Orthodox Opinions: 'Core Judaism'

I am happy to resume writing these blogs, representing, to the extent that I am able, the viewpoint of Orthodox Judaism on many aspects of contemporary life. In my earlier blogs I shared with the readers my discomfort with the word "Orthodoxy" and my preference for what I call "core Judaism".  I outlined quite a few components of core Judaism, and today would like to describe another such component.

And that component is Jerusalem. For the Jew, Jerusalem is not merely a city, a capital city, a historic city. It is also a sacred city and the city itself plays a role in our religious life in countless ways. These ways include the fact that wherever we are we face Jerusalem in prayer. We include Jerusalem in our three times a day prayers, and we pray for it to be rebuilt in the grace we recite after meals. The very word Jerusalem consists of two root words: Yirah and Shalom, awe and peace.

• Conservative Currents: What is Conservative Judaism?
• Reform Reflections: Nouns and adjectives 

As such, the word Jerusalem encapsulates two features of our religion: a sense of awe for the Divine, Yirat Shamayim, fear of heaven, which is a primary religious sensitivity; and shalom, peace, which is our constant objective in all of our relationships, interpersonal and international.

We are also enjoined by the Torah to visit the city of Jerusalem three times a year: Passover, Shavuot, and Succot. For the past several years I have tried to spend Succot, and lately Shavuot too, in Israel. I would like to tell you a bit about my recent two weeks in Israel, over the Succot holiday, and how my experiences there relate to "core" Jewish values.

The most outstanding feature of my sojourn in Jerusalem this year was the company I kept. First of all, I mean the quantity of that company. Jerusalem was thronged, the hotels were full, the taxis were busy, traffic was impassable. I recall no larger crowd than the crowd at the Birkat Cohanim by the Kotel, the blessing of the Priests at the Western Wall,  that was there this year. Just being part of such a large number of people who shared one thing for sure, namely a reverence fro Jerusalem, was spiritually very uplifting.

But the "quality" of the large number of "tourists" was even more dramatic. The variety and diversity of people who fill the streets, the parks, the malls, and the Holy sites, was astounding. They included Jews and non-Jews, religiously observant Jews and patently secular ones, young and old, Israelis and travelers from every corner of the Diaspora. The power of Jerusalem to unite people, hinted at in the Bible itself, was apparent and tangible. As I walked the streets I found myself less in touch with my individuality, and more in touch with myself as a member of a large collective, far larger than my own religious circle, even far larger than my own Jewish people.

I was especially moved by the parade of the Evangelical Christians through the streets of Jerusalem during the Intermediate Days of Succot. The genuine faith that these people have, the beliefs that they share with us, only one of which is the sanctity of Jerusalem and its connection to the Jewish people, was so encouraging in these days of faithlessnesses and anti-Israel sentiment. I spoke to many of these individuals, and was struck by their friendliness, their sincere love for Jews, and their appreciation of our history and scripture, an appreciation which is sadly lacking in many of our own people.

I so enjoyed attending one particular synagogue for almost all of the prayers That synagogue, the Yeshurun Synagogues in the heart of Jerusalem, has been there for almost a century, and remains to this day a vibrant example of a place where one can enjoy a highly musical and spiritual service, revering minhagim and tradition, while allowing for innovative "spins" on the prayer melodies that enchant and inspire.

I also visited some of the Chassidic courts, and the huge number of people who participate in them. A heightened sense of connection to our history, and a deepened sense of the spiritual attractiveness of our religion, can best be achieved at these courts. And the welcoming attitudes of the Chassidim, especially to Jews who on the surface look so different from them is also very encouraging.

I hope to return to the topic of Jerusalem and its place in our core in future blogs, but wanted to share, if only partially, some of my own experiences there this past Succot. I thought that this would be the best way to re-introduce myself to this readership, and thus to resume the JPost Blog.