Mizrachi Newsletter - Parasha Eikev 5780

Heeling the Jewish World Rabbi Andrew Shaw Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK

There is a fascinating interview in the JC this week with Ronald Lauder, the World Jewish Congress president. He has helped build the Jewish community in Eastern Europe and has funded the building of schools and shuls across the continent.

His interview was wide ranging, focussed mainly on anti-Semitism and Israel, yet towards the end he made a fascinating statement.

He divides young Jews [in the US] under 40 into two groups; Orthodox and liberal. “The Orthodox are there and will stay there.” But the rest, Lauder says, with an intermarriage rate of more than 50 per cent, “view Judaism not as a religion but as a culture. I call them JINOs — Jews In Name Only. The question we have is that of education.”

Lauder’s point is even stronger when you realise outside of Orthodoxy in America, the intermarriage rate is closer to 80%.

It is a very sad but accurate portrayal of a community in crisis – and not a million miles away from where UK Jewry also may be heading. The crux of his criticism is that people are seeing Judaism as a culture not as a religion.

The opening Rashi on the parsha can explain for us the core of the issue.

The issue Rashi has is the peculiar word ‘Eikev’ that is the name of this week’s Parsha. It literally means heel, but it is translated in a number of ways ‘heed’ ‘reward’ ‘as a result’. The struggle with the translation is that it is also an interpretation of the verse – i.e. understanding why Hashem used the word Eikev.

Rashi says it powerfully: ‘If you will heed the minor commandments which one [usually] tramples with his heels (eikev)’ [i.e., which a person treats as being of minor importance].

That is the secret to the blessing of continuity – observe not just the major mitzvot – it’s about the whole package.

For thousands of years Judaism was a whole package deal. Communities thrived across countries around the globe, yes there were tremendous struggles and plenty of upheavals and persecutions but our loyalty to Torah was unwavering – there was no trampling of mitzvot as per Rashi’s commentary – the entirety were taught and observed (if relevant).

There were also some radical steps taken to preserve Torah over the centuries – the writing of the Mishna by Rav Yehuda ha Nasi in 190CE, the compiling of the Mishne Torah by the Rambam in 1180 and the codification of Jewish Law with the Shulchan Aruch in 1563 by Rav Yosef Caro.

These steps were taken by Torah giants who understood that decisions needed to be taken to make sure that Torah was being lived and observed at that time and for the future. At the time of their compilations there were detractors (especially with the Rambam) who felt that these changes were too radical and not in line with the mesorah of Torah.

Time has shown the genius and the brilliance of these scholars as well as countless others in our history who understood that unless we could see how the myriad of mitzvot are all part of one whole – the service of Hashem – then eventually we would disappear.

They made sure that there were no major and minor mitzvot – there were just mitzvot, to keep and connect to Hashem. That is how world Jewry stayed together from the destruction of the second temple till the modern era. The idea of what a Jew can and can’t do on a daily basis was a powerful reminder of our obligations and responsibilities.

However, then came freedom, the enlightenment and emancipation – and our troubles began.

The opening of the non-Jewish world to the Jewish community both in Europe and eventually the USA created challenges of identity and observance which began to erode the community. It took another Torah Giant – Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch (1810 – 1888) to rally the Torah community to understand another change was imminent to preserve the mesorah – a need to embrace Torah im Derech Eretz.

As Hirsch said: Now what is it that we want? Are the only alternatives either to abandon religion or to renounce all progress? We declare before heaven and earth that if our religion demanded that we should renounce what is called civilization and progress we would obey unquestioningly, because our religion is for us the word of God before which every other consideration has to give way. There is, however, no such dilemma. Judaism never remained aloof from true civilization and progress. In almost every area its adherents were fully abreast of contemporary learning and very often excelled their contemporaries. An excellent thing is Torah im Derech Eretz - the study of Torah combined with the ways of the world However, unlike in previous eras – Rav Hirsch was not the only option, the creation of Reform Judaism by Abraham Geiger correctly saw the need to modernise Judaism for the needs of the community but he unfortunately did that with an abandonment of the halachic system and the mesorah.

Fast forward 200 years and we see the incredible growth of Torah in America amongst Orthodox Jews who are still in the main practicing Torah im Derech Eretz which was pointed out by Lauder. They have realised, as did Rav Yehudah Ha Nasi, the Rambam, Rav Caro and Rav Hirsch that the opening of the parsha is so true: ‘This shall be the reward when you hearken to these laws and you observe and perform them. Hashem will safeguard for the you the covenant and the kindness that he swore to your forefathers. He will love you, bless you and multiply you’ (Devarim 7:12-13) In America the Orthodox community makes up just 5% of the 55 – 73 yr olds yet 27% of the under 18’s, a five-time expansion in just two generations! As Professor Steven Cohen notes ‘The overall American Jewish population size is stable and growing, but its character is shifting dramatically. The Orthodox population (Haredi, centrist, and modern) is exploding. The non-Orthodox are in sharp decline.’

Eikev is not simply a word in the Torah, or even the name of a sedra – it is the attitude and understanding we have of the nature of Torah observance and of Jewish continuity. It is the complete package. We are obligated in the mitzvot, as commanded by the Torah, explained in the Mishna and Gemara, codified in the Mishna Torah and the Shulchan Aruch. We don’t pick and choose – we understand that there is a vision, a derech, a way of life.

Here in the UK, unlike the USA, we have 70 - 75% affiliation to Orthodoxy, yes it is true that the majority are not observant, but they belong to communities that are connected to the mesorah which is why in the latest JPR data on intermarriage, the UK figures for intermarriage are much lower than the USA due in part to the predominance of Traditional Orthodoxy which is absent from America.

We hope and pray that the Jewish world will realise that Ki Heim Chayenu v orech Yammenu, it is our life and length of days – it is our past our present and our future – Torah.

That is the education that Ronald Lauder is talking about, that is the only education that works.

And that is the education that can ‘heel’ the Jewish world Shabbat Shalom Today Klal Yisrael lost a great leader – Rav Adin Steinzaltz ztl. He, like the article above – was one of those Torah giants who understood the need for change within the Mesorah, with his incredible contribution to the study of Gemara with the translation of the entire Shas, now used by thousands of Jews across the world.

May his memory be a blessing.