Re: When might a Jew enter a church?

In article <o1p6q4dp2ct7ti5a38prjols1bg5fvttfn@xxxxxxx>,
mm <mm2005@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:18:49 +0000 (UTC), sheldonlg
<sheldonlg@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Micha Berger wrote:
Don Levey <Don_SCJM@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
They why do you feel insulted? Never mind that O and R, at the least,
are not American inventions.

I think American R isn't actually a direct evolution of German R.


Yes, but with a **very** decided swing back toward tradition and the
inclusion of Hebrew (especially in the last thirty years or so). Every
R synagogue I have been to from Boston to Florida to New Mexico has been
about 50% Hebrew in the service.

This is important if the amount of Hebrew is a major part of
tradition. As someone pointed out in another thread, it's better to
pray in a language one understands than in Hebrew if one doesn't
understand it. The solution is to learn Hebrew, at least what the
prayers say.

Before I learned Hebrew, I followed the English translation
in Conservative prayer books. This can be done, and should.

Most of Jewish tradition is still gone in R, and it's not being
brought back.

Tradition is from Latin and means given across. It's not just customs
like having applesauce with latkes which are given across from one
generation to another. It's the Torah, the Talmud, all of words
written about them, the belief in the binding nature of them, Nach,
and all the other Jewish writing. R has dispensed with all of that
except the text of the Tanach.

Talmud, Midrash, etc., have not been dispensed with, but
put on a different level. They are not considered as
binding, but as the opinions of sages at the time. One
has to study and decide. Reform often quotes the Baal
Shem Tov and other Chassidim.

It is often important, even crucial, to discard traditions.
Most of the traditions in medicine at the time of Maimonides
have been discarded. The idea that the universe is only a
few thousand years old has been discarded by all but a few
diehards. Alchemy has been discarded. Much of the historical
parts before Samuel has been at least highly modified.

I don't think I would have been happy
in English speaking version of German R.

There are many in our congregation who would not mind that.

There is a wide overlap between R and C in individual practice and there
is also a wide overlap in individual practice between C and O. It is
like three bell curves next to each other with overlap. Anyway, that is
why you find movement among the denominations even though with R and O
never the twain shall meet. It is the presence of that middle ground,
C, that keeps us as one Jewish people. We need that overlap. (See, I
have something extremely positive to say about C :-) ).

Just so that the O don't feel left out :-), I found the people in the O
day school extremely nice, and we discussed things in a much friendler
tone than the early days of SCJM.

Shelly


--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: When might a Jew enter a church?
    ... are not American inventions. ... I think American R isn't actually a direct evolution of German R. ... inclusion of Hebrew. ... There is a wide overlap between R and C in individual practice and there ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: When might a Jew enter a church?
    ... inclusion of Hebrew. ... The old Reform services were almost all in English. ... like three bell curves next to each other with overlap. ... control of an extreme group of Orthodox rabbis. ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: When might a Jew enter a church?
    ... Every R synagogue I have been to from Boston to Florida to New Mexico has been about 50% Hebrew in the service. ... There is a wide overlap between R and C in individual practice and there is also a wide overlap in individual practice between C and O. It is like three bell curves next to each other with overlap. ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: The Resilience of the Conservative Movement
    ... Reform services are moving to more Hebrew. ... are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ... Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: When might a Jew enter a church?
    ... are not American inventions. ... I think American R isn't actually a direct evolution of German R. ... inclusion of Hebrew. ... There is a wide overlap between R and C in individual practice and there ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)