For Jews that have found themselves being secular and/or humanistic Jews in leaning, a lot can be learned from the study of Chasidic Jewish history. Here me out for a moment, please! Like it has been with the formation of legitimate “non-theistic” Jewish communities – that no longer find Jewish authority from within the theistic Jewish communities, so it was at the start of the Chasidim movement. As it now is with present secular versions of modern Judaism, the Chasidic movement stood separate from the authority of the “traditional” Jewish communities of their day. Let me share the history.
In the 18th century, the Chasidic Jewish movement formed their own communities. They decided for themselves, outside of the Jewish establishment of the day, who is to fulfill what assigned social responsibility roles. They even had their own rabbis, and their own independent beliefs. All of which undermined the long-standing established authority of the Jewish communities directly around them. They were viewed, at first, as an existential threat to the very future of the Jewish people! In enough time, this fear wore off, and they have been venerated by all theistic movements as an example of “authentic” Judaism, despite being an 18th century CE development (which only found its fullness in the 20th century “ultra-Orthodoxy” movement of modern theistic Judaism).
Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov or Besht, taught that the simple Jews cry out to pray and, though their rituals may be imperfect according to “tradition,” this crying out itself opens the gates of heaven. So, understanding this, the existential question arises: Is there even a need, at this point, to pray at established set times of the day, which is the teaching of quintessential modern “Rabbinical Judaism”? (Understand that the Chasidim are flexible on “when” it is time to engage in prayer – not on whether one should pray.)
The point being made in this teaching is that one should not feel obligated to read a prescribed text just to pray at a prescribed time, but instead have the desire to read that text so that prayer itself is actually meaningful. This reminds me of established Secular Humanistic Jewish teaching: “We say what we mean, and mean what we say” in ritual expression of authentic Jewishness. If the heavens will open for simple Jews just desiring to pray, then why won’t it open for the humanistic Jews who actively embrace Jewish ritual? Are we not all Jews, Jews of different beliefs, who are all in this history of Judaism together?
I know, some of you will balk at this very idea – you who are both piously theistic and you who are devoutly secular Jews. Let that sink in a moment. With this said, getting back to the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, the most important time for any Jew to engage in a “Jewish ritual” is when we have the sigh: “Oy, I should be doing this right now!” This, my friends, IS authentic “traditional Judaism” – beyond the institutionalized, structural version of Judaism – which the Chasidim at their founding rejected. I dare say, what we are talking about, it’s called being “Jewish”!
When the Chasidim movement began, one of the biggest complaints is that they were *not* observant of halakha. Yes, *the Chasidim*! They picked and chose their halakhah, and they saw halakha as secondary to heartfelt religious Jewish observance. To this day, the Chasidim do not observe all halakhah considered “traditional.” But, non-Orthodox Jews would consider them to *be* “traditional” religious Jews. So much, that non-Orthodox Jews – whether theistic or non-theistic – compare themselves to Chasidic practice. Let this, too, sink in for a deep moment, seriously!
I propose the following question: If your expression of Judaism is as meaningful to you as Chasidic Judaism is to the Chasid, are you not expressing Judaism as a Chasid, outside the modern structural differences, of course?
Rabbi Sherwin Theodore Wine may have founded the Birmingham Temple in 1963, the first congregation of “Humanistic Judaism.” But, I, must ask, what is actually different in his Jewish heart from Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer? Were they not both focused on the enthusiastic preservation of “Jewishness” and “Judaism” within this world? Each speaking to the neglected and ignored Jews of their historical time period?
The big concern that I have with Secular Humanistic Judaism is that this movement of Jewish authenticity will become in a hundred years like the ultra-Orthodox movements of today. (In this frame of article reference, like the modern Hasidic and Chabad forms of Judaism.) Though, without conscious effort to prevent it, this may be inevitable that secular Judaism takes the same path as the theistic Judaisms that preceded them. Yes, so rigid in its viewpoints that they cannot learn from the simple Jews, who may happen to be of theistic movements or absolutely not. In my humble opinion, this would be unfortunate.
There is a lot to be learned within all of Judaism, regardless whether we subscribe to theistic ideas, prescribed “Jewish” laws, and what not. We must see beyond the structure, and embrace the heart of being Jewish. The heart of Judaism is the Jew, and the expression of Judaism is in the community of like-minded Jews. I’ll leave this post here, on just this.
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