Balancing core principles of the Jewish religion

Rabbi Ammos Chorny

If anything emerged from the last year, it could be argued we had opportunities to evaluate and formulate a framework to wrestle with our Jewish identity. What brings us together as Jews? How can we chart the future for the 21st century and beyond? From its inception, Jewish religion and identity have been an amalgamation and synthesis of two core principles: peoplehood — defined as a Judaism of belonging; and practice — understood to be Judaism of becoming.

Judaism of belonging is about attachment to a people, imagining oneself a member of the community of the descendants of Abraham and those who married or joined them. Jewishness is an existential fact; it is simply who you are. Your people. Your roots. It is not a statement of belief or a reflection of commitment to laws and values. Herein, there are no better or worse Jews; there simply are Jews. Judaism is a modality of being, not of doing.

Judaism of becoming, on the other hand, maintains that to be a Jew is not simply who you are, but an expression of what you do and believe; of your commitments and what you strive to become. In this sphere, the defining moment is Sinai, where God becomes the commanding God. A Jew is an active member of a Holy Nation, a people commanded and challenged to live according to Jewish values, beliefs and traditions, “becoming” because no individual ever fully embodies all of Judaism’s principles and values, but remains embarked on a lifelong journey to aspire to become more.

For the most part, rabbis will speak in these terms when we talk about covenant, about relationships and obligations with each other, our community and God; about a search for meaning in our lives and the world. These two principles, belonging and becoming, are meant to complement and complete each other, constituting, together, the meaning of Jewishness.

Judaism is at its best when the two exist as parts of a singular larger whole. Jewish identity becomes a challenge and a problem when one tries to exist without the other or the balance is skewed.

How do we forge them together? Some suggest we focus on Jewish values, our moral compass. When congregations remain embedded in these values, being a member gives special meaning to one’s life, fostering ways to add meaning and purpose to our very existence.

Judaism brings ethics and values to the world aimed at calling to mind the imperative that, because we all have a little bit of God inside and were created in God’s image, we must treat all people fairly. We are commanded to pursue justice with compassion, caring and concern. We seek wisdom to inform our decision-making in pursuing justice, in building community and fi nding sacred purpose in our lives. We strive for social justice when political culture seems dysfunctional and the social and environmental threats to the planet grow exponentially every year.

Hillel said, “Im ein ani li, mi li? Ucheshe’ani l’atzmi mah ani?” (If I am not for myself, who am I? But if I am only for myself, what do I amount to?) Pirke Avot 1:14.

It wasn’t an either/or. It was a both/ and. The first, belonging, is particular — If I am not for myself, who am I? The second, becoming, is covenantal/universal — But if I am only for myself, what do I amount to?

We have the opportunity to find balance between them. The High Holidays invite us to write the next chapters in our stories — personal, American, Jewish and more — with pride in our unique experiences and a deep sense of what binds us all together.

Let us remember, we are at our best when we use our particular traditions to realize the fullness of our universal humanity. Shanah Tova! Rabbi Ammos Chorny serves at Beth Tikvah.