Yes, Sharon, We Are Facing a Spiritual Catastrophe

Rabbi Sharon Brous (JTA)

As we are about to enter the Yom Tov of Sukkos, I would normally just post my best wishes for a joyous Yom Tov. I do in fact want to convey those wishes to all of my readers and commentators.  I could not, however, help but notice the comments of Sharon Brous the rabbi of a heterodox synagogue in Los Angeles. Comments that stirred some serious emotions in me. Although sadly they did not surprise me at all. The following, in part, is what she said:

“What we are facing today is a spiritual catastrophe, and what is at stake is not just the future of the State of Israel, but the very soul of the Jewish people,” Rabbi Sharon Brous, leader of the independent IKAR congregation in Los Angeles, said in a Rosh Hashanah sermon.

I don’t often find myself agreeing with heterodox rabbis. But in this case, I could not agree more with Rabbi Brous. But not for the reasons she states. In fact, it is precisely the very things she stands for that are at the root of that catastrophe.

The idea that there even exists a concept of denominations in Judaism is foreign to its essence. Judaism is not a movement that responds to social evolution; Judaism is the exact opposite of that. It is the unbreakable word of God - immune to the winds of change. Yet that is precisely the hallmark of heterodox movements: they see the times changing and decide that the Torah must adapt to those changes.

That was, in fact, one of the accusations once made against Dr. Eliezer Berkovits. When I asked him about it, his understandably angry response was that he never said such a thing -  and indeed that would be Apikursus (heresy). What he did say, he explained, is that the Torah must be applied to the times, not adapted to them.

The irony that a heretical rabbi is declaring that we are facing a “spiritual catastrophe” does not escape me. The catastrophe is precisely the heterodoxy that she promotes as truth — which is, in fact, a lie. That is the real spiritual catastrophe the Jewish people face. Not the fact that Israel must defend itself against a mortal enemy — even at the cost of innocent lives — which is, tragically, the nature of war. (More about that later.)

Not to be outdone, another Apikores doubled down on her view that Judaism faces a spiritual catastrophe. Eighty-nine-year-old Ismar Schorsch, former chancellor of JTS — the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism — and a admitted believer in Bible criticism which suggests that the Torah was written by human beings, said the following:

“I think that in some ways, Judaism is at [a] critical moment. Are we going to be able to defend Judaism, which has the burden of the Chillul Hashem [desecration of God’s name] taking place on the West Bank and in Gaza? Will we be able to live with that Judaism, and if we don’t speak out now, it may be too late. This may be our final moment. In raising the ethical constraints that need to be imposed on the Israeli government, we are defending Judaism, and Judaism is going to have to survive this catastrophe. And how will we be able to live with ourselves if we were silent?”

It pains me to say this, but there are certain far left liberal rabbis and assorted personalities who identify as Orthodox that feel the same way. The fact that they somehow see the world through the same distorted lens as rabbis who openly embrace heresy like bible criticism is a sad testament to their blind faith in the media’s portrayal of Israel’s war against Hamas. And to their baseless belief that Israel’s prime minister’s sole purpose in pursuing the war over the past two years has been to retain power.

This, despite statements by opposition leaders and potential rivals for prime minister in the next election who have made it clear that the goals and tactics of the war are Israel’s — not just those of the prime minister.

I am not going to rehash for the umpteenth time why these leaders of liberal denominations  are so badly mistaken about Israel’s motives and what truly constitutes a spiritual catastrophe. What I will say is that every mainstream Orthodox rabbi — regardless of their Hashkafa — would never describe what Israel is doing now as a spiritual catastrophe. Except, perhaps, to point to these rabbis and their mistaken reasoning for saying so. Which creates the false image of catastrophe.

Of course, these heterodox rabbis are not alone. Most Jews in this country who are ignorant of their own Judaism probably feel the same way about Israel right now. But unlike them, these rabbis present themselves as spiritual leaders. Thus providing those Jews a religious imprimatur for their feelings. Not to mention giving aid and comfort to the actual enemy, the very people who are truly guilty of genocide. Which they began almost exactly two years ago to the day and had planned to continue. 

Making matters even worse is the timing of their message. Just when we are on the precipice of ending the misery of the remaining hostages, ridding the region of Hamas, and hopefully ending the war permanently. Something they surely did not believe the prime minister would ever agree to — but he has. If Hamas agrees, it will be a done deal. Add to this the refusal to recognize that Israel’s tactics against – not only Hamas, but Hezbollah, Iran, and all of their other proxies surely contributed to the deal Trump presented now under consideration (agreed to by all) - and that really shows just how clueless and biased they are.

It is so sad what has happened to the vast majority of American Jews, and I include these heterodox rabbis among them. It is not their fault. They were raised in ignorance. and in the case of these heterodox rabbis they were educated in a Judaism that does not exist! Although I am quite angry at them right now for promoting a false reason for the spiritual catastrophe they mention, I nevertheless agree that such a catastrophe exists. Only it is these very leaders who are perpetuating it — by distorting the Torah’s truth. I can only feel sorrow for them and the distorted Jewish education they received. 

As for the aforementioned Chilul HaShem - the only Chiul HaShem here is the very existence of their movements!

Chag Sameach