Megillah 28a

This past Sunday, I attended a lecture by Rabbi Avi Weiss (founder & dean of YCT, rabbi of HIR). Since I blog about Open Orthodoxy, I thought it would be an interesting experience. I also brought my oldest (young) daughter with me. I thought it would be a good learning experience for her.

Rabbi Weiss started off by singing a Carlebach niggun (melody). He sang the tune several times, encouraging audience participation. The second time he sang the tune he requested audience members to hold hands (with no qualifier) with the person sitting next to them. It was a mixed-seating audience of men and women.

I asked my daughter if anything was wrong with what Rabbi Weiss said. She informed me that it was not tznius and that men and women who are not married should not hold hands, but father and daughter like us was OK. My daughter asked me why that man was telling people to hold hands. My answer was a lengthy discussion with her on Megillah 28a that pertains to eyesight. Out of concern for her vision, my daughter wasn't sure whether to close her eyes or not.

Although trivial and possibly laughable to the non-Orthodox, from an Orthodox perspective, the hand-holding directive is unOrthodox, even in a kiruv (outreach) setting.

Most of Rabbi Weiss' lecture was focused on Israel. He also told a few stories and anecdotes. It was a packed house with approximately 70-90 middle-aged attendees. I recognized maybe five people there. The demographic of the crowd was not reflective of the local Orthodox community which is comprised of Modern Orthodox, Chareidi, Bukharian, and Lubavitch. On many occasions I have seen crossover from all those groups at minyanim and at community events. At those events, everyone is a familiar face. Kidma, the local Open Orthodox shul that Rabbi Weiss spoke at, is a pariah to the local Orthodox community as it represent left-wing halacha and hashkafa that is contrary to basic, mutually shared values of the greater Orthodox community. Kidma and its rabbi's hashkafic and halachic viewpoints have been discussed in earlier blog posts.

In my opinion, Rabbi Weiss insulted the entire local Orthodox community, as an apparent response to the shunning of his brand of Orthodox Judaism. Rabbi Weiss stated that there are Orthodox sects that are moving further to the right and "becoming more insular" and "circling the wagons". Rabbi Weiss depicted the local community as an example of this. He also stated that there are Jewish sects moving further left, such as the Conservative movement shifting towards Reform. Weiss depicted Open Orthodoxy as centrist, mainstream Orthodox Judaism.

I find it interesting that every other local Orthodox group can co-exist and interact in relative harmony with the exception of Open Orthodoxy. It appears if you don't accept the values of Open Orthodoxy, you're labelled as right-wing and insular ("closed").

On this blog, I have been critical of Kidma and its spiritual leader Rabbi Darren Kleinberg, a Yeshivat Chovevei Torah musmach. It is apparent that Rabbi Weiss disagrees with my assessment. Rabbi Weiss addressed Rabbi Kleinberg as "brilliant in Tanach and Oral Law", "best of the best [of YCT graduates]", and a "pastoral genius".

At the conclusion of the lecture there was a Q&A session. A question was asked about the inclusivity of women in religious services. Rabbi Weiss prefaced his response by stating that he operates within the confines of Orthodox Halacha. Rabbi Weiss then discussed the concept of Shira Hadasha minyanim. His response seemed to advocate this style of communal prayer, if not many aspects of it. Rabbi Weiss also said that he did not see anything halachically wrong with women leading pesukei dezimra. Whether technically correct or not, it is a significant deviation from a normative Orthodox service.

I am fascinated to know whether Rabbi Weiss' viewpoints are sanctioned and aligned with the OU and RCA. Rabbi Weiss is an RCA rabbi, and Rabbi Weiss' congregation (HIR) is an OU shul.

Batter up

I was hoping to "wind down" this blog but I heard multiple things this weekend that were very disturbing to me.

I also attended Rabbi Avi Weiss' lecture as I stated that I might in my blog post, "Free advertising for Open Orthodoxy". I'm working on a blog post about that experience. Here's a quote I heard from Rabbi Weiss that I couldn't agree with more, "There are countless examples of the mighty who have been on the wrong path who have fallen." After listening to Rabbi Weiss it is apparent that Open Orthodoxy is on the path to Shira Hadasha...falling down, falling down, falling down. Of course, Rabbi Weiss was clear to say that he only operates within the framework of Orthodox halacha.

To protect anonymity, I won't mention any names in the following two items:

The root of all evil
I was informed that an Open Orthodox rabbi showed the documentary "The Root of All Evil?" to his high school "philosophy" class. This documentary was "written and presented by [renowned atheist] Richard Dawkins, in which he argues that the world would be better off without religion. "

The school is a pluralistic Jewish high school, and the class was for seniors. When I heard this, it sent a chill through me as I reflected on the sickness of this.

I was told that a Jewish counter-view was presented and that many of the students may already be agnostic. But why, why, why would such anti-Torah material be presented to impressionable Jewish young people? We should inoculate them with Truth, not defile their minds with anti-religious rhetoric.

Young people ask lots of great questions. Questions should be answered. In a controlled forum such as a religious school, we should provide the Torah tools they need to answer those challenging questions. We shouldn't inadvertently reinforce contrary beliefs by proactively presenting heretical ideas then expect to undo the damage by rebutting them. Young people will have a lifetime of anti-religious influences to contend with.

It's your problem, not mine
Another person informed me that someone he knew contacted one of the main rabbinical leaders of Open Orthodoxy about religious concerns with a local Open Orthodox rabbi. To paraphrase, the rabbi responded back to the person, "What are the local Orthodox rabbis doing about it?" The person said to the rabbi, "What do you mean? He's one of your graduates...it's your problem!" The rabbi apparently did not think so.

Blog Guest: Response to "Construction begins on Valley's first community mikvah"

"An emerging tradition: Construction begins on Valley's first community mikvah" (Jewish News of Phoenix, 11/17/06) discusses the construction of a community mikvah in Phoenix, AZ. The article states the following about Orthodox involvement in the mikvah:

Rabbi Darren Kleinberg, spiritual leader of KiDMa - The Southwest Community,which is Modern Orthodox, explained that CBI's mikvah "stands for hope and rebirth for the Jewish community." He added that the new mikvah is expected to be built "according to halachic standards" making it "kosher" for all denominations, including those who are Orthodox.

"The fact that this mikvah will be on the campus of a Reform synagogue does not make it a Reform mikvah," he said.

Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell gave me permission to post a Letter to the Editor he sent to the Jewish News of Phoenix. Rabbi Ferrell states his concerns with Rabbi Kleinberg's involvement in the mikvah.

To the Editor:
In my opinion, any connection of Rabbi Darren Kleinberg to the new mikvah is very dismaying.

It seems to me that, in his house of worship, Talmudic law is abrogated at will. For example, the order of public prayer there does not include recital of the three Talmudic blessings through which a man thanks G-d for having been given the sanctity of a Jew and the responsibilities of Jewish manhood. [An individual man at services is allowed to say these three blessings on his own, though.] Instead, his service contains a made-up blessing. And--as I have documented in a previous Letter to the Editor--Rabbi Kleinberg's articles on the weekly Torah portion are rife with conceptions of G-d alien to Judaism.

In my opinion, he has thereby rendered himself unfit to certify the kosher status of a mikvah. And in my opinion, it is horrible that he will anyway "certify" the mikvah, because it will lead people to think it has an authentic Orthodox imprimatur.

Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell
Instructor of Talmud and Jewish Law
Passaic Torah Institute
Passaic, NJ

Mechitza magic: now you see it, now you don't

This post discusses some of Rabbi Darren Kleinberg's (Yeshivat Chovevei Torah class of 2005) views about mechitza. Foremostly, I wish to stress that his shul (Kidma) DOES have a mechitza. However, I make no assertions as to its usage or kashrus. You can see Kidma's mechitza in action at "YCT Alumnus Brings Open Orthodoxy to the Southwest" (YCT Fall 2006 newsletter, p.7).

Rabbi Kleinberg wrote an op-ed titled "Getting pluralism back on track" (8/11/2006). Here's an excerpt that implies that it's acceptable for a Jew to partake in a co-ed prayer gathering without a mechitza and without other non-negotiable Orthodox considerations:

For Jews from different segments of the community to gain a deeper understanding and therefore a deeper respect for one another, they must engage in a process of exposure to one another's experience as Jews. That includes crossing the thresholds of other denominations' houses of worship, not only for a celebration but also to pray together.

I addressed Rabbi Kleinberg’s assertions in a Letter to the Editor (8/25/2006):

Kleinberg states that we must cross "the thresholds of other denominations' houses of worship, not only for a celebration but also to pray together." However, it is against Halacha for an Orthodox Jew to pray in a synagogue with a woman cantor and without a mechitza (a divider between men and women).

For clarification of the mechitza issue, I had a brief email dialogue with Rabbi Kleinberg on 8/18/2006…

My letter to Rabbi Kleinberg:

In your recent article in Jewish News of Phoenix, you stated that we Jews must cross "...the thresholds of other denominations' houses of worship, not only for a celebration but also to pray together."

However, in an article in Forward magazine (9/20/2002), your mentor Rabbi Avi Weiss was quoted as stating: "Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, as an Orthodox institution, requires that its students daven only in synagogues with mechitzot."

Rabbi Kleinberg's Response:

Rabbi Weiss and I may well have different stands on this issue - although I believe that that statement refers specifically to regular attendance as opposed to what I was referring to.

My Response...
Via email, I said to Rabbi Kleinberg that I fail to see the difference between attending (a non-mechitza prayer service) one time or a hundred times.

Rabbi Kleinberg's Response:

In halacha we do have precedent for the idea that something can be done infrequently but should not become the regular practice. For an interesting example of this, see Rabbi Moshe Feinsteins discussion of "biah shelo c'darka" - i.e. sexual practice that deviates from the missionary position.

The reason I use this example is because it deals with an area of living in which one might expect halacha to be more rigid (compare to Catholics) - and yet R.Moshe is very broad-minded in his responsa.

So too here - the distinction between regular attendance in a non-Orthodox shul for fulfillment of one's personal prayer obligations and a more "now-and-then" attendance for the greater good of the Jewish people (if one sees it as such - of course many will not agree with me on this point either) is an important one.

An unnamed rabbi suggested that I should have titled this post, "Mechitza shelo c'darka". Or, I was thinking maybe a Shakespearean Jewish motif: "To be-ah shelo c'darka" or "Not to be-ah shelo c'darka", that is the question of mechitza.

The $64,000 question...where and how can I learn to make such fascinating Torah connections and insights?

Open Orthodox rabbis further radicalize left-wing Orthodoxy

Before Simchas Torah, I received an email that contained the following:

We [Kidma] are proud to announce that all men and women will have an opportunity to be called to the Torah on Simchat Torah.
If you have any questions regarding this, contact Rabbi Kleinberg at rabbi@kidma.org.

I contacted Rabbi Darren Kleinberg, rabbi of the Open Orthodox Kidma synagogue with following email message:

I received an email that you are offering aliyos for men and women on Simchas Torah. Per the email, I am contacting you for further information.
As a member of the Orthodox Jewish community, I am intrigued by the idea of aliyos for men and women. What will be the aliyos procedure for men and women? For example, separate Torah readings or mixed?

A general question...is this the direction that Kidma is moving in:
http://judaism.about.com/od/feminism/a/shirahadasha.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partnership_Minyan

Rabbi Kleinberg did not respond to me. I confirmed with a couple of Kidma Simchas Torah attendees that women read and were called to the Torah on the women's side of the sanctuary. Kidma has one main sanctuary separated by a mechitza. If someone would like to provide me with a detailed description, please send it to me via blog comments.

Rabbi Kleinberg distributed a hand-out, titled "Women, Torah Reading and the Dignity of the Congregation: A Halachic Analysis". It referenced Talmud, Shulchan Oruch and other sources. His source material was clearly extracted from the following sources:
- Congregational Dignity and Human Dignity - Hebrew
- Congregational Dignity and Human Dignity - English
- Qeri’at ha-Torah by Women: A Halakhic Analysis

"Women's Krias HaTorah" is only one of the non-normative Orthodox practices that Rabbi Kleinberg has instituted in his Open Orthodox congregation.

Kidma's non-normative Orthodox practices include:

• Replacing the three "shelo asani" brochos with "Se'asani Yisrael"


• Before Torah reading, a woman carries the Torah onto the women’s side of the mechitza


• The Bima is located on the men’s side of the mechitza but beyond the end-point of the mechitza


• The Baal Koreh reads the Torah facing the congregation with his back to the Aron (Ark)

Kidma's practices are not unique. It appears that Rabbi Avi Weiss' (Rabbi Kleinberg's mentor) congregration (HIR) recently had a Kallat Torah and Kallat Bereishit (presumably on Simchas Torah). This is not surprising, considering that HIR has instituted extensive Women's Tefillah.

Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky (another Rabbi Weiss protege) also has a woman carry the Torah onto the women’s side of the mechitza before his congregation's Torah reading.

Orthodox rabbis that I have spoken with believe that "Open Orthodox" synagogues will eventually become Shira Hadasha congregations/Partnership Minyanim. From what I've seen first-hand, I can't say that I disagree.

Aside from non-normative Orthodox religious practices, Rabbi Weiss proteges also profess radical left-wing hashkafa (ideology). That has been and will be addressed in future blog posts.

I find it intriguing that the Orthodox Union (HIR is an OU congregation) and the Rabbinical Council of America (contemplating YCT membership) have not yet either publicly embraced or repudiated "Open Orthodoxy" and its adherents.

Relevant links:
- Women, Simhat Torah, & Drew
- Quick Musing On Simhas Torah
- What's wrong with the women?
- Women's Prayer Groups: Rav Soloveitchik's Position
- Women and communal Torah reading - I

It's milah time!

Break out the icy cold Manishewitz, it's milah time...

Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld (protege of Rabbi Avi Weiss¹) approves of the idea of circumcising male children born to a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother:

Herzfeld approvingly cited a 19th-century rabbinic ruling concerning a case of intermarriage in America, where a man married to a non-Jewish woman had his son circumcised despite the objections of the local rabbi."Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer though the child should be circumcised, offering two arguments which should be taken seriously by the Modern Orthodox community today," explained Herzfeld. First, though the offspring is not a legal Jew, on a mystical level the child retains a Jewish element. Not only does he argue that it is a mitzva to perform that circumcision, he also states that it's a mitzva to convert that child, and implies that it's important to bring the non-Jewish child to Judaism."His second argument is much more practical. If we ever want the father to return to Judaism, the only way we can do that is to embrace the family as well. If we want to bring back the father, we have to embrace the child in communal life."Herzfeld's provocative presentation epitomized the challenges and opportunities of Modern Orthodoxy--plumbing the past to consider seemingly modern-day issues, seeking leniency in ways that accord with Jewish law and reality."Open Orthodoxy" is the term Edah program director Rabbi Bob Carroll prefers to highlight his organization's ideological position.
- Who's "Modern" It's Academic: A Conference Offers a New Definition for a Movement of "Centrists"

I have issues with Rabbi Herzfeld's "approval" of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer's psak:

• Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer's opinion was a lone dissenting opinion and not binding. Hence, one should not actively endorse Rabbi Kalischer's ruling in a way that gives the perception that a non-normative halachic viewpoint is one that is potentially acceptable in practice.


• In modern times, would Rabbi Kalischer still rule the same? During Rabbi Kalischer's time period of the 19th century, intermarriage was almost non-existent. His ruling was only applicable to a small percentage of the Jewish population. Since intermarried couples were an anomaly, his ruling would provide a way for those families to return to Judaism instead of suffering complete alienation. That is not the case today. Today, intermarriage is an accepted reality of the unaffiliated, conservative and reform Jewish population with a combined rate of 30 to over 50%, depending on the study. In today's world, Rabbi Kalischer's ruling would add fuel to the fire, giving the appearance of Orthodox acceptance of intermarriage.


• The article stated that Rabbi Herzfeld is "seeking leniency in ways that accord with Jewish law and reality." That is problematic. Rabbis should seek/provide a normative halachic leniency to alleviate reasonable hardship, not for mere convenience. Seeking a leniency for someone who made a free-will choice to intermarry, is antithetical to that ideal. Also, "seeking leniency..." implies a leap from mere approval of non-normative (yet not invalidated) rulings to actual practice. Concerning fundamental halacha/hashkafa, do attitudes like that disintegrate the undercurrent of cohesiveness between Orthodox sects?
  
• Should Orthodox Jews encourage circumcision where none is required or expected?

1 "Herzfeld, a New York native and graduate of Yeshiva University there, is the protege of Rabbi Avi Weiss, head of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, N.Y., where Herzfeld was associate rabbi for the past five years."
- A Rabbi's Unorthodox Revival The Washington Post

Intermarriage links
"The Jewish intermarriage rate in Hesse [Germany] slowly rose from under 1 percent in the early 1870s to about 3.4 percent in the first five years of the twentieth century."
- Jewish Intermarriage and Conversion in Germany and Austria
- Out-marriage
- Re-examining Intermarriage: Trends, Textures and Strategies, Bruce A. Phillips. Phillips, Bruce A. (1997)

Other relevant links
- Conversion Is Not An Outreach Strategy
- You Never Know
- Intermarriage Ask the Rabbi - Union for Reform Judaism

Kol Isha for some, not for others

Drew Kaplan (a Chovevei Torah seminary student) stated that he attended a musical performance of Pharaoh's Daughter.

Here is the chat transcript when someone questioned him about the potential transgression of Kol Isha:

Eliyahu said...
Drew, with all due respect, doesn't going to Pharaoh's Daughter violate Kol Isha?
9/25/2006 5:06 PM

Drew_Kaplan said...
Eliyahu,It all depends on one's understanding of kol isha. So, for me, Pharoah's Daughter is fine, although, for example, listening to Neshama Carlebach live is something with which I am not comfortable.

Here's an interesting continuation of that discussion in the same thread:

jdub said...
could you explain the distinction b/w Pharaoh's daughter (lead singer, Basya Schechter) and Neshama Carlebach? Not challenging, just questioning the distinction. Is it because Basya (a college classmate of mine from way back) is backed by a band? I'm not sure I understand how you draw the line.
10/04/2006 3:44 PM

Drew_Kaplan said...
JDub,It's not necessarily that Schechter is backed by a band, but in this case, it is. Such that Schechter's voice doesn't hit my ears the same way that Carlebach's does. It's about how it sounds.
10/04/2006 4:11 PM

jdub said...
so it's a subjective thing? I don't think that's exactly supportable by halacha. I personally draw a live vs. recorded distinction, which is well supportable, but I don't think the "how it sounds" has any textual support. Can you support that?10/05/2006 5:50 PM

Drew Kaplan is an Orthodox seminary student. I wonder if terse statements like his give a misguided perception of the halachos of Kol Isha.

Kol Isha halachic sources
- Sources Regarding Kol Isha
- Cherney, Ben. Kol Isha Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society 10, 57-75.
- Kol Isha by Rabbi Saul Berman