"And thou shalt love the Lord, thine God." (Devarim 6:5)
"This teaches that the Name of Heaven should be made beloved by your actions, that you should learn, teach and serve Torah scholars, and that his conduct in business with people should be pleasant. [If so,] what will people say about him? Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah. Fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah. Woe to those people who have not learned Torah. So-and-so who learned Torah, see how pleasant are his ways, how sweet are his deeds? About him, the verse states 'And He said to me: You are my servant, Israel, and through you I shall be glorified.' But [as for] he who does not learn, teach and serve Torah scholars, and does not conduct his business faithfully, and his speech with people is not pleasant, what do people say about him? Woe to So-and-so who learned Torah. Woe to his father who taught him Torah. Who to his teacher who taught him Torah. So-and-so who learned Torah, see how disgraceful are his deeds, and how ugly are his ways? About him, the verse states 'And they say to them, these are the people of the Lord, and from his Land they have gone out." (Yoma 86a)
Before the recent election in Israel, the National Post in Canada carried a report from Britain's Daily Telegraph indicating that the Shinui party, which ran on a single issue, would come close to finishing as the second largest party in the then-upcoming Israeli elections. What is the issue that Shinui ran on? The removal of all traces of Judaism from the State of Israel. Their platform vis-?-vis the Arabs is vague, as are their intentions regarding restoring the Israeli economy. For them, there is a single panacea to all Israel's problems: remove all aspect of religion from public life and things in the country will improve. It is disheartening to note that ultimately Shinui finished third in the election, running on a plan to nullify all that makes Israel special or different from every other country in the world, and that aims to remove the country's only reason to exist, in the name of blending in with North America and Europe. And yet, in the same article, the reason for Shinui's popularity is openly stated. Secular Israelis, for the most part, are fed up with the antics of the religious population.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party is promising special heavenly protection for those who vote for it, while the various Councils of Sages for Degel HaTorah and the Agudah crack the whip on their demographic, demanding their exclusive allegiance, all the while oblivious to the response their actions are eliciting in the 85% of the population that does not see things their way. For years now (perhaps since 1948), there has been a great cultural divide in Israel between the religious and non-religious segments of the population, but in the last decade, since Oslo, these tensions have vastly increased.
In the initial years of the State, most of the secular population recognized that they were in Israel, and that they needed Israel because they were Jews. Most could very well remember the world as it had been before 1948, when Jews could not dream of standing up to their enemies and were intimidated in every corner of the globe. Israel changed all that and thus, for many, a certain amount of Jewishness was accepted in the state. Now, however, two generations have been raised that do not know of a world without Israel. For them, they are Israeli first and then, perhaps, Jewish. And so their connection with the need for Israel to maintain its nature as a Jewish state has become increasingly irrelevant. What is more, they see it as an irritant.
Since Oslo, the secular population of the Jewish world has gravitated, almost desperately, towards the suddenly accepting Western world and its culture. I recall a friend of mine in 1995 telling me how thrilled she was that Bob Dylan was coming to Israel to play a concert. "We are on the map!" she exulted (there was no answer to why, if Bob Dylan is Jewish, did he not show his support of Israel before Oslo and appear in concert pre-1993, like Dire Straits did). In this world view, the Jewish nature of the state, and its religious defenders, have become either irrelevant or a stumbling block towards perceived cultural progress.
What is more, as the secular population has changed, it has begun asking questions: why do the religious not have to serve in the army? Why don't they have to pay taxes? Why is it that they can afford to have ten children and still dress up in expensive clothes, when we, with two children or less can barely afford to keep them clean? Why should we shoulder all the burden for them? The response from the religious world has been underwhelming. For fifty years, the answer has remained: "Our Torah study maintains the State, therefore you owe it to us to continue learning so you can continue living in this country."
In my work, I interact frequently with people who have little or no knowledge of the subject upon which they consult me. I always have two choices as to how I can answer their questions. Either I can use the language of my profession, in all its incomprehensible complexity, or I can speak in "layman's terms". Should I choose the former, I could answer a question brilliantly and get a blank stare in response. Should I choose the latter, a barely adequate answer would be received with understanding. The gemara quoted above remains extremely relevant for this period of our history. One of the roles of the religious Jewish population, as long as they remain part of a general society, is to represent Torah Judaism. And in this role they have done a lousy job. The correctness of their beliefs and positions on issues has blinded them to the fact that the secular population listens to their answers and doesn't buy one word of it. How is a chiloni (secular person) with no religious background supposed to understand the importance of Torah in the preservation of the Jewish people? He sees the IDF physically defending the borders. Telling him about the spiritual defense of the Jewish people means nothing to him. Telling him he must keep Shabbos, and he must keep kosher, because he is a Jew, means nothing to him. He does what is in his benefit, like everyone else he knows. He will not perform ritual behavior or abstain from certain activities because someone he cannot relate to tells him to.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin once stated that the way to get the secular Israelis to keep Shabbos is to make Israel adopt a two-day weekend. The brilliance of this idea cannot be understated. Israelis work long, hard work weeks, something a yeshivah bocher or avreich cannot relate to, and at the end of the week they need to relax. To then tell them that on their one day off they cannot see a movie or go to the beach is futile. But give them Friday off and suddenly you can say "See, you have a chance to relax, give Shabbos a shot as well."
This attitude should be the guiding light of all religious interaction with the secular public. Don't make people keep kosher. Make them want to keep kosher and maybe more people will. Make being Jewish something to be proud of, instead of something "you have to do." The first priority of the religious population of Eretz Yisrael must now be kiruv. It can no longer be acceptable to say, "We are right so we should not have to justify ourselves." We, as religious Jews, must make people want to love Torah and Judaism and want to return to the ways of our ancestors, not through coercion, but through positive influence.
The consequences of maintaining the current state of religious-secular interactions are obvious. This time, Shinui got 15 seats. Next time, it might be 20 or 25.
"And in the end you'll find, ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run. You missed the starting gun." (Pink Floyd)
--------------------------------------------------------
Zeke Wycinsky is a frustrated writer living in Canada, who believes that Frito-Lay chips should have a reliable hechsher.
"This teaches that the Name of Heaven should be made beloved by your actions, that you should learn, teach and serve Torah scholars, and that his conduct in business with people should be pleasant. [If so,] what will people say about him? Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah. Fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah. Woe to those people who have not learned Torah. So-and-so who learned Torah, see how pleasant are his ways, how sweet are his deeds? About him, the verse states 'And He said to me: You are my servant, Israel, and through you I shall be glorified.' But [as for] he who does not learn, teach and serve Torah scholars, and does not conduct his business faithfully, and his speech with people is not pleasant, what do people say about him? Woe to So-and-so who learned Torah. Woe to his father who taught him Torah. Who to his teacher who taught him Torah. So-and-so who learned Torah, see how disgraceful are his deeds, and how ugly are his ways? About him, the verse states 'And they say to them, these are the people of the Lord, and from his Land they have gone out." (Yoma 86a)
Before the recent election in Israel, the National Post in Canada carried a report from Britain's Daily Telegraph indicating that the Shinui party, which ran on a single issue, would come close to finishing as the second largest party in the then-upcoming Israeli elections. What is the issue that Shinui ran on? The removal of all traces of Judaism from the State of Israel. Their platform vis-?-vis the Arabs is vague, as are their intentions regarding restoring the Israeli economy. For them, there is a single panacea to all Israel's problems: remove all aspect of religion from public life and things in the country will improve. It is disheartening to note that ultimately Shinui finished third in the election, running on a plan to nullify all that makes Israel special or different from every other country in the world, and that aims to remove the country's only reason to exist, in the name of blending in with North America and Europe. And yet, in the same article, the reason for Shinui's popularity is openly stated. Secular Israelis, for the most part, are fed up with the antics of the religious population.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party is promising special heavenly protection for those who vote for it, while the various Councils of Sages for Degel HaTorah and the Agudah crack the whip on their demographic, demanding their exclusive allegiance, all the while oblivious to the response their actions are eliciting in the 85% of the population that does not see things their way. For years now (perhaps since 1948), there has been a great cultural divide in Israel between the religious and non-religious segments of the population, but in the last decade, since Oslo, these tensions have vastly increased.
In the initial years of the State, most of the secular population recognized that they were in Israel, and that they needed Israel because they were Jews. Most could very well remember the world as it had been before 1948, when Jews could not dream of standing up to their enemies and were intimidated in every corner of the globe. Israel changed all that and thus, for many, a certain amount of Jewishness was accepted in the state. Now, however, two generations have been raised that do not know of a world without Israel. For them, they are Israeli first and then, perhaps, Jewish. And so their connection with the need for Israel to maintain its nature as a Jewish state has become increasingly irrelevant. What is more, they see it as an irritant.
Since Oslo, the secular population of the Jewish world has gravitated, almost desperately, towards the suddenly accepting Western world and its culture. I recall a friend of mine in 1995 telling me how thrilled she was that Bob Dylan was coming to Israel to play a concert. "We are on the map!" she exulted (there was no answer to why, if Bob Dylan is Jewish, did he not show his support of Israel before Oslo and appear in concert pre-1993, like Dire Straits did). In this world view, the Jewish nature of the state, and its religious defenders, have become either irrelevant or a stumbling block towards perceived cultural progress.
What is more, as the secular population has changed, it has begun asking questions: why do the religious not have to serve in the army? Why don't they have to pay taxes? Why is it that they can afford to have ten children and still dress up in expensive clothes, when we, with two children or less can barely afford to keep them clean? Why should we shoulder all the burden for them? The response from the religious world has been underwhelming. For fifty years, the answer has remained: "Our Torah study maintains the State, therefore you owe it to us to continue learning so you can continue living in this country."
In my work, I interact frequently with people who have little or no knowledge of the subject upon which they consult me. I always have two choices as to how I can answer their questions. Either I can use the language of my profession, in all its incomprehensible complexity, or I can speak in "layman's terms". Should I choose the former, I could answer a question brilliantly and get a blank stare in response. Should I choose the latter, a barely adequate answer would be received with understanding. The gemara quoted above remains extremely relevant for this period of our history. One of the roles of the religious Jewish population, as long as they remain part of a general society, is to represent Torah Judaism. And in this role they have done a lousy job. The correctness of their beliefs and positions on issues has blinded them to the fact that the secular population listens to their answers and doesn't buy one word of it. How is a chiloni (secular person) with no religious background supposed to understand the importance of Torah in the preservation of the Jewish people? He sees the IDF physically defending the borders. Telling him about the spiritual defense of the Jewish people means nothing to him. Telling him he must keep Shabbos, and he must keep kosher, because he is a Jew, means nothing to him. He does what is in his benefit, like everyone else he knows. He will not perform ritual behavior or abstain from certain activities because someone he cannot relate to tells him to.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin once stated that the way to get the secular Israelis to keep Shabbos is to make Israel adopt a two-day weekend. The brilliance of this idea cannot be understated. Israelis work long, hard work weeks, something a yeshivah bocher or avreich cannot relate to, and at the end of the week they need to relax. To then tell them that on their one day off they cannot see a movie or go to the beach is futile. But give them Friday off and suddenly you can say "See, you have a chance to relax, give Shabbos a shot as well."
This attitude should be the guiding light of all religious interaction with the secular public. Don't make people keep kosher. Make them want to keep kosher and maybe more people will. Make being Jewish something to be proud of, instead of something "you have to do." The first priority of the religious population of Eretz Yisrael must now be kiruv. It can no longer be acceptable to say, "We are right so we should not have to justify ourselves." We, as religious Jews, must make people want to love Torah and Judaism and want to return to the ways of our ancestors, not through coercion, but through positive influence.
The consequences of maintaining the current state of religious-secular interactions are obvious. This time, Shinui got 15 seats. Next time, it might be 20 or 25.
"And in the end you'll find, ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run. You missed the starting gun." (Pink Floyd)
--------------------------------------------------------
Zeke Wycinsky is a frustrated writer living in Canada, who believes that Frito-Lay chips should have a reliable hechsher.