Rabbi Aryeh Levin
Often in life, when we worry about things that are out of our control, we lose control over things we should be worried about. For many of us who follow the situation in the Middle East, placing the words ‘Israel’ and ‘future’ in the same sentence, generates a bit of uneasiness. With endless reports of external threats from countries and sophisticated terrorist groups, that use all their energy with one goal in mind: annihilation of Israel, apprehension should be anticipated. However as the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr taught, we must learn to turn to God to grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change. When we accept the concept of a Higher Being who is in charge of the world, we are undoubtedly on the road to recovery from the malady of fruitless worry.
On the other hand, there are several forecasts that should generate some worry. When demographers and statisticians layout the level of Jewish knowledge, practice and awareness expected from the average North American Jewish person in twenty five years from now, we should be significantly concerned. Last year’s Pew survey of Jews noted that less than one-third of American Jews belong to a synagogue. What will the next generation look like if Judaism plays such an insignificant role in the Jewish persons life? This worry however must immediately be channeled into action. A peek into the future is futile if it is not for the purpose of a call for action in the present.
The clear and agreed upon answer is, of course, Jewish Education. Yet even these simple two words must be defined. Certainly Jewish Education cannot be described as information taught by a Jewish person. Studying Greek Mythology under a Jewish instructor in not Jewish Education. The core of Judaism must be identified before we proceed into our Jewish identity rescue mission.
As moral and decent people, we are naturally concerned for the welfare of humanity. The phrase Tikkun Olam "repairing the world" is indeed what we believe in. Unfortunately this slogan is a partial quote, and does not give the complete picture of our task. In The Aleinu prayer, recited three times daily, we state “L'takken Olam B'malkhut Shaddai," to repair the world under God's sovereignty. Accordingly, the Jewish way is of course to mend the world, but it must be with the goal of bringing God into people's life.
For thousands of years the Jewish People understood that the laws, teachings and messages of the Torah preserve the Children of Israel. When it was cherished by parents children valued it as well. The result was continuity.
To keep the tradition alive we must focus on aspects of tolerance and sensitivity that are the essence of our faith. Not all of us can relate to a story of a great religious leader who performed a religious act in the most difficult of circumstances. On the other hand an anecdote of commitment to the other and using compassion and creativity to help another human, can be appreciated by all.
During a visit to Jerusalem with my son a few weeks ago, we stopped at the Museum of the Underground Prisoners, a place that commemorates the activities of the Jewish underground during the period leading up to the establishment of the State of Israel. After walking by several cells we were guided into a large room that served as the Synagogue for the prisoners. As we stepped in we noticed on the wall a portrait of rabbi. His name was Rabbi Aryeh Levin. Reb Aryeh, as he became known, was the Prison Chaplain, a position he accepted on the condition that he receive no pay. In the room we were standing in, Reb Aryeh prayed with the prisoners, gave them words of encouragement and conveyed messages to their families. The rabbi's warmth and sincerity, touched all. A caption under the picture of the rabbi quoted a saying from one of the prisoners about Reb Aryeh “He couldn't take us into freedom, but he always brought freedom in to us.”
One of the basic principles of Jewish faith is that humans cannot expect to fully understand God or his word the Torah. As a result we teach ourselves to accept the Almighty and his teaching even without a full understanding of His reasoning. Nevertheless the journey of Jewish knowledge in this era must begin with rational teachings that can be appreciated by all. Kindness and compassion, practiced by people like Reb Aryeh, which are the core of our faith, must be emphasized.
History has taught us that passive Jewishness cannot be perpetuated. When we address the issue of the future of the Jewish people, Torah and Mitzvot cannot be overstated. We cannot rely on marginal traits, like ethnic foods or a good sense of humor, as a mean to preserve our identity. Let us not forget the words of the great French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, who notes that “The privilege of Israel resides not in its race but in Mitzvot which educate it.”
