Jews don’t have to believe anything?

January 18, 2007 By

TorahI have heard variations of this statement many times and have heard it on the lips of many different kinds of Jewish believers — the most controversial issue in modern Judaism is God.

Then the questions begin. Do Jews have to believe in God? Is it good for Jews for believe in God? Do Jews need to believe that Judaism is true? Should they live their lives as if Judaism is true, even if, in their hearts and minds, they are not sure? Can you be a Jew and believe nothing at all? Is the only essential Jewish belief the belief that Jesus of Nazareth is not the Messiah?

You cannot cover trends in premodern, modern and postmodern Judaism without hearing all of these questions.

So I was rather surprised to pick up my local newspaper this morning — the Baltimore Sun — and read the following statement in the midst of a nice, ordinary little Metro front feature on a new trend in Jewish education in our city’s large and very influential Jewish community. The headline introduced the news hook: “Jewish teachers grapple with a big question: God.” The second deck of the headline said even more: “Jewish religious school teachers have been exploring a topic rarely covered in class: God.” The key institutions in this story are linked to the Center for Jewish Education.

Here’s the key part:

But at the request of principals of Jewish schools, the center — an agency of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore — this year has organized a series of workshops and training sessions to help teachers better express their understanding of God and spirituality. Ultimately, the center’s staff members hope that the exercises will help the instructors when students raise questions of their own.

Judaism does not require adherence to specific doctrines, said Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, the San Francisco-based author of books about Jewish spirituality. He addressed nearly 400 educators at a recent conference organized by the Jewish education center titled “Yom Iyun: Teaching G-d to Children, Teaching G-d to Ourselves.” (Some Jews avoid spelling out “God” to avoid defiling the name.)

“Unlike Christianity, Judaism is not a dogmatic spiritual tradition. You don’t have to believe anything to be a Jew,” Kushner said in an interview before the talk.

I want to stress that this story by reporter Liz F. Kay includes a lot of information about the complex nature of modern Judaism. It clearly states that the center’s work is complicated by the fact that it works with teachers from the different branches of Judaism — Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. Oh, and the “secular” Jews, too.

Still, I cannot help but think that many Jews would challenge the story’s blunt statement of fact that “Judaism does not require adherence to specific doctrines.” This is attributed to Kushner, who is a Reform leader from San Francisco, an NPR commentator and a visiting professor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif.

I kept wondering if Orthodox Jewish leaders here in Baltimore would embrace Kushner’s statement as a statement of fact or challenge it.

Is this, in fact, a clear statement of faith that can be made on behalf of the different brances of Judaism? Can you be an Orthodox Jew today and reject all belief that the Torah is inspired by God? Can you be a Conservative Jew and believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Can you be a Reform Jew today and believe that it is wrong for women and gays to serve as rabbis? Or, are there doctrines that you don’t have to believe, but you had better be quiet about it if you don’t?

I think the Sun story needed a bit more clarity here. It needed another voice to respond to Kushner.

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Filed Under: Godbeat, Judaism, World
About TMatt

Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. He writes a weekly column for the Scripps Howard News Service.

  • Jerry

    Having a Jewish background, I agree wholeheartedly with the statement that you don’t need a specific belief to be a Jew. This is not to say that subsets of Jews might have other ideas, but the grand generalization is accurate.

    I think you’re pushing to find something that is not there. Sure, if I’m in a group where the majority has different ideas than I and I challenge them, I should expect to be challenged. But that goes for secular groups as well. And, as with all groups, there are those who believe that the Torah as given by God and those that don’t.

    And there’s another issue: since being Jewish is an ethnic identity along with sometimes a religious one, there are many who identify with the ethnicity but reject the religion.

    I would also underline a key point in the story:

    Rather, actions are more important. “Christianity is a tradition of creed,” he said. “Judaism is a tradition of deed.”

    That can be underlined by one of my favorite quotes from the Jewish Hasidic tradition:

    I did not go to my zaddik (teacher) to learn Torah from him, but to watch him tie his bootlaces.

    That said, from my background, there is one unifying statement of that religious Jews ascribe to:

    Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad.
    Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

    I guess in summary that I thought that the question of differences was very well covered by the story – that they exist – and that the people involved are having a dialog about them. The violent debates and name calling that is part of Christianity today is not present in Judaism. But there also exists the feeling that Jews can find a common ground, which is different than Christianity today and *that* to me is the prime message of the story.

  • http://www.ecben.net Will

    This came up before in the discussion of gerrymandered “definitions”. Speaking as someone who literally had to live with the problem: from what I hear and see about me, it appears that Jews indeed do not have to believe anything specific, but have to NOT believe in the mission of Jesus, to the extent that it is treated as the defining characteristic (in the way that “Protestant” now means “not Catholic”).
    Thus, I hear a Sabbath-breaking storekeeper demand “How can someone who’s Jewish believe in Jesus?”… disagreeing with Them is MORE important than keeping Torah (which in turn seems to be LESS important than who your mother was.) But I never hear “How can someone who’s Jewish be an atheist/Buddhist/witch?”
    Today’s neo-pagans appear similar. There is no need to actually believe in “the gods” or anything specific about them. Anything goes, as long as it isn’t THAT. Or as one commenter from my Magicknet days put it, it seems to work out to “All gods are one god — except YHWH, Jesus and Satan.”

    Will
    “First-degree mongrel” acording to the Nuremberg Laws
    Ethnic black hole according to “the” Jews

  • Eric W

    All one has to do is read Harold S. Kushner’s To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking to realize how far Judaism has fallen from being a revealed religion whose adherents believed in its Divine origin and in a Living God Who acts in the affairs of men. Kushner’s book describes my parents’ “Judaism” (i.e., atheism in religious garb) and that of much that I came to know as “Judaism” during my upbringing in Reform and Conservative synagogues.

  • Joel

    Am I missing something? When Moses was leading his people out of Egypt or Abraham getting ready to sacrifice his son, didn’t being one of G-d’s chosen people mean believing in him?

    Leave aside for a minute the atheist Jews (cultural Jews). Of those Jews who attend synagogue, wouldn’t they be expected to believe in the G-d of the Torah, who made promises to his people? If that once true but is no longer true, when did it change? Did it change for everyone or just a subset of Reform members? Is it true worldwide or mainly in the US?

    Like tmatt, I suspect that letting Kushner speak for 4 million Jews may be presenting misleading picture. Google suggests that Kushner gets quoted a lot more than someone like Tzvi Weinreb.

    I hate to say it, but it sounds like another niche religion in the US, the Episcopalians, and the tensions over modernity vs. tradition and the primacy of millennia-old holy writing.

  • http://altreligion.about.com Jennifer Emick

    “There is no need to actually believe in “the gods” or anything specific about them. Anything goes, as long as it isn’t THAT.”

    Which doesn’t explain all those “Christian witches” out there. Also, while there are indeed quite a few agnostic or even atheist neopagans, the majority ‘ve known DO believe in God or Gods, either as individual, distinct deities, or ‘approachable’ facets of a larger whole.

  • http://technoyid.blogspot.com Izzy

    First, some clarifications.

    Kushner speaks for his own interpretation of Judaism. While over-simplifications like

    Rather, actions are more important. “Christianity is a tradition of creed,” he said. “Judaism is a tradition of deed.”

    can help to understand the differences between two religions, they cannot be used to understand either religion. One would not therefore say that Chistians do not do good deeds, just as one would not say that Jews do not have beliefs.
    Second, Judaism has several branches, each with its own sub-branches. While most make the divisions Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, according to a breakdown by theology, it might be more constructive to break it down by Philosophic, Gastronomic, and Cultural.

    Philosophic Judaism the head. It is concerned with G-d, Man, and G-d’s relationship with Man. In this category would go what we would otherwise label as Orthodox, most of Conservative, and some of Reform.

    Gastronomic Judaism is the stomach. It is concerned with the trappings of Judaism. Bagels and lox. The gaudy bar/bat mitzvah. Having a bris because Aunt Minnie would be upset if you didn’t. Naming the child Monroe after Uncle Murray who was named after Great-Grandpa Moshe.

    Cultural Judaism is the heart. It is concerned with Jews and how Jews relate to the world. Cultural Jews learn the hora and about the holocaust. They idolize Sandy Kaufax and Louis Brandeis.

    Each of these has its antagonist. Most Atheists (which are, for the most part, antitheists) reject Philosophic Judaism, finding the concept of a “greater power” to be unpalatable. Some Hareidim (the ultra-orthodox) reject Gastronomic Judaism, finding it devoid of their essential G-d-Man relationship. The baal-teshuva (one who returns to Judaism) often rejects Cultural Judaism, finding it devoid of the spirituality they seek.

    Within Philosophic Judaism are two sub-branches. Similar to political views about the constitution, there are strict constructionalists (believing that parts of the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) were given directly by G-d to Man) and the living documentarians (believing that the Torah is a wholly Man-made document). (NOTE: I am oversimplifying this a bit.)

    Strict Constructionalists do have a belief system. See Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith for a good summary. Within Judaism, failure to believe cannot be punished by Man. But, failure to act properly can be punished by Man. Thus, the over-simplification this began with. Within Philosophic Judaism, the G-d-Man bond does not have to be expressed publicly with belief, but with action. It recognizes that proper intentions improve the proper actions, but also recognizes that proper actions will lead to proper intentions.

  • http://www.uconnchurch.com/blog Ben Dubow

    Kushner is right, at least technically (and I assume most Orthodox rabbis would agree).

    “Being Jewish” is primarily defined by bloodline–if your mother is Jewish you are.

    Now being a “faithful Jew” is a whole other story.

    Christianity is different… there is no “bloodline” Christianity. On belief that leads to deed.

    The irony of course is that in actuality there are some beliefs that can get you “kicked out”. I am a Jew (and pastor) who believes Jesus is Messiah. Somehow that trumps bloodline… go figure.

  • Eric W

    Judaism without living faith in YHWH, God, haShem or however you want to name the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is like pizza without cheese, tomato sauce, and crust. It’s just an empty plate.

  • Eric W

    Judaism without a real faith in YHWH, God, G-d, haShem, or whatever you want to name the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is like pizza without the toppings, cheese, tomato sauce and crust. I.e., it’s just an empty plate.

  • http://nickdupree.blogspot.com Nick Dupree

    TMatt:

    It’s awesome to see you covering Judaism here. You’re so right that reporters don’t “get” religion. But they “get” Judaism and Islam even less than the majority faith, so I hope you give them much more ink here.

    I’m an Orthodox Jew.

    I’m shocked the Baltimore Sun doesn’t include some Orthodox viewpoints; I know Baltimore has a vibrant Orthodox community.

    There are two streams in Judaism, as I see it. There is Orthodox and all its sects, then there’s Reform / Conservative, which broke away from halacha (Jewish law) in the 19th century.

    I definitely believe faith in Hashem is essential in Judaism. And if the Torah is not from G-d, why follow it all?

    However, you’re right that atheism is more palatable to us than Jesus. We see Jesus as an idol that non-Jews worship, and that we have died for 2000 years instead of bowing to it; so we see Jews who worship Jesus as not just committing idolatry, but as betraying 2000 years of martyrs who died instead of convert. This is a VERY sensitive issue.

    Hope to see more coverage of Judaism here!

    Best,

    Nicholas

  • Eric W

    Worship of Jesus was a hard thing for me to overcome as a Jew, but once I understood and could see that creation was prelude to everything, and that when G-d made man in His image and likeness, it was to indicate that one day He would take on that image and likeness (that He may be all and in all) to complete man, so to speak, and so that man could bear the real image and likeness of God by making it now possible for God’s Spirit to dwell in flesh, and that there were foretastes and foreshadowings of this throughout the Torah – e.g., Abraham being told to offer up his son whom he loved, which meant that one day G-d would give His Son Whom He loved – the veil began to be lifted. LORD JESUS CHRIST by Larry Hurtado shows how early veneration of Jesus was so quick in coming and such a break from the Judaism His followers had known that only Jesus’s divinity and/or His followers’ belief in His divinity can account for it.

  • Dan

    Eric W’s comment reminds me of Flannery O’Connor’s comment to the effect that if the Church is not a divine institution it is no better than an Elks club. Similarly, if a Jew does not believe in God, how could it possibly be meaningful to be a Jew? Ethnic pride, standing alone, is an awfully unsatisfying thing.

  • Scott Allen

    Izzy, thank you for the detailed breakdown on different branches and definitions for what constitutes a “jewish” person.

    Nicholas, thank you as well for your honesty and enthusiasm for this Blog. I am surprised, however, that you categorize those who have persecuted jews as “christians.”
    As you know, christianity is not an ethnicity, although (as in Judaism) many people act as if it were so. True Christianity is measured by belief in the Bible. And those who have persecuted jewish people have absolutely no Biblical grounds for doing this.

    The main source of confusion has been the adulteration of christianity by the state, first by Rome (morphing in to the Roman Catholic church) and then a variety of state churches. Their aims were, and are, primarily political. A more accurate statement would be that “christendom” persecuted the jews for 1,700 years.
    Please note that I certainly do not deny that the jews have been persecuted wrongfully, viciously, and worldwide, since the days of Abraham.

  • Jeff Sharlet

    This is ridiculous! Among all of Get Religion’s readers, there are no basically informed Jews? Hell, no Christians who know the basic of Judaism? Leaving aside the Jew for Jesus above, and the oddly un-Orthodox insistence that Jewish orthodoxy requires “faith” — a distinctly Christian concept — where are the Jewish scholars?

    Kushner’s claim tracks with what I’ve always been told. And I’ve never actually been to a reform synagogue, I don’t think. First time I heard this was at a conservadox shul in Massachusetts. Rabbi asks crowd, Does G-d require that we believe in him? Everyone dutifully answers yes. Rabbi was thrilled, because that was his opening. “NO! He does not.” Etc.

  • EV

    As a Catholic at a West Los Angeles parish, I wish I had a shekel for every time I’ve heard a fellow Catholic remark, “Jews don’t believe in an afterlife,” or “Jews don’t believe in a God.” A little probing reveals that the person has received their instruction on Judaism from a Reform or Conservative rabbi that has spoken before a parish audience as part of a Catholic interfaith dialogue program. Since I have contact with the Orthodox sphere, I know traditional Judaism to be otherwise in its essence as I’m presented with ample opportunity to see that God is very present in their belief.

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  • http://presence.baltiblogs.com Greg

    Although I was not at the speech, I’m almost certain that the Sun is quoting the rabbi out of context. It is a common argument that Judaism is a religion of praxis rather than doxis, and that Jews need only adhere to a set of practices, not a set of beliefs. This is likely what the rabbi was trying to convey.

    This is not to say that this statement would not be heavily contested by members of all branches of Judaism. Certainly historically it is not true, and while an argument could be made on a fundamental level that doctrine is not essential, it’s not really conclusive, and certainly not generally accepted. But, from my understanding, there is not a direct correlation between the general role of doctrine in Judaism to it’s role in Christianity.

  • http://agrumer.livejournal.com/ Avram

    As Greg points out, Judaism stresses proper action rather than proper belief. Y’know the old faith-vs-works debate in Christianity? Judaism comes down very firmly on the works side of the argument.

    I’ve been told that according even according to strict Orthodoxy, it’s not believing that there’s no God that loses you your place in The World To Come, but saying so. A hair-splitting distinction, to be sure (as if you could expect anything else from Talmudic scholars), but it does show the difference in emphasis.