Thursday 28 November 2013

Jewish Tribune: It's about community, not just the individual

If the only value in being Jewish is our contribution to universal, personal ethics, the question emerges: if everyone is adopting these ethics, even to our credit, what significance still exists in being distinctively Jewish? In my latest Tribune article, this is the issue I address.

Please go to http://www.jewishtribune.ca/religion/2013/11/26/its-about-community-not-just-the-individual.

Rabbi Ben Hecht

1 comment:

Rabbi Rich Wolpoe said...

Well Said
As I see it, the original mission of Israel is as a
"Mamlechet Kohanim v'Goy Kadosh"

We were originally constructed as a HOLY Society with the Mishkan/Luchot at our centre.

Sh'lomoh and the Maccabees reprised the Mishkan dedications in their respective eras.

The Bet Din Haggadol / Sanhedrin was to disseminate Torah "Kee mitzyiyon teitzei Torah" likely referred to the Lishkat Hagazit.

Caveat:
In this day and age, without a Central Sanctuary, it does stand to reason that Torah Jews should at LEAST be as moral / ethical / compassionate as any other major religious group. The Torah should not shield us from being Menschen in the best sense of the word.