By: Nachum Lamm

Nachum Lamm — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 16:24:12 +0000

I’m afraid you’ll find most theologians will say the same. And have a point.

By: Eliezer Barzilai

Eliezer Barzilai — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 13:52:33 +0000

You are absolutely right, and clearly Ms. Horowitz is misinformed. I also very much enjoyed your story about the hot dog vendor and the bank. But by definition, Ms. Horowitz cannot be wrong. She represents the vast majority of American Jews, the secularly enlightened and religiously naive majority. We Orthodox are a small minority. So while we certainly speak knowledgeably, it doesn’t negate the reality of the ‘facts on the ground’ that Ms. Horowitz represents. Moral or religious truth is never decided by a majority vote, but if you want to talk about what Judaism holds, you probably have to take into consideration what Jews, formed by millennia of being Jewish, hold. This reminds me of what a Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut is quoted as having said: “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.” What Jews, the vast majority of the Jews, say, is by definition a valid expression of what Judaism is about. Yes, it’s inconsistent with our classic tradition. But it’s a true falsehood. It is what the Jews believe.

By: Edvallace

Edvallace — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:46:51 +0000

Very well done. YeYasher Kochachah for that. How sad that to most Jews this will come as news.

Comments on: Faith Isn’t What?!

By: Nachum Lamm

By: Eliezer Barzilai

By: Edvallace