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 PrintableVersion An Introduction to JudaismWhat a surprise!AN INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM Jews have always seemed to be an integral part of the society in which I have lived. Two of my best friends at school were Jews. I lived for years with the local synagogue at the end of the garden. But when my son started dating a Jewish girl I met something unfamiliar - a Jew who did not know the meaning of the Passover! Which went to the heart of an assumption I had unwittingly made ù that Judaism today is much the same as it was when Jesus was alive. Had it changed much in the intervening 2,000 years, and if so how? The question lurked in the back of my mind and I felt no particular compulsion to find an answer. But when I saw 'An Introduction to Judaism' when browsing the shelves of the local library, I could not pass up the opportunity to find out more. What a revelation it has been to read this book by a rabbi and scholar at the University of Cambridge, published only last year. I recommend it warmly to every pastor and Bible student. The first surprise was to find that even Jews debate the most fundamental question: Who, or what, is a Jew? If, like me, you assumed that it is primarily a matter of religion, then you would be mistaken. 'There is a Jewish religion, and for very many Jews it is the focus of their lives and a strong cement binding them to other Jews. But it would be unrealistic to maintain that it is the Jewish religion that united the Jewish people. In fact the Jewish religion divides the Jewish people today, perhaps almost as much as it divides Jews from non-Jews. And even the most pious Jews would probably admit that it is not their religion that defines them as Jews. They practise the Jewish religion because they are Jews, not the other way round.' And that's on the first page. The second surprise was to find that Israel - the nation state of today - receives little attention in the book. It is not seen as the major focus of Judaism today in the way that Christians might assume. This is easier to understand when one discovers that there are more Jews living in USA than in Israel, more Jews in Los Angeles than Jerusalem, and more in New York than Tel Aviv. It is less of a surprise to learn that religious liberty in Israel is more restricted than in most Western democratic countries. Although it is a secular state 'the secular and democratic character of the state is deliberately limited with a view to protecting the position of the religious (Jewish) sector'. How strange that people who had to fight for religious liberty in other countries have so limited it within their own! But this is not primarily a political book. It covers every aspect of Jewish life today and provides a glimpse into its enormous diversity. It describes family life, synagogue worship, and Jewish theology. Anyone who asserts that 'Jews are ...' or 'Jews believe ...' would be open to challenge by this book. There are three main religious denominations in Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. Each pursues and develops distinctive expressions of the spiritual heritage of Judaism. The biblical revelation - the Old Testament - is generally accepted but is far from being the last word on an issue. The Bible itself is interpreted through the screen of the teachings of rabbis down through the centuries and may vary widely from one denomination to another. Relationship with God seems to be seen more in terms of the community than the individual. There are strands of mysticism which have recurred from time to time and have expressed beautiful and moving aspirations, as this prayer by a mediaeval Spanish poet, Judah Hallevi: O! would that I might be It was particularly surprising to find that a Jewish version of Gnosticism, a first century heresy which plagued some of the churches, is alive and well today and enjoying a resurgence through a growing interest in Kabbalah. It is attracting a list of celebrities like Madonna, Barbara Streisand and Elizabeth Taylor according to recent press reports. A sort of New Age Judaism? When it comes to Jewish beliefs about the Messiah the news is startling. De Lange quotes a self-help guide from the 1970s entitled 'How to bring Mashiah (Messiah)'. The advice given included, apparently: 'Plant a tree in Vietnam in a defoliated former forest ... This stems from the movement away from the idea that God will send the Messiah to the view that Jews have responsibility to bring Messiah. Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, has recently published a new book in which he addresses the challenge of young Jews increasingly 'marrying out'. This is clearly a time when Jews are facing major challenges to their identity. Perhaps the opportunities to introduce them to their Messiah and ours will increase, but before you wade in you will do well to understand what and who they are today. And this book will give a fascinating, if not always easy to read, entry point. David C. Potter, Reading© Evangelicals Now - August 2001 |
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