Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!lsuc!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!whuxl!whuxlm!akgua!gatech!ut-sally!seismo!cmcl2!csd2!meth
From: meth@csd2.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: The Tragedy of Assimilation
Message-ID: <3780130@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Jan-86 20:35:00 EST
Article-I.D.: csd2.3780130
Posted: Tue Jan 28 20:35:00 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Feb-86 10:56:41 EST
References: <3780118@csd2.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 67


Andrew Jonathan Fine writes :
----------------------------------------
From my understanding of religion in general and certain advice I received on
Judaism, there is an outer form and an inner form of being Jewish.  The outer
form is acts, the inner form is faith, thought, and feelings.  The outer form
is simply the way Judaism interacts with the world to set an example before the
world.  The inner form is the way a Jewish person interacts with God.  When in
doubt or need, the inner form is all that is the required, since the outer form
is not always possible due to circumstance.
----------------------------------------

I'd like to respond concerning these two aspects of man's relationship : with
man & with G-d. 

Last year, I heard the following thought from Rabbi Yehuda Amital, a Rosh
Yeshiva at Yeshivat Har Etzion, Alon Shevut, ISRAEL.
(A "Rosh Yeshiva" is a Dean of a religious Jewish institute of higher education,
where the texts are the Written & the Oral law, with a strong emphasis on the 
study of Talmud & its commentaries.)
This yeshiva is a "hesder yeshiva", where the Israeli students enroll at age 18
in a 5-year program, combining yeshiva studies with service in the Israeli
Defense Forces. American students do not go to the army, but participate in all
other yeshiva activities - study, guard duty, kitchen duty, etc. 

Rabbi Amital has become involved in groups that work with people who wish to
become more acquainted with their Jewish roots. One couple said to him - we
wish to become religious, observant Jews, but are not ready to accept all the
laws & rules all at once. We are afraid that we will not be able to swim; we
may sink. 

He responded, there is a verse in the Torah that instructs you in your quest.
In last week's portion, Beshallach, Shemos/Exodus 15:25, we are told that G-d
gave some commandments to the Israelites before the revelation at Sinai -
"Sham sam lo chok umishpat vesham nisahu", there He gave him laws & laws
(different types) and there He tested him. RaSHI explains that the Jews
received three commandments at Marrah : (1) the Sabbath, (2) the laws of the red
heifer ("parah adumah"), and (3) "dinim" (that the society must institute a 
judicial system). Rabbi Amital told the couple to guide themselves by that which
is alluded to in this verse. 

(1) Accept the Sabbath as a day of rest; rest from all your worries, rest from 
all your business concerns; rest from work, etc. (to the best of your ability, 
with respect to keeping the holiness of the Sabbath).

(2) The laws of the "parah adumah" are called "chok" - a law that we do not
fully understand. As Jews, we must understand that there are some things that
we will never be able to understand (not even the wisest among us). For if we
had the ability to understand the exact underlying principles of all things,
then our whole system of belief would depend on our understanding of the
underlying principles. If we then came up against something that we could not
explain, then we would very possibly not accept it, and discard it ! So, accept
upon yourselves some commandment that you do not understand, and that you don't
see yourselves as ever possibly understanding. (I think that he said that the
wife said that she would accept upon herself the laws of family purity,
"taharas hamishpachah", the laws of "niddah". For a good book on the subject,
I'm told to read "The Waters of Eden", by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan; published by
NCSY/UOJC.)

(3) You must understand that Judaism is not a religion based solely on man's
relationship with G-d. (This is called "bein adam lamakom".) An important tenet
of our faith is that the relationship between man & his fellow man also has high
priority. (This is called "bein adam lachaveiro".)

I understand Mr. Fine's comments to be related to point (3) above.

Asher Meth ....... meth@nyu-csd2.arpa ....... allegra!cmcl2!csd2!meth