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lethargic_manFor me, being a Masorti Jew does not mean compromising on halacha. As in Orthodoxy, I regard Jews as bound by a precedent-based legal system that is determined and interpreted for each generation, by the leading rabbis of that generation. The difference from Orthodoxy is that I do not believe that decisions made by previous generations cannot be overruled on account of each generation not reaching the spiritual heights of the previous generation,* and therefore I expect halacha to be more open to change in the places where that change is truly needed.
* A philosophy that, though long engrained in Judaism is, not there if you go back far enough. Indeed, you can find what is effectively the legal basis of Masorti Judaism in the Mishna, if you know where to look:
Eduyos 5:1 עדיות ה א Why do they record the opinion of the individual against that of the majority, whereas the halacha may only be according to the majority? That if a court [later] approves the opinion of the individual, it may rely upon him [i.e., it may know that there is a precedent and cite it]. ולמה מזכירין דברי היחיד בין המרובין הואיל ואין הלכה אלא כדברי המרובין, שאם יראה בית דין את דברי היחיד ויסמוך עליו׃
I am aware that the Masorti movement worldwide is quite varied, and Masorti Olami is an umbrella organisation covering a variety of movements with different philosophies, but I still think of the above as being something that binds the different Masorti movements together. Even when member organisations make ruling greatly diverging from traditional halacha, as (for example) the Conservative Movement in the States did rather a lot in the 1950s, it did so as a result of a teshuva passed by its Rabbinical Assembly, i.e. in accordance with the above model, rather than as unilateral decisions make by individual rabbis.
Consequently I cannot understand how a rabbi that calls themselves Masorti can with integrity do some of the things I have seen a rabbi I am not going to here name do, such as:
- Rule that one may carry on Shabbos outside an eruv, because it is too hard to live a Jewish life without. Ahem, what about all of us who've been doing it for centuries? I think this rabbi has simply never tried doing so, or never tried for long enough to get over the initial difficulties. This is a דְאוֹרַייתָא prohibition, and therefore not one that should be dropped lightly.
- Drop the repetition of Mussaf on days in which the service is running late. The whole reason I go to shul and daven with a minyan in the first place is to be able to respond to קַדִישׁ, בָּרְכוּ and קְדוּשָה (and to be able to listen to the Torah reading). If you're running late—for which you don't have my sympathy, as you've already hacked down your service to half an hour shorter than any other right-of-Reform service I've ever come across, and you're already doing Mussaf heicha kedusha in the normal running of things—you should damn well be doing Mussaf faster, with less singing, not missing out fundamental parts of the service. If in future this remains the case after my protestations, I am damn well going to an Orthodox shul on weeeks where I know this will be the case (such as Shabbos Rosh Chodesh).
- Speak in between a בְּרָכָה and the מִצְוָה it's for, in particular give a sermon on Rosh Hashana in between the Torah service and Mussaf. Now, one could argue the מִצְוָה has been achieved by the end of the first set of shofar blasts (in which case, why does every other Orthodox and Masorti shul I have encountered keep silent until the end of the last shofar blast of all?), but I have also heard this rabbi addressing the children in between making הַמּוֹצִיא and eating the challah.
I am also not very impressed by other things in this community that are the result of the rabbi's rulings, such as the fact they never daven mincha before Kabbalas Shabbos, despite never starting less than a quarter of an hour after the advertised starting time, during pretty much the whole of which time there's a minyan, so it could be done. Schmooze after the service, to your heart's content, but the principle reason for going to shul should be davening with a minyan!
I have not yet dared raise these issues with this rabbi—as a non-member of their congregation, I don't think it's my place to—but I feel the need to have a good grouch about this here anyway and get it off my chest.
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Date: 2012-09-27 12:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-27 03:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-27 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-27 04:03 pm (UTC)The downside of putting the sermon within the Torah service is that the sifrei are out of the Ark, and it feels a bit odd to just put them down somewhere while I talk about stuff. The machzor my community use (Birnbaum) has Yizkor on YK right there between Kriat Torah and returning the scrolls, mind you, so obviously it can be done, it just feels odd. I'd need to think about getting the stage management right so that I can avoid breaking up blessings from their mitzvah but also retain reverence for the sifrei Torah.
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Date: 2012-09-27 04:23 pm (UTC)Yes; that's when it happens in most places. (Assif is unusual in having a DT before the Torah service.)
The downside of putting the sermon within the Torah service is that the sifrei are out of the Ark, and it feels a bit odd to just put them down somewhere while I talk about stuff.
Oh, I hadn't thought about that. Quite possibly in Newcastle the rabbi does give a sermon after the final shofar blasts, and for that reason. I can't really remember; I haven't been there for RH for years.
The machzor my community use (Birnbaum) has Yizkor on YK right there between Kriat Torah and returning the scrolls, mind you, so obviously it can be done, it just feels odd. I'd need to think about getting the stage management right so that I can avoid breaking up blessings from their mitzvah but also retain reverence for the sifrei Torah.
Well, consider it this way: I was once at a service, I can't remember where, where people didn't sit down when the sifer Torah was deposited on the bimah at the start of the Torah reading; so the gabbai said "The sefer Torah is resting now, so so can you." I think that goes for between the post-Haftarah blessings and whatever comes next too. Every shul I've ever come across has yizkor at that point too, on every yomtov where it occurs.
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Date: 2012-09-27 07:13 pm (UTC)A sermon is different, you'd have to pretty much just "park" the sifrei, which I don't find entirely comfortable. I do the thing you mentioned of ; that's fine if you lay the Torah on the desk so that you can read from it and people can sit down while they listen, because it still (to me) displays reverence. And people stand for Yizkor anyway, at least in my minhag, so the sitting down isn't a problem.
Reform shuls do Yizkor just before Minchah, which I find much more straightforward! But that's another thing.
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Date: 2012-09-28 08:54 am (UTC)I don't get the impression of Yizkor as particularly short; it's long enough to have a decent conversation outside! TBH, I'm not sure where the sifrei Torah are at the time; it's not something I've ever paid attention to.
I'm also getting the impression from your comments that Reform shuls only do Yizkor on YK; is this correct? In traditional services, it's on the last day of Pesach, second day of Shavuos, Yom Kippur and Shemini Atseres.
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Date: 2012-09-28 09:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-30 12:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-30 09:28 am (UTC)Eruv
Date: 2012-09-30 12:25 am (UTC)Re: Eruv
Date: 2012-10-15 06:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-30 12:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-15 06:01 pm (UTC)OTOH you are now welcome to tell me more regarding your "it is not a new thing", and try and bring me around on the subject!