In the footsteps of Rabbi Akiva

Judaism, Summer-Fall, 2005 by David G. Lerner

    Our rabbis have taught, four entered into the Pardes [Orchard]. They
    were Ben Azzai and Ben Zoma, Aher and Rabbi Akiva.[...] Ben Azzai
    cast a look and died.[...] Ben Zoma looked and became demented [...]
    Aher mutilated the shoots.[...] Rabbi Akiva departed unhurt. (1)

The Jews in twentieth-century America entered an orchard of richness and opportunity beyond anything their parents could have imagined. And with this opportunity came the same risks that the rabbis found in the ancient Pardes of esoteric, secular philosophy and divine speculation--that with the prospect of participating in secular society comes the danger of being consumed by it. The warm embrace of this great land has proved to be a powerful counter-force to tradition.

Providing a mediating approach to the tension between religion and modernity, Conservative Judaism attempted to offer an option that allowed Jews to engage fully in American society, while retaining our Jewish traditions. And for much of the twentieth century, because of the numbers of its members and synagogues, it seemed that Conservative Judaism was flourishing.

Most American Jews, however, did not choose the movement's ideology consciously; they parked in the Conservative synagogue, which came to serve as a convenient rest stop between the traditional Orthodoxy of their parents and the Reform of their children. Many were not interested in a deep engagement with Judaism--a bar mitzvah where Bubbe and Zayde felt comfortable and the pleasures of suburbia were paramount. Conservative Judaism often failed to make its best case; it did not motivate enough of its members to experience the transformative power of a religious life. In the absence of a coherent ideology and of passionate commitment, many sought alternatives. Its rabbis were taught to be "intellectual wise-guys," successfully emending texts in Hosea, (2) but somehow not as gifted in transmitting convincingly our three thousand year old faith. Conservative Judaism's marketing was poor and its institutions lacked the ability to build and sustain the movement with creativity and vision.

Today we are floundering, lacking direction, and diminishing significantly in number. We in the movement must have a serious conversation about our future direction and all the arms of the movement must have a voice in these deliberations. All too often the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is unfairly viewed as having more interest in dues collection than vision formulation. The Jewish Theological Seminary, whoever its new chancellor may be, must justify its claim to leadership of the movement by building a faculty of outstanding scholars whose concerns go beyond Wissenschaft to a continuing encounter with the movement it purports to lead.

As we study the range of positions within Conservative Judaism today, we identify two major camps. (3) One sector claims that the focus should be on the core, contending that we must strengthen our most committed members and build a halakhic movement. The other, while less monolithic, espouses more creativity and a less firm commitment to tradition.

There is no doubt that we need both of these poles: within traditional Conservative congregations, we must have multiple minyanim and different approaches to worship--through study, meditation, chanting niggunim, kri'at ha-Torah and traditional davening. We must continue to encourage Solomon Schechter Day Schools and Ramah Camps and promote the growth of groups in our congregations dedicated to serious observance of Shabbat, kashrut and tefillah. (4) And we must find new and creative ways to invite in the unaffiliated and intermarried members of our community. We must be wary of altering our approach because of social pressures to conform to what is current and popular; concern about membership retention and growth is not a principle of our faith. While we all want to be winners, in this arena the scoring is based on values, not numbers.

Amidst the declining membership figures in our movement, there is some good news. Our core is getting stronger, as is evidenced by the increase in day school students and adults engaged in serious study. Particularly striking is the fact that those who join Conservative synagogues today, usually couples in their thirties and early forties, are on the whole more observant than their parents. (5) This is the reverse of what obtained in previous generations when the typical Conservative synagogue member was less observant than her or his Orthodox-affiliated parent.

Halakhah

We must find a way to convince our members that our approach is serious about halakhah. Though the leadership continues to debate this viewpoint, (6) our movement has always placed halakhah and tradition at its center. From its inception, it has asserted that the chain of tradition leads directly from God and Moses at Sinai to our authority today; that the knowledge of Jewish history and our participation in the modern world allow us to develop a halakhic approach which can address today's issues with sensitivity and relevance.