Last week, we began with a discussion of Chapter 5 in To Be A Jew Today, a chapter that addresses the question of whether there is “a unifying Jewish theological worldview.” Some of us were inclined to answer that question with a “NO,” on the basis of the commonplace theory of “two Jews, three opinions.” But as Feldman implies in his title of Chapter 5, “The Struggle,” his answer is “YES.” Feldman argues that a common denominator uniting all Jews, regardless of their affilliation or lack thereof, is that all Jews “strive, struggle, and contend with God,” or, if not with God as deity, then with God’s Law/Torah. Feldman makes his point by alluding to Genesis 32:25-31, wherein a man wrestles with Jacob, who is then renamed Israel, meaning striving with God. The idea of God Wrestling does not originate with Feldman; it was central to the theology of Jewish Renewal Rabbi Arthur Waskow who authored two books with that title (Feldman does not cite Waskow) as he lays out the theory that all believing and/or non-believing Jews struggle with God and that the nature of that struggle is somehow different from the ways in which those of other faiths engage in such struggle. Feldman asserts that even Jews who fully respect divine authority are inclined to question how such authority is to be interpreted (by engaging in alternate or resistant readings of foundational texts and by exploring gaps, silences, and contradictions contained in those texts). As Feldman notes, “the Talmudic imperative is to second-guess every known truth.”
Before embarking on the second section of Feldman’s book, which focuses upon Israel and how Jews relate to it, our group spent some time sharing our earliest personal memories of being exposed to Israel (as a geographic locale, a turning point in the history of the Jews, or as a geopolitical dilemma that has resisted resolution). We then moved on to sharing various definitions of Israel and how we related to it (in light of Feldman’s assertion that Israel is considerably pertinent to how we define ourselves as Jews). We will continues this discussion of “The Idea of Israel” when we meet again this Friday.
This week, we will discuss Chapter 2 of the second part of Feldman’s book, “Israel in the Jewish Spirit” (pp. 150-182).
Our informal discussion group, which is currently in its 26th year, meets via Zoom every Friday from 12-1 (check CBI’s web site or weekly announcements for updates and a link). All are welcome to attend. Feldman’s book is available through a variety of internet book dealers. If you have questions, contact Jay Jacoby atjbjacoby@charlotte.edu.
