Gil

I spoke with someone yesterday and the conversation has stayed with me.

He is a Rambamist, a learned student of a great scholar who passed on to his world, and someone who works tirelessly on behalf of the community, providing educational resources to audiences from underserved communities.

Yet when I mentioned that an individual with whom I am working on a joint Sepharadi publishing venture happens to be a Masorti rabbi, the gentleman took a moment to go on a tangent about how bad the Conservative movement is and how they’re no different from Reform.

I told him the topic didn’t interest me and we moved on.

But I’m still thinking about it.

Why are so many people caught up in divisive, tribalist, denominational thinking? Why are so many people caught up with purity tests and with separating Jewish people into good Jews and bad Jews? Why are so many of those convinced they’ve found truth, that makes their lives cohere, so convinced that those who disagree are not only wrong but defective? Why are so many people convinced that other Jewish people – their brothers and sisters – are not worth working with towards a common goal?

The lack of self-awareness is astounding. The lack of ahabath Yisrael is frustrating. The need for serious heshbon hanephesh is clear.

I’ve written before about the contributions I see each of the Ashkenazi denominations making to the Jewish national discourse; and it goes without saying that I appreciate the contributions of the various Sepharadi, Yemeni, and other communities to that discourse.

I will work with any Jewish person of good moral character and commitment to our Torah, regardless of whatever labels, boxes, or communities you want to stick them into. The notion of rejecting my fellow Jew out of baseless chauvinism is abhorrent.

We did not survive colonization, exile, multiple genocides, and now nearly a century of military attacks, to simply perpetuate the same profitless hatred that started the whole process in the first place.

And as Rambamists – Talmidé haRambam – Neomaimonideans – whatever we call ourselves- it should be front-most in our minds that what we need is to emulate Rambam z”l in building bridges of Torah and empathy for the lived experiences of our fellow Jews, and not in misguidedly continuing polemics against the heretics that are best left to the dustbin of history.

As we approach our day of national calamity and memorial, I pray that we learn from our mistakes instead of repeating them.

There can be only one national law

If every community splinters off into its own separate legal system, the nation is lost

So there’s gotta be a baseline, a law set down by whatever court last represented the whole nation

Beyond that baseline, communities can establish whatever customary practices and policies they want

But the settled law remains the baseline

That’s what we actually *have* to do

And any book that serves as a guide to that settled law would be pretty darn useful, like a textbook or a manual is useful

It would be the work of one person, but would reflect far more than one person’s opinion – or the practices of one community

….you vibin with all this? You’re on you’re way to becoming a neomaimonidean my friend

“If it could be proven, I would reinterpret the Torah to resolve any contradiction with it”

Bold words. Bold commitment.

Even if what we know is contingent and limited – it’s the best of what we’ve got.

Reinterpret the Torah.

I would argue that far more observant Jewish people are a small step away from Neomaimonidean thought and practice than they are aware.

If you’re sure that there’s an organic, rational, coherent, meaningful approach to Judaism somewhere out there that embraces life and questions while respecting text and law, but are drowning in a mess of reactionary superstition and groupthink – you ain’t alone.

Welcome to the party.