mitzvot in Conservative Judaism

[cellio]

I was recently given a photocopy of the article "Conservative Judaism in an Age of Democracy" by Rabbi Harold Kushner. (I think it came from Conservative Judaism magazine. I can't find an online copy.) This theologically-attuned Reform Jew found it a fascinating read.

Comments

Re: part 2

[cellio]

Thank you for the thoughtful comments.

Granted that I am not a typical Reform Jew, but I, like you, do feel a sense of obligation (and feel bad if I don't do something) -- that's why I said there are two factors that can play into my deciding to do a mitzvah. I do feel commanded about Shabbat, kashrut (liberal interpretation), and several other things. (I've carried a chanukiyah on a plane too.) And as you point out, the ethical mitzvot are not optional to Reform. So we have this mix of mitzvot-as-commandments and mitzvot-as-good-ideas, and that certainly muddies the water.

Does Rabbi Kushner argue that we shouldn't even learn the halacha? That would be sad. As you said, we have to know what it is before we can make decisions about it; that's what the "informed" in "informed autonomy" is all about. I have changed aspects of my observance (in both directions) after study; that study is obligatory, and one of the things we can never do enough of (c.f. eilu d'varim).

I did not mean my last paragraph as a snark or a claim that Rabbi Kushner is really Reform. I don't want other people telling me where I really belong; I don't intend to do that to others. I meant that I think his thinking would resonate quite strongly in the Reform movement, where there are people who've been thinking similar thoughts for a while, and engaging in that dialogue could be beneficial for all involved. I'm not asking him to swap out his Conservative affiliation for a Reform one -- just suggesting that we are more similar than he might think, and he shouldn't disregard us either.

(Of course, it's possile that it's really only people like me who would feel this resonance, and he really doesn't have that much in common with the average Reform Jew.)

Re: part 2

[cellio]

And as you point out, the ethical mitzvot are not optional to Reform.

Whoops. That was actually mbarr below. Sorry.

Re: part 2

[sanpaku]

I think you're right that "post-halachic" Judaism is another name for Reform or Reconstructionism. As far as learning the halacha, look at Kushner's maneuver about why we perform the mitzvot -- personal relevance supersedes an explanation grounded in history or theology. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, but then you have Kaplan's "voice not a veto" approach to halacha, ie Reconstructionism. But on some level what he's calling for is giving primacy to the personal relevance message over the obligation message; I don't see how that doesn't reduce halacha to a historical or homiletical curiosity. (And, since I spent a lot of pixels yesterday and today over why I'm not orthodox, I'll say that this is what I find impossible about Reform.)

Of course it's the very resemblance to Reform/Recon that would make Kushner resist the comparison. In the 19th century, some of the most strident antagonists of Reform Judaism were Unitarians who resented being told that they were basically Reform Jews. Deciding where you end and the other movement begins might almost be said to be the essence of religion.