The Jew and the Gentile

Early this month, I printed out an article in the YU Commentator with the above title to read, and then got sick for a few weeks (not from printing out the article.) I finally had an opportunity to read the article this past Shabbat. I have followed the whole Noah Feldman (NF) saga off an on, and want to share a few random thoughts that occured to me while I read the article to see what you think about them.

I think that while Rabbi Lamm (RL) might sound a bit shrill (he admits so himself), he does hit the nail on the head. At first glance, Gentile Professor (GP) has totally missed the point - that is, Judaism really is the original and best universalistic religion. GP is essentially denying the divinity of Judaism, and saying that now that we are enlightened, certain attitudes about "chosenness" or whatever have got to go. Following GP's argument in favor of equality and openness might lead one to a logical conclusion that a return to a hunter-gatherer society is a step in the right direction.

GP appears to have missed the fine distinction between equality and universality. The first term implies that everyone is the same, which we clearly are not. The second term implies that people are different, and each and every individual deserves the same respect (kavod habriyot) regardless of their religion, ethnicity, color of skin, or station in life. We all are not and never will be the same, and distinction is even useful from time to time. RL recognizes this, and GP apparently does not.

Leaving RL and GP aside, the whole NF saga, in my mind, begs a larger question: How have we, as families, communities, and Klal Yisrael, failed in our mission to educate our offspring in such a way that they propogate such a fundamental misunderstanding in such a spectacular way? Were I an administrator of the school that NF attended, I might very well cringe when NF made very public comments, because the comments themselves indicate a fundamental failure in NF's Jewish education, for which I might be partly responsible.

As a matter of fact, as a father, future step-father, and amateur educator, I already do cringe. I bear a tremendous responsibility to ensure that those in my charge understand Judaism's universalist message in a way that, whatever they do in life, they are secure in the knowledge that they are Jewish and that G-d loves them even when they stray by accident, and even if they intermarry, chas v'shalom. This knowledge is important because, eventually, they will need to find their way back.

This attitude also leads to a corollary attitude - all people make mistakes, and hurt others by accident - like leaving someone out of a photograph, for example. If those in my charge know that they make accidents from time to time, and that they can find their way back, they are also likely to treat others with the same forgiving attitude.

As far as NF, GP and RL, I leave the more philosophical fine points of the argument to them. For me, I have a job to do, and I know what it is. I welcome, as always, your comments, which might help me to do that job better. Please be kind to me and to others, especially NF and GP, and explain how one might harmonize them with RL.