Every day for the past 15 years or so, I feel like there's always someone or something that's actively trying to push me away from Judaism
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Instead of looking at the crap that's going on in Jewish sects that have nothing to do with you, find your own path.
Whenever Zach starts going on about the latest stupidity in the Charedi world, I'll often cut him off and tell him 'we're not Charedi. What they do or say is irrelevant to us.' Same with much of North American Judaism. I'm not part of that crowd anymore and if they want to self-destruct, that's their business.
There's a concept of "Asseh Lecha Rav"... find YOUR Rabbi. Instead of shaking your head and rolling your eyes at the Rabbis you WOULDN'T follow, start looking for someone who fits you Hashkafically. Find a student of Rav Lau who is a pulpit Rabbi if you don't feel Rav Lau is approachable.
I think that first and foremost you must remember that this religion is about G-d and not rabbis. Rabbis are humans and just as prone to mistakes as anyone else. It doesn't do you any good to look at the craziness of other communities. You could bang your head against a wall forever, just reading the articles and hearing the stories.
We also have been experiencing a hole in our rabbinic guidance caused by the death of Rabbi Flom. But we're doing our best to find those to rely on, until another unique individual like Rabbi Flom comes our way.
I think after all is said and done, the accountability of your faith falls on you and you alone. You can choose to let crazy stories of charedim sway your beliefs or you can stand strong in your belief in G-d and His Torah and chalk the stories up to a world gone mad. But the choice is yours.
I can really relate to this post, although in my case it was leaving Charedi Judaism. I'm slowly incorporating Jewish practice back into my life, but I now realize that it's not black and white and there is more than one way to be a Jew.
Another voice of agreement from someone who knew and respected Rabbi Flom (funny enough I was just thinking about him this week for the first time in a while).
What other people do or believe need not have bearing on what you do- you must find the path that suits you best- in some ways reconstructionists have the right minndset.
What you need to remember is that the people and the religion in its pure form are not one and the same- people are bad representatives of God.
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Whenever Zach starts going on about the latest stupidity in the Charedi world, I'll often cut him off and tell him 'we're not Charedi. What they do or say is irrelevant to us.' Same with much of North American Judaism. I'm not part of that crowd anymore and if they want to self-destruct, that's their business.
There's a concept of "Asseh Lecha Rav"... find YOUR Rabbi. Instead of shaking your head and rolling your eyes at the Rabbis you WOULDN'T follow, start looking for someone who fits you Hashkafically. Find a student of Rav Lau who is a pulpit Rabbi if you don't feel Rav Lau is approachable.
Reply
I think that first and foremost you must remember that this religion is about G-d and not rabbis. Rabbis are humans and just as prone to mistakes as anyone else.
It doesn't do you any good to look at the craziness of other communities. You could bang your head against a wall forever, just reading the articles and hearing the stories.
We also have been experiencing a hole in our rabbinic guidance caused by the death of Rabbi Flom. But we're doing our best to find those to rely on, until another unique individual like Rabbi Flom comes our way.
I think after all is said and done, the accountability of your faith falls on you and you alone. You can choose to let crazy stories of charedim sway your beliefs or you can stand strong in your belief in G-d and His Torah and chalk the stories up to a world gone mad. But the choice is yours.
Reply
Reply
Reply
What other people do or believe need not have bearing on what you do- you must find the path that suits you best- in some ways reconstructionists have the right minndset.
What you need to remember is that the people and the religion in its pure form are not one and the same- people are bad representatives of God.
Reply
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