by Doug Aronin
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
In his Times of Israel Blog article, Doug Aronin reviews the politics and opinions of two Jewish conservative political commentators, Ben Shapiro and Dennis Prager and analyzes how their perspective on Judaism relates to their political outlook.
I spend a great deal of time reading or listening to people with whom I strongly disagree. In part the reason is tactical; you can’t convincingly oppose an argument without first seeking to understand it. But there is a deeper reason as well. Only God is infallible. Human beings are inherently and unavoidably flawed. None of us should be 100 percent certain of the correctness of our positions, and we should strive, at least on important matters, to come as close to certainty as our imperfect humanity permits. The best way to do that is to expose yourself to the rational arguments of those with whom you disagree. …
Shapiro’s foundational religious views appear to fit comfortably within the spectrum of mainstream Modern Orthodoxy. That may not be readily apparent to a casual listener because, aiming for a mass audience, he makes a conscious effort to articulate his arguments in strictly secular vocabulary. He is, however, more than capable of couching an arguments in traditional Jewish terms when necessary, as he demonstrated recently in responding to criticism by Rabbi Avraham Bronstein in an article in Haaretz entitled “Why Does Ben Shapiro Sound Like a Christian Evangelical on Abortion?” He is also noticeably careful to avoid implying his participation in any activity that would violate normative Halakha when, for example, doing live reads for advertisers on his podcast. …
Prager, it appears, any provision of Halakha that he finds inconvenient is ipso facto “rabbinic” and may be casually discarded. His is a mutant strain of cafeteria Judaism, accepting those aspects of Judaism that he likes while rejecting those that are not to his taste. His positions on religious issues appear to be purely subjective; he first decides on his conclusion and then figures out how to get there. …
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Douglas Aronin is a retired attorney living in Forest Hills, Queens, who is continuing his lifelong involvement in the Jewish community.
A graduate of Columbia Law School, he practiced law for three decades (including a four-year stint with the New York State Attorney General's office) before retiring.
He served for many years as an officer of the UTJ and was a founding board member of the ITJ (Institute of Traditional Judaism) and editor-in-chief of Cornerstone 2.
Doug’s blog appears regularly on Times of Israel, where he addresses an array of political and religious subjects. His writings have also appeared in a wide range of other print and on-line forums.
Here are some of Doug's blog posts: