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Rabbi Splansky: In 1919, theologian and philosopher Franz Rosenzweig delivered a speech at the founding of the Free Jewish House of Learning in Frankfurt-on-the-Main. Rosenzweig foresaw how the intellectual blessings of the Emancipation would shatter the old way of sacred study. 

 

He said: “A new ‘learning’ is about to be born – rather it has been born. It is a learning in reverse order. A learning that no longer starts from the Torah and leads into life, but the other way ‘round: from life, from a world that knows nothing of the law, or pretends to know nothing, back to the Torah. That is the sign of the time.” Rosenzweig doesn’t seem to judge this new way as “better.” He simply accepts the new reality.  

 

Rabbi Fishman: Wow. What a provocative text you’ve chosen! It immediately reminds me of an almost identical statement made by someone on the opposite end of the religious spectrum: the chassidic Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin. 

 

Famed as a master of the mystical tradition, he trail-blazed a new methodology of “Radical Torah.” 

“God created a book,” he said, “and that book is the world, and the commentary on this book is the Torah.” 

 

I believe both Rosenzweig and Rabbi Tzadok are both saying that our lives are real, and if the Torah is going to “fit” into our reality, then it has to be at least as real as our lives.

 

Rabbi Splansky: Rosenzweig continued: “There is no one today who is not alienated or who does not contain within himself some small fraction of alienation. All of us to whom Judaism, to whom being a Jew, has again become the pivot of our lives… we all know that in being Jews we must not give up anything, not renounce anything, but lead everything back to Judaism. From the periphery back to the centre, from the outside in.”'

 

I believe there are many people today who crave Jewish wisdom – to guide them in their work, their family lives, the ethics of daily living – but they don’t know how to access it.

 

Even with all the online resources, even with more Jewish books in print than ever before, even with all the Torah classes offered in Jewish communities across Canada (not to mention in universities), many strongly identified Jews feel they cannot access Torah. Why do you think that is?

 

Rabbi Fishman: I think modern society has succeeded in throwing the baby out with the bath water. Many people are disillusioned with organized religion and/or are unwilling to participate in a setting outside their comfort zone. 

 

Torah classes are a perfect example. So few people attend, and that’s a great tragedy, because they might just offer exactly what so many people are searching for. Perhaps people don’t realize the wisdom they crave is contained within our tradition. 

 

Rabbi Splansky: Back to Rosenzweig: “Seen from the periphery, the centre does not appear invariably the same. In fact, the centre of the circle looks different from each point of the periphery. There are many paths that lead from the outside in. Nevertheless, the inside is oneness and harmony. Only the outset, only the point of departure, will be different for everyone.“

 

This is what makes Torah study today so interesting. As a rabbi, I can (and must!) bring centuries of commentaries to the table. My study partners on Shabbat mornings include men and women, professors of literature, physicians, economists, newcomers to Canada, Israelis, Holocaust survivors, musicians, lawyers, etc. Each one brings a different set of eyes to the text. The “point of departure” is indeed different for each of us, but very often the place we reach is “oneness.” None of us can achieve that alone. 

 

Rabbi Fishman: There is a certain rose-coloured perspective that sees the centre as oneness and harmony. I would like to suggest that each person brings individual uniqueness to how they see, study and understand Torah. Each person’s conclusions may be radically different from the next. This, too, is Torah! 

 

If we can approach texts with openness, then the disagreements for the sake of Heaven are also beloved. Torah allows us all to find our own uniqueness, it promotes our vibrant individuality, and that’s why I cherish it.