Rabbi’s Message – February 9, 2023
This Sunday, I’ll be giving a Ryterband lecture around the topic of Progressive/Reform Halakhah, which to some seems an oxymoron. Halakhah is a term we use to refer to Jewish law; it stems from the root ‘to walk’ – is really a way or Jewish life, or perhaps, “the” way of Jewish life. Our North American Reform Movement, and its Progressive counterparts worldwide are often dubbed “Not Halakhic” – or those Jews who do not follow (insert dramatic gasp here!) THE Halakhah. Put in simple terms, the development of Reform Judaism has led to one of my biggest pet peeves of a phrase, “I’m Reform, I don’t have to do that.”
It’s true, to some extent. As Reform Jews, there are a plethora of traditional practices that are widely not adhered to within our ranks. Temple’s kitchen is not strictly kosher. Females read Torah for the whole community. We drive, use electricity, go shopping, and more on Shabbat. The list goes on. But it is also true that there is so much about what we do that is halakhic: the structure of our prayers, our holiday calendar, the use of Hebrew, and much more.
Thus, I would argue that Reform (or Progressive if we want to speak broader than the URJ) Halakhah not only exists, but permeates our Jewish lives more than most of us realize. The question, I think, can be phrased then either as Leon A. Morris does in the title of his article, “What do we mean when we say, ‘We are not halachic’?” (Spoiler – he poses three main meanings; you’ll hear about them on Sunday.) Or, as I have in my lecture title, What is Reform Halakhah? In Sunday’s talk, we’ll scratch the surface, but I encourage you think about how you might answer some of these questions in the meantime. And if you want a crash course on Halakhah as a general term, there is a great article from My Jewish Learning.
Join Rabbi Sobo on Sunday, February 12 at 9:45 a.m. for her Ryterband Series presentation on Jewish Law. The cost to attend is $7/person and advanced reservations are not required.