instead, she reimagines an as yet unapproach- and depth of will be sustained in new able Judaism that awaits refashioning in the ways by the energy and enthusiasm of the next face of new challenges and obstacles. generation — male and female — whose task Ross asks us to believe that the resilience it is to renovate the palace again. Orthodoxy, Truth, and Meir Soloveichik DAVID GELERNTER, in an essay in Com- must defend the traditional concep- mentary, has noted that the need for a concise tion of religious truth: that truth ought to be delineation of Jewish theology has never been sought and that it has been most completely greater. As he fetchingly puts it, in earlier vouchsafed to one . Such an account times, troubled Jews demanded, “I want to be must further insist on defending the argument Jewish but don’t know how; tell me.” The great that Judaism represents the ultimate truth, codes of Jewish law, including Maimonides’ that its tenets are more true than the beliefs Mishneh and the Shulhan Arukh, were of any other , and that Jewish Orthodoxy compiled in response to such questions. To- embodies a more authentic account of Judaism day, Gelernter continues, Jews disconnected than any other. from their identity have a different question: This emphasis on the often exclusive nature no longer “I want to be Jewish but don’t know of religious truth is not stressed in the writ- how; tell me,” but rather, “I want to want to ings of many prominent 20th-century Jewish be Jewish but I don’t know how.” Gelernter’s theologians. Does not every religion, Abra- point is that if more of today’s Jews are to be ham Joshua Heschel asked in No Religion is drawn to Jewish observance, then not only an Island, “maintain the claim to be true, and halakhic writings, but also theological ones is not truth exclusive?” Heschel answers that are vital; a compelling case must be made for the voice of “reaches the spirit of man in a why one ought to desire to live a Jewish life. variety of ways, in a multiplicity of languages. Over the past half century, the Jewish One truth comes to expression in many ways world has witnessed a resurgence of Jewish of understanding.” A similar version of this Orthodoxy and the emergence of what Dr. approach can be found in the worldview of the Haym Soloveitchik has called the “text culture.” theologian David Hartman. After the attacks Those already interested in living an observant of September 11, Hartman told the New York Jewish life have any number of books at their Times’ Thomas Friedman that, “All that disposal to guide them in the minutiae of the come out of the biblical tradition — Judaism, halakhah from the laws of kashrut, to Shabbat, , and — have the tendency to family purity, all concisely delineated in to believe that they have the exclusive truth.” several languages. At the same time, however, What is needed, argued Hartman, is “an ide- notwithstanding the flowering of the “text ology of pluralism,” the notion “that my faith culture,” eloquent works of Orthodox Jewish can be nurtured without claiming exclusive Meir Soloveichik is theology are few and far between. Traditional truth.” Assistant Rabbi at Judaism must build on its current success by This is an approach that Orthodoxy cannot Congregation Kehilath heeding Gelernter’s call. Decades ago, the accept. are not in any way equally Jeshurun in Manhattan Christian writer C.S. Lewis published a book true, and Judaism has never thought of itself and a doctoral fellow in entitled Mere Christianity, explaining the basic as one of many expressions of a larger truth. doctrines of the Christian faith and making the The religions that have grown in America at Princeton University. case for Christianity in a persuasive manner. have been those that have argued that they He is a contributing Though today, thankfully, Orthodox halakh- offer adherents the truth in a way that no editor of Azure, the ists abound, there is a great need for Orthodoxy one else can. C.S. Lewis was successful not journal of Jewish to produce its own C.S. Lewis, who could set only because of his gift for graceful prose, but thought published out in a clear and compelling manner the theo- also because he was willing to make the case by the Shalem Center logical tenets of Judaism. that Christianity made more sense and was in Jerusalem. Were an Orthodox theologian to compose truer than any other worldview. Similarly, the December 2005 such a book, what would be uniquely Ortho- Orthodox theologian must make the case for Tevet 5766 dox about its theology? Many things, but most the essential aspects of the Jewish : of a To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA importantly an Orthodox account of Jewish God who created the world and made man in www.shma.com 8 His image; of a Torah divinely composed and love for them. At the same time, he insists commanded; of Abraham’s children, uniquely that that Bible indicates God’s love for other loved by God, chosen as monotheistic mes- nations and that God’s sanctification of Israel sengers to humanity and as a light unto the creates familial bonds between Jews that no nations. He or she must explain why Judaism amount of disagreement can sever. For the — not Christianity and not secularism — offers Orthodox Jew, it is precisely belief in the Bible the truest approach. that underlies Orthodoxy’s insistence on the At the same time, another task falls to the inherent dignity of man, and it is the truth of Orthodox theologian: to argue that the tradi- the chosenness of Israel that binds an Ortho- tional approach to religious truth in no way dox Jew eternally to all members of the Jewish incites intolerance; that a traditional approach people. A statement of Richard John Neuhaus, to truth can serve as the foundation of a Jew’s a theologian, has great relevance to familial love for all Jews and indeed respect the proper approach of an Orthodox Jewish for all humanity. One particularly inspiring theology: “There is a very big difference be- example of this is the writings of Michael tween tolerating others because nobody has Wyschogrod, an Orthodox Jew whose writing the truth and being convinced of the truth that presents an unabashed defense of the chosen- we are to love those with whom we disagree ness of the Jewish people and God’s unique about the truth.” A Jewish Theology of Interfaith Relations Elliot N. Dorff JEWS HAVE HISTORICALLY had a frac- the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, tious and, in some cases, lethal relationship governments should neither establish a state with and, to a lesser extent, Mus- religion nor interfere with the free exercise of lims. The small percentage of Jews who lived religion — has drastically changed the context Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, in India, China, or Japan fared better in inter- for Jews’ relationships with Christians. Even PhD, is Rector and facing with the people practicing Asian reli- in the United States, it took two centuries for Distinguished Professor gions, for those are inclusive rather than ex- these principles genuinely to become part of of Philosophy at the clusive. That is, in Asia, practicing one religion American law and practice, and American University of Judaism. does not preclude someone from practicing Jews still worry about the effects of evangeli- He has been part another religion as well; in fact, in Japan it is cal Christianity on the current Administration. of the Priest-Rabbi common for people to be both Buddhists and Still, Jews and other non-Christians now enjoy Dialogue sponsored by Taoists at different times of their day or week. a level of religious freedom and nondiscrimi- the Archdiocese of Los As a result, Jews were just another religion to nation in this country truly unprecedented in Angeles and the Board add to the mix. In the West, however, Judaism, the annals of human history. The same cannot of Rabbis of Southern Christianity, and Islam all assert that affiliat- be said for Jews living in Muslim countries California since 1973, ing with one of them precludes affiliation with (with the possible exception of Turkey), for the a dialogue he has any other religion. Furthermore, significant Muslims by and large have not subjected their co-chaired since 1990. segments of each community believe that its faith to critical scholarship and do not embrace Dorff served as faculty religion is the only way that a person can ful- Enlightenment principles of individual rights advisor from 1972 to fill God’s will for humanity. That has led to and religious freedom. They instead continue 1994 to Intersem, a forceful, and sometimes legally and militarily a triumphalist stance toward all other reli- dialogue for seminary enforced, projects by the follow- gions, making anything but hostile relations students from five ers of Christianity and Islam. Judaism has re- with them hard to achieve. Despite American seminaries in Southern frained from proselytizing, in part for lack of principles, some forms of Christianity even California, and he is power and in part because, theologically, the in this country embrace the same kind of tri- Vice President of the rabbis asserted that only Jews are subject to umphalism, actively seeking to convert Jews Academy of Judaic, the full duties of God’s Covenant with Israel, to Christianity. Christian, and Islamic that God created a separate covenant with How, then, should Jews interact with Studies headquartered the children of Noah for non-Jews, and that, non-Jews, especially with the Christians and at UCLA. therefore, non-Jews need not become Jewish Muslims that we are most likely to encounter? to do what God wants of them. While we must continue to defend ourselves December 2005 The Enlightenment — with its assertion from the onslaughts of those who would do Tevet 5766 To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA that religion is a private affair and that, as in us harm, we must also revise our own Jewish www.shma.com 9