by Rabbi Noah Gradofsky, Mitch Morrison and Rabbi Gerald Sussman
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.
UTJ Vice President and Moderator of the UTJ and Friends Facebook Discussion Group raised Rabbi Zev Farber’s article, Can Orthodox Education Survive Biblical Criticism? in the Facebook discussion group. Rabbi Gradofsky wrote:
I think it is less important what we teach than that we teach it without rigidity, so that as people grow they don’t think that any contrary thoughts they have means, heaven forbid, that they are not part of our faith and our tradition.
The discussion touches upon both documentary hypothesis as well as the historical accuracy of the Torah. On the latter point, UTJ Executive Vice President Rabbi Gerald Sussman commented:
Torah comes from a different mindset than what we call history. Our ideas about history and even science would probably seem silly to ancient people. It is hard or even impossible for us to process writings that use familiar words that do not mean in the context of ancient text what they mean for us today. Words like truth, sin, God or even phrases denoting time.
UTJ Vice President Mitch Morrison struck a cautious tone, reflecting on a conversation he had with Rabbi David Weiss Halivni:
I remember asking Rav Halivni (David Weiss Halivni) about learning gemora via his Mekorot u’Mesorot. He said that before one should embrace this kind of analysis (or “criticism of the traditional method”), one should know how to learn with a minimum of Rashi and Tosefot. My fear of introducing Biblical criticism (higher level) to a primary school education is that it would become very likely that the Torah could easily be treated as a glorified history class, where God is relegated as a secondary character, God-forbid.
Read the rest of the discussion at www.facebook.com/groups/43642532993/permalink/10159694359047994/. Please join the discussion group to participate in this and other discussions of matters of interest to the Jewish community along with others who identify with the UTJ outlook or who are interested in sharing a discussion with those who do.
Enjoying UTJ Viewpoints?
UTJ relies on your support to promote an open-minded approach to Torah rooted in classical sources and informed by modern scholarship. Please consider making a generous donation to support our efforts.
Ordained by the UTJ’s Institute of Traditional Judaism in 2004, Rabbi Noah Gradofsky has remained a steadfast member, serving for years as a member of the UTJ Executive Board, the board of Morashah - UTJ's rabbinic fellowship - and as chairman of the UTJ conference committee.
Rabbi Gradofsky served as a full-time rabbi at Temple Israel in Long Beach, NY, for 6 years and has since served a number of synagogues on a contract basis. He is also a full-time practicing attorney.
Rabbi Gradofsky is also a moderator of the UTJ Facebook group, and he is a prolific writer on Jewish law and sociological topics affecting the religious Jewish community. Among his essays and writings are:
To learn more about Rabbi Gradofsky and access any essays not yet included in Viewpoints, go to: www.e-ark.net
Rabbi Gradofsky is married to Dr. Melissa Klapper and lives in the Philadelphia area.