardless of their sexual orientation, to (gerim), those who
>have converted to Judaism, and to all individuals and families,
>including the intermarried, who strive to create a Jewish home." I
>expect the practice to become almost universal within the movement.

Not so the case in my (Reform)congregation.  FYI, we are a New England
congregation of about six hundred families.  A few years ago, the
Board adopted a lengthy and detailed policy regarding the role of
non-Jews in congregational ritual.  Although we do allow non-Jews to
sit on our bima, and in some cases, to offer personal prayers or read
from Psalms during services, Torah honors such as opening the ark, and
lifting/dressing the Torah are not extended to non-Jews in keeping
with the principle of kavod ha-tzibur (communal expectations).

What we've found, BTW, is that non-Jewish spouses of our members
appreciate knowing in advance what is permitted and what is not, and
also knowing that the "rules" are applied consistently.

Please keep in mind that the Statement of Principles does not open to
non-Jews the full spectrum of privileges (or responsibilities) of
Jewish life.

David J. Meyer, Rabbi
Temple Emanu-El, Marblehead

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From: Awaskow@aol.com
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 16:29:51 EDT
Subject: Y2K & De Nile

Dear Chevra,

During the past six months, I have been trying to get a handle on what
are and  are not the risks that  might arise from the  Y2K glitch, how
they might affect the Jewish community, what Jews can and/or should do
about  them,  and  how  to   think  about  these  questions  from  the
perspective of Torah & Jewish wisdom.

On the 1st question, I have concluded -- and the evidence continues to
pile up that keeps strengthening my conclusion --- that there is a
DANGER of serious disruptions in some regions but that it is
impossible to say with any degree of assurance that there will be
disruptions. Or that there won't.

I've also concluded that the Jewish community is in the unusual and
ironic position that because we gather in large numbers just 3 months
before Jan 1, 2000, we COULD prepare ourselves better than most
communities to deal with whatever problems might arise. (Ironic
because we could use "our" New Year to help us prepare in advance to
deal with the problems created by "their" New Year.)

And I've concluded that the teachings encoded in Jonah, Babel, Sukkot,
and Shabbat offer us not only ways to think about Y2K but ways to ACT
to reduce its dangers.

AND TO DO THIS WITHOUT PANIC AND WITHOUT INDIVIDUALISTIC "DAMN THE
NEIGHBORS" RESPONSES, BUT IN PRACTICAL AND COMMUNAL WAYS -- THAT WOULD
ACTUALLY STRENGTHEN JEWISH LIFE.

BUT --- I've sensed an enormous unwillingness to address the question.
True, I have gotten a number of calls & letters from people who are
concerned and want to know more and do more.  But so far most people
have either kept silent or pooh-poohed the problem.

The most recent evidence that there are real risks is, it seems to me,
an article on the front page of the Business section of yesterday's NY
Times (6/16/99). It reported that the US Senate had just passed a bill
putting major restrictions on the damages that people who are hurt by
Y2K failures can collect from the companies that hurt them. More
important, it reported that major computer companies have been
EXTREMELY anxious to get this bill passed.

If there  is no problem, WHY  are these companies so  anxious to limit
their financial exposure?

If you look at the NY Times front business page for May 27, there is a
long, detailed report that major companies now know they can't fix the
glitch in time and are focusing on back-up and contingency planning:
that is, what to do when/ if they themselves have trouble.

One solution some of them named: renting private electric generators
to use in case the large power grids, especially in the 3d World,
fail.

But then the Times reported that the largest generator-producing
company in the world said that they can't manufacture enough
generators by Jan 1 to meet all the orders placed with them already.

(Pls note: failures in the 3d World affect U.S. etc too: Most of our
medicine for the chronically ill, most of our oil, and much of our
food is produced in the 3d World and comes here by ship -- and
navigation is also uncertain.)

SO -- does it make sense to pooh-pooh this? Or does it make sense to
prepare -- like the big companies doing contingency plans -- in such a
way that if there IS trouble, we can meet it with confidence and
practical knowledge?  And if there isn't much trouble, what has our
preparation cost us?

What it seems to me is -- As they say, De Nile is not only a river in
Egypt.  But maybe I'm missing some crucial aspect.

The Shalom Center does have materials on how to plan & prepare. If you're 
interested, write Shalomctr@aol.com and/or check our Website under "Building 
Community."

And I'd be delighted to hear how people have been feeling and thinking
about this question, no matter what your views and feelings are.

Shalom, Arthur 

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"It is not our task as liberal Jews to complain about the Orthodox attitude or to be bullied by it, but rather to choose our legitimate path according to the inner logic and development of liberal Judaism" (Rabbi Walter Jacob)

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