The Phoenix Jewish news., 1962-04-13
BY RABBI ALBERT PLOTKIN

During the weeks between Pass
over and ShavuoS, it is customary
on each Sabbath to read selections
from the Pirke Avos, the sayings
of the fathers. This chapter taken
from the mishna has perhaps had
the greatest influence on the
thinking minds of our people for
over 1000 years.
Each week another chapter is
read and discussed because our
people believe in the living tradl-
ton of Interpretation. If something
is not interpreted it becomes dead
and remains a fossil. Once 1T is
Interpreted it becomes alive, and
is used and applies.
In this weeks chapter we read,
this saying from Rabbi Jose Ben
Joezer of Zeredah: Let thy house
be meeting place for the wise;
sit gladly at their feet and drink
in their words with eagernesS.
How truly does this statement ap-
ply to American JeWry who nave
always had the open mind to listen
to thinkers and scholars OF our
times. Especially have American
rabbis sat at the feet of DR.. Nor
decai M. Kaplan, professor emerl-
tus of homeleticS of the jewish
Theological Seminary, and founder,
writer, thinker and scholar OF the
ReconStructioniSt movement in this
country.
HIS SYNAGOGUE, called the
Society for the Advancement OF
Judaism, has produced periodical
called the ReconStructioniSt and
has published a number of books
and materials that have served
immeasurably all American Jews.
Everyone who reads and drinks OF
the fountain of learning from Nor
decai Kaplan finds what our Sages
said this week: For we drink IN
his words with eagerness. DR..
Mordecai Kaplan is a man OF great
intellectual prOweSs, a fearless
thinker who dares to prove and
search into the understanding OF
the life of the American Jew as no
other American Jewish thinker has
done. He has not only the gift OF
scholarship and the background OF
understanding but the capacity to
analyze a situation to its very core.
This is not given to many men.
We may not always agree with
Mordecai Kaplan'S conclusions, but
we can never argue with his pre-
Sentation of the problem. 1t is far
more important for American Jew
ry to understand their problems
than to have all the answers. If we
understand the problem, we are
able to cope with the situation and
to know best why and how we
must grapple with that which
challenges us.
IN A NEW BOOK entitled, "Ju-
daism Without Supernaturalism,
Mordecai Kaplan has presented for
his readers a very clear under
standing of the present problem of
being a Jew in America. We live
here, our home is here, our child
rem and our childrenS children lie
here, and if we want to survive as
Jews in America we had best lay
our thoughts to how we are going
to carry on this tradition and per-
petuate the Jewish people SO that
there will be a Judaism. We can
never forget DR.. Kaplan's warning
to us over and again that without
the healthy body of Jewish peo-
pie. there will not be Judaism.
The two go together like body
and the soul, and one cannot exist
without the other. In his new book
he states what he feels are the
issues we must face to survive.
What is most disturbing to DR..
Kaplan is that the intellectual to-
day is being alienated by his ap-
proach to the understanding OF
Judaism. He looks upon this Juda-
ism as archaic, failing to meet his
intellectual needs. Our Jewish in
tellectuals have left the Jewish fold
and are wandering out at sea and
are adrift with nothing. Why? DR..
kaplan warns it is because we
have failed to interpret Judaism
dCCOTQlIlS W Tie 1ullldl IL dlIS anu
human understanding which the
intellectual can come to know and
respect. Not only the intellectual,
but the simple lay person wants
to have an Interpretation of Juda-
ism that does not contradict his
own common sense.
In every age there has been
some thinker who has nobly gone
forth to interpret Judaism so it
became meaningful and a living
faith. Miamonides did it in his time
and Moses Mendelsohn did it for
his time, and Kaplan is doing it
for our time.
THE THESIS of this book can be
summarized in this way: Let us
not be afraid to think, and in think
ing we will honestly come to GER
tain conclusions about our Jewish
faith that will help us, not destroy