The Edah Journal A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse The Mission of Edah is to express and deepen the values of Modern Orthodoxy, educating and empowering Jews to address Modern Orthodox concerns. Fully committed to Torah, halakhah, and the quest for qedushah, Edah values open intellectual inquiry and expression in both secular and religious arenas; engagement with the social, political, and technological realities of the modern world; the religious significance of the State of Israel; and the unity of Kelal Yisrael. The Edah Journal 5:1 Edah, Inc. © 2005 Tammuz 5765 The Edah Journal A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse Statement of Purpose The Edah Journal is a forum for discussion of Orthodox Judaism’s engagement with modernity. It is Edah’s conviction that such discourse is vital to nurturing the spiritual and religious experiences of Modern Orthodox Jews. Committed to the norms of halakhah and Torah, The Edah Journal is dedicated to free inquiry and will Statement of Purpose of Purpose Statement be ever mindful that, “Truth is the seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He.” Editorial Board Eugene Korn - Editor Naftali Harcsztark – Associate Editor Joel Linsider – Text Editor Moshe Halbertal (Israel) Richard Joel Norma Baumel Joseph Simcha Krauss Barry Levy Dov Linzer Tamar Ross (Israel) Directions for Submissions The Edah Journal invites submissions of original scholarly and popular essays, as well as new English translations of Hebrew works. Popular essays should be between 800-2000 words. The journal particularly welcomes halakhic, philosophic, and literary studies relating to qedushah in modern experience, the religious significance of The Edah Journal the State of Israel, Jewish ethics, emerging Torah conceptions of and opportunities for women, Talmud Torah as an intellectual and spiritual discipline, pluralism, and Judaism’s relation to gentiles and contemporary culture. The Edah Journal will publish two online editions per year, and beginning February 2005 will be available in a hard-copy edition. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent the views of Edah or the Editorial Board. Edah retains copyrights to all material published in the journal. Submissions to The Edah Journal should be sent online to [email protected], or mailed in duplicate to Editor, The Edah Journal , c/o Edah, 18 Columbia Turnpike, Florham Park, NJ 07932. Submissions must include a one paragraph abstract and one line biography of the author. Paper submissions should be accompanied by a diskette with essay in RTF, TXT or MSWORD format. Notes should appear as footnotes. Communications should be directed to the above email address. Reader responses should be sent to the editor at [email protected] for possible electronic publication at the journal’s website. Graphic Design: Erica Weisberg Web Design: SalemGlobal The Edah Journal 5:1 Edah, Inc. © 2005 Tammuz 5765 CONTENTS Introduction to the Tammuz 5765 Edition Eugene Korn Studies of Modern Orthodoxy 5765/Contents A Quantitative Profile of Modern Orthodox Jews in the New York Area Jacob B. Ukeles American Orthodoxy: Where Are We, Who Are We and Where Are We Going? Tammuz Samuel C. Heilman Articles The Price of Science without Moral Constraints: German and American Medicine before DNA and Today. Robert E. Pollack Teaching, Prophecy, and the Student Caught Between Them— On the Philosophy of Education of Rav Kook Avinoam Rosenak Continued Discussion of Agunah, Kiddushei Ta`ut and Tears of the Oppressed Daniel Sperber Responses to Michael J. Broyde Aviad Hacohen The Edah Journal Susan Aranoff Haim Toledano Susan Weiss A Response to Passionate Letters Michael J. Broyde Review Essay An Ideal Rosh Yeshiva: By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God and Leaves of Faith by Rav Aharon Lichtenstein Alan Brill Reviews Jewish Commitment in a Modern World: Rabbi Hayyim Hirschenson and His Attitude to Modernity by David Zohar Reviewed by Marc Shapiro Compassion and Halakhic Limits: Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View by Chaim Rapoport Reviewed by Daniel Rynhold The Edah Journal 5:1 Edah, Inc. © 2005 Tammuz 5765 Editor’s Introduction to the Tammuz 5765 Edition Eugene Korn Welcome to the Tammuz 5765 edition of Orthodox, and except for a narrow set of The Edah Journal. This edition contains a communities in Brooklyn, Modern number of articles that represent an Orthodox Jews are by far the vast majority extension—either formal or informal—to of Orthodox Jews in every New York City discussions of important subjects raised by community. However given the size and previous editions of the journal: the state growth of haredi school enrollment, Haredi of Modern Orthodoxy, religious education, Orthodoxy will grow much faster than resolution of the agunah problem, and the Modern Orthodoxy. challenges of halakhah in modernity. The presence of these articles testifies to The Professor Samuel Heilman notes that Edah Journal’s ability to generate systematic American Modern Orthodox Jews have and ongoing discourse around these vital succeeded in making Orthodoxy flourish issues. in many areas of American life. Orthodox is no longer “in the shadows” of American Sociologists Jack Ukeles and Samuel culture. Yet Heilman also highlights the Heilman present us with quantitative and divide between Modern and Haredi qualitative analyses of Modern Orthodoxy. Orthodoxies, and he sees Modern In numerous ways, these papers reaffirm Orthodoxy beginning to retreat from its with greater detail the general conclusions commitment to involvement in wider The Edah Journal of the sociological picture offered by pluralist culture and moving in parochial Chaim I. Waxman that appeared in edition directions. He details the causes for this 4:1, Iyar 5764. As Ukeles notes, trend, and calls for educated Modern “surprisingly little is (formally) known Orthodox laypersons to assume religious about Modern Orthodox Jews in the U.S.” and spiritual leadership in the community and these studies constitute but a that can supplement formal rabbinic beginning. His quantitative study of New authority. Lastly, to revive this decline he York Jews divides Orthodoxy between believes that parents must reclaim a greater “Modern” and “Haredi,” the defining role in the Jewish education of their distinction being that Modern Orthodox children, rather than ceding that role to Jews regard a college education as “very yeshivot and rabbis. important.” Although identity is always fluid, other defining markers appear to Prof. Robert E. Pollack analyzes how the correlate well with this criterion. science of eugenics became the devil’s Interestingly, “Centrist Orthodox” seems handmaiden when it was taken over by to be a theoretical category only, since political ideology and ultimately used to almost no Jews define themselves using support racial theories and the German this rubric. Final Solution. The post World War II The Edah Journal 5:1 revelations of DNA and the human Edah, Inc. © 2005 Tammuz 5765 Based on the above criterion, a full 64% of genome have enormous implications for New York Orthodox Jews are Modern human identity, racial theories and social social ethics. Some Jews have also conceived of published an extended discussion on the issues themselves as a unique race, biologically and raised in the book and R. Broyde’s review. R. Prof. ontologically distinct from gentile humanity. This Daniel Sperber contributes an overview to the conception seems particularly strong in traditional subject (written prior to R. Broyde’s critique), Jewish circles: Less than five years ago, Habad followed by detailed responses to R. Broyde by Dr. Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsberg of Israel stated publicly in Hacohen, Dr. Susan Aranoff, R. Haim Toledano the New York media that “Jews have different and Israeli attorney Susan Weiss. Rabbi Broyde DNA than gentiles, and that Jewish life is infinitely offers responses to his critics. more valuable than gentile life.” Subsequently, a Lakewood talmudic authority published a book Despite the passion and vehemence expressed in claiming that Jews were “in essence” good and these essays, there is substantive agreement in many gentiles were “essentially” evil. Nor is this areas. Perhaps the emotion stems more from the phenomenon confined to haredi thinking: Last year a palpable sense among many scholars of halakhic Rosh Yeshivah from a centrist Orthodox rabbinical divorce law that the present rabbinic establishment seminary lectured in a NJ synagogue, stressing entrusted to execute gitten lack sufficient empathy repeatedly that “Jews have different genes than with agunot and commitment to correct the gentiles.” Pollack maintains that recent genetic embarrassing and painful injustices flowing so often research proves conclusively that “there is nothing from the way Jewish divorce is administered today. in the human genome that can diagnose a person as a Jew.” Such racial statements are dangerous Prof. Alan Brill provides an extensive review essay ideological rhetoric, with no basis in empirical of Leaves of Faith and the religious philosophy of R. reality. Aharon Lichtenstein. Brill maintains that no one can understand contemporary Orthodoxy without Dr. Avinoam Rosenak of Jerusalem analyzes Rav understanding both the openness and limitations of Kook’s philosophy of education, indicating that R. R. Lichtenstein’s thought. Prof. Marc Shapiro Kook understood different students to have reviews Jewish Obligation and the Modern World by different spiritual and cognitive sensibilities.