Book review of JEWISH THEOLOGY IN OUR TIME: A new Generation Explores the Foundations and Future of Jewish Belief. by Dr. Walter Ziffer. ("Religious Skeptic")
There is no unbiased book review and this one is no exception to the rule. Although most reviewers' goal is objectivity, being human means being subjective by nature.
"Jewish Theology In Our Time," edited by Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove is a timely and overdue book whose publication I applaud. As a collection of theological essays by rabbi/scholars, I was pleasantly surprised by their honesty and courage. Although in some cases no fresh ground is plowed, the majority of the contributions is meaningful and varied.
Before I select a few excerpts from these essays for further discussion let me join the editor in his disappointment that so few orthodox rabbis accepted his invitation to make a contribution to the volume. This regrettable lacuna results in the fact that most of the writers hail more or less from the left side of the Jewish theological spectrum.
What are some of the theological views expressed in the anthology? The one that stands out and was especially interesting and surprising to me was several rabbis' treatment of halakhah. No longer is halakhah seen here as essentially Jewish law to be rigorously followed. In the words of Rabbi Eliyahu Stern (p.151), "Instead of encountering halakhah as a form of coercive state law, we ought to see it as a commandment or perhaps, more accurately, as a something that "compels" us to take seriously our surrounding, our relationships, and the moral implications of our actions." This definition, in my opinion, is simply equivalent to ethics. Somewhat similar approaches to halakhah are advocated by a few other contributors.
On the reality of God, Rabbi Daniel M. Bronstein (p.179), has this to say: "To believe in the God of our forefathers and mothers is not to believe God exists, but rather to believe in God like I believe in feminism or in Judaism as ways to perceive and ameliorate our social environment, which of course, always changes." Rabbi Marc B. Shapiro (p.118), on the other hand, writes, "The creation and sustenance of the State of Israel, against such great odds, is one of the most tangible signs of the existence of God and God's covenant with Jewry." Now, how the existence of a modern state for a short period of sixty-two years, albeit under difficult circumstances, constitutes a sign of God's existence is, with all respect to the author, somewhat of a mystery to me.
As Jewish theologian and Holocaust survivor, I am puzzled by the contributors' almost complete ignoring of the Shoah. The same Marc Shapiro (p.116), referring to Maimonides' view that the world basically functions according to nature's laws and that humans are autonomous in their acts, something he calls "naturalistic perspective," and its corollary insight that "religion no longer focuses on what God does for me," comments, "... theodicy, among other things, is no longer the burning problem it usually is for believers." I find this approach a rather cavalier dismissal of a major God-related ethical problem that has been plaguing Jewish (and Christian) theology for many centuries.
Rabbi William Pleven (p.96) in commenting Exodus 3:14, "I will be what I will be," God's divine name revealed to Moses at Sinai, quotes medieval great Torah and Talmud commentator Rashi. " 'God will be' means, God will be with God's creatures in all times and places." Pleven then continues, "God's promise to Moses, as to our ancestors before and to every Jew since, is that God is available to us when we cry out, in all our pain and degradation, and that God will be with us as we fight for justice, show loving-kindness to others, and move toward the light of redemption." A sober look at Jewish, as well as general history over the centuries sadly suggests that this promise has not been fulfilled, at least not in this world. I leave the resulting problem to the reader to cogitate over.
The above have been merely a few snippets from what the editor of the book, calls theological "snapshots" of the contributors' theological thought. Let me conclude by saying that this is a valuable book for Jews and non-Jews. It lends itself ideally to group discussion in both synagogue and church. It gives the reader insight into some new theological paths leading into the future of Jewish belief, just as the sub-title of the book suggests.This is, indeed, very worthwhile reading.
