Newsgroup: it.cultura.ebraica
Titolo: Reconstructionist Judaism

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[ Subject: Reconstructionist Judaism                                       ]
[ Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish                                           ]
[ Message-ID: <uYBCqwlo$GA.231@cpmsnbbsa03>                                ]
Reconstructionist Judaism
Introduction
     Reconstructionism was developed by Rabbis Mordecai Menahem Kaplan
(1881–1983) and Ira Eisenstein during the 1930s/40s, and formally became a
separate denomination with the foundation of the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical Seminary in 1968. "Kaplan argues that with the breakdown of
certain traditional beliefs, Jewish identity had become attenuated. Jews
remain loyal to their faith despite hardship and suffering because they
believe that adherence to Judaism assures them of salvation in the next
world. But in Kaplan's view, this is no longer credible. Consequently,
Judaism must transform itself from a civilization orientated toward the life
hereafter into one which can help Jews to attain salvation in this world.
Belief in the possibility of this salvation is crucial to Kaplan's thought.
It means the progressive improvement of the human personality and the
establishment of a free, just, and cooperative social order. Kaplan
maintains that there are adequate resources in the world and capacities in
man to achieve such salvation. He defines God as the 'power that makes for
salvation.' " ["Reconstructionism", Encyclopaedia Judaica]
Theology
 Reconstructionist theology in some ways is a variant of the naturalism of
John Dewey.  Dewey's naturalism combined atheist beliefs with religious
terminology in order to construct a religiously satisfying philosophy for
those who had lost faith in traditional religion.  Reconstructionism denies
that God is either personal or supernatural.  Rather, God is said to be the
sum of all natural processes that allow man to become self-fulfilled.
Kaplan wrote that "to believe in God means to take for granted that it is
man's destiny to rise above the brute and to eliminate all forms of violence
and exploitation from human society."  Most Reconstructionist Jews reject
traditional forms of theism, and instead define themselves as naturalists or
humanists.  These views have been criticized on the grounds that they are
actually atheism, which has only been made palatable to Jews by rewriting
the dictionary.  Thus, a minority of Reconstructionists refused to accept
Kaplan's theology, and instead affirm a theistic view of God.  Examples
include Rabbis Jacob Agus (1911-1986), Milton Steinberg (1903-1950), Arthur
Green, and Edward Feld.
Statement of beliefs and principles
 As in Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism holds that personal
autonomy has precedence over Jewish law and theology.  It does not ask that
its adherents hold to any particular beliefs, nor does it ask that halakha
be accepted as normative.  In practice, Rabbi Kaplan's books, especially
"The Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion" and "Judaism as a
Civilization" are defacto statements of principles.  In 1986, the
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) and the Federation of
Reconstructionist Congregations (FRC) passed the official "Platform on
Reconstructionism" (2 pages).  It is not a mandatory statement of
principles, but rather a consensus of current beliefs.  [FRC Newsletter,
Sept. 1986, pages D, E.]  Major points of the platform state that:
(A) Judaism is the result of natural human development.  There is no such
thing as divine intervention.
(B) Judaism is an evolving religious civilization.
(C) Zionism and aliyah are encouraged.
(D) Reconstructionist Judaism is based on a democratic community where the
laity can make decisions, not just rabbis.
(E) The Torah has nothing to do with God;  it only comes from the social and
historical development of Jewish people.
(F) The classical view of God is explicitly rejected.  God is redefined as
the sum of natural powers or processes that allows mankind to gain
self-fulfillment and moral improvement.
(G) The idea that God chose the Jewish people for any purpose, in any way,
is "morally untenable", because anyone who has such beliefs "implies the
superiority of the elect community and the rejection of others".
 Most Reconstructionists do not believe in revelation (the idea that God, in
some way, can reveal His will to man).  It is dismissed as supernaturalism.
Mordecai Kaplan instead posits a unqiue definition of this term:
"Revelation consists in disengaging from the traditional context those
elements in it which answer permanent postulates of human nature, and in
integrating them into our own ideology...the rest may be relegated to
archaeology." ("The Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion").
Halakha (Jewish law)
 Rabbi Ira Eisenstein, one of the founders of the Reconstructionist
movement, writes that "traditional halakhah covers, as we have indicated,
the entire range of human concerns. These are generally divided between
matters “between God and man” and “between man and man.” Violations in the
latter category were to be dealt with by the courts; God was to deal with
violations in the first category. From the Reconstructionist point of view
these two categories should be translated into the following equivalent
terminology; namely, matters of ritual and ritual observance on the one
hand, and interpersonal relations on the other.  With respect to the realm
of ritual and ritual observance the Reconstructionist position has been to
remove it from the category of law, recognizing the need for creativity and
latitude in ritual observance. Reconstructionists believe that by excluding
them from the category of halakhah due recognition is given to individual
preferences and tastes, to differences in environment and upbringing."
["Halakha, Reconstructionist Approach", Encyclopaedia Judaica]
     Reconstructionism does promote many traditional Jewish practices, while
also holding that personal autonomy has precedence over Jewish law.  Thus,
mitzvot (commandments) have been replaced with "folkways", non-binding
customs that can be democratically accepted or rejected by the
congregations.  Folkways that are promoted include keeping Hebrew in the
prayer service, wearing kipot (yarmulkas), tallitot and tefillin during
prayer, observance of the Jewish holidays, and keeping kosher.
The role of women in Reconstructionist Judaism is the same as that held by
Reform Judaism.  See these websites:
http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/18-03-12.html
http://www.jewish.com/askarabbi/askarabbi/askr4601.htm
Jewish identity
 Reconstructionist Judaism allows its rabbis to officiate at intermarriages,
and accepts patrilineal descent.  Children of a gentile mother are
considered Jewish; despite official policy, in many congregations this does
not matter whether or not they are raised as a Jew. [Feld]  Many
Reconstructionists consider it acceptable for an atheist to covert to
Judaism and still maintain atheism.
 
http://universitysynagogue.org/askrabbi.html#convert
 Gentiles can become full members of Reconstructionist Temples, they may
serve on Temple ritual committees, and they count as full members of the
movement.  Gentiles may sing prayers on the bima during prayer services.
The JRF has issued a non-binding statement attempting to limit the role of
gentiles in services - however these issues are ultimately decided by local
lay leadership.  [From "Can Halakha Live?" by Rabbi Edward Feld, "The
Reconstructionist", Vol.59(2), Fall 1994, p.64-72]  See this website for the
JRF suggested guidelines:
 
http://www.shamash.org/frch/rnj_press_release.html
 You can learn more about Reconstructionist Judaism, and find recommended
books, at these websites:
 
http://www.rrc.edu/reconstructionism/reconstructionism.htm
 
http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/rl/jrc-index.html
 
http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/02-06.html
---------------------------------
Personsal note:
 Many Reconstructionist Jews believe that the idea that God chose the Jewish
people for any purpose, in any way, is "morally untenable", because anyone
who has such beliefs "implies the superiority of the elect community and the
rejection of others".  This implies that all Jews who accept this tenant of
faith - Reform, Orthodox and Conservative Jews - are immoral by definition.
This is both insulting, as well as incorrect.  Readers should consult the
following web sites to inform themselves about what other Jews actually
believe on this issue.  One should especially note the second link, which
illustrates that not all Reconstructionists accept their official position.
 
http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/12-06.html
 
http://www.shamash.org/frch/adatsmd/dvarchin/max.html
Shalom,
Robert Kaiser
-- 
There's no future in time travel
ICQ67217781
http://www.lulav.it

Mi pare doveroso ringraziare Liviatan per averci fatto leggere gli articoli
scritti da 
rkai...@msn.com
 sulle diverse varieta' di Ebraismo.
Aggiungo che mi pare estremamente opportuno creare
news:soc.culture.jewish.moderated , in quanto il gruppo originale e' ormai
praticamente infrequentabile, sia per gli Ebrei che per gli ebraisti.
Ciao a tutti.
--
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