"Why are Jews Liberals?" by Norman Podhoretz

In his book, Why are Jews Liberals?, Norman Podhoretz tries to answer the aforementioned age old question. His initial question is from an economic standpoint. In general, Jews in the US are middle to upper class, a demographic that is frequently conservative, yet Jews are primarily liberal. Right away it is clear that Podhoretz is not asking about individual Jews being liberal; rather, he is curious and concerned about the overall trend. Before I opened the book, i had the same question, but asked it from a different angle. Judaism, specifically Orthodoxy, i a religion based on reverence for tradition. Although Orthodoxy is willing to change when necessary, it seems weird that most Orthodox Jews would want to have the opposite mindset in politics that they have for practicing religion.
Podhoretz actually acknowledges my question, but uses the point to explain why they are liberal. Throughout history, going as far back as the Middle Ages, the Right, more specifically the Christian Right, was consistently antagonistic towards the Jewish people. Jews were persecuted, and their only way to be protected was to go through the embarrassing ritual of conversion. When the Enlightenment and then Marxism came along the Left finally gave Jews a way to be shielded without converting. All that Jews would have to do would be to get rid of the rituals that made them different. Eventually Reform Judaism came about to try and fulfill this need to be part of the "reason"able society. Podhoretz gives an interesting point here that although Jews thought they had found away not to convert  they really hadn't. They found a way not to convert to Christianity, but they had to convert to the religion of reason instead.
Always seeing the Right as religious, and therefore anti-Jewish, in nature, Jews continued to be liberal after immigrating to America. This continued both from a conceived anti-semitism from the Right and the perceived acceptance from the Left, epitomized in FDR's tenures in office. In this way there had been a tradition for a very long time to hold onto liberalism.
Podhoretz then goes through recent Presidential elections showing the overwhelming support for the Democratic candidate, to a large extent irrelevant of the candidate's attitudes towards issues that relate to Jews, primarily Israel. Podhoretz laments that even though things have changed and there are significantly more proponents of Israel and other Jewish causes on the Right than there are on the Left, Jews continue to vote as liberals. In order to explain this Podhoretz rejects the traditional view of history, that Jews have historically been liberals so they continue to be so because liberalism has changed dramatically in recent years as has the entire political climate. All other demographics have changed why haven't Jews. Another answer he rejects is that liberalism has the Jewish value of tzedakah. While this may be true, the Torah and Rabbinic texts do not take any stance on political matters as they pertain to America today.
The answer Podhoretz comes to is striking. Many Jews have "converted" to liberalism, so much so that  “where the Torah of contemporary liberalism conflicts with the Torah of Judaism, it is the Torah of liberalism that prevails and the Torah of Judaism that must give way.” While he bemoans this, I certainly hope that it is not true, and scared if it is. Just to be clear, I am not making no statement about any specific Jewish voters. However, I sincerely hope that whenever we, as thinking educated people, can determine the candidate that is best for Jewish issues, specifically Israel. I am scared to think that many Jews have predetermined their votes towards either candidate, based on party, without knowing how they will treat our own people. Certainly, other issues are very important, but it is due to the fact that we have always treated each generation like it could be the Jewish people's last that we have survived for so many centuries. To ignore the needs of our own people in the name of liberalism,or any other political philosophy for that matter, is not only foolish but destructive. 

The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty by Buster Olney

    The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty is much more than about that seminal night in 2001 when Louis Gonzalez stunned the Yankees and the baseball world by blooping a ball into center field to win the World Series. Throughout the book, Buster Olney uses the pivotal game to frame the entire story of the Yankee dynasty leading up to 2001 and what happened after it.
    While it may be painful for Yankee fans (but fun for Yankee haters) Olney gives great insight into the dynasty, and the people that made it. His many years as a Yankee beat writer enables him to gives deep insight into Steinbrenner's money usage, Paul O'neil's passion, Jeter's consistency, Clemens' brashness, and Torre's professionalism. Olney's basic thesis is that when Steinbrenner stopped just throwing money at the team, but did so thoughtfully, getting the right players with the right drive, he was able to build the dynasty. After losing to the Dimondbacks, Steinbrenner went back to his old ways and spent money with abandon leading to a decade long drought of championships that only recently ended despite invariably having the highest payroll in baseball.
    There were three traits that seem to regularly be part of the players in the dynasty which Olney describes: passion, work ethic, and goal driven. While these three traits manifested themselves in different ways with different players, everyone had passion for the game, a drive to always get better, and was in it for the team and not for their wallet. It was these traits and others that enabled the Yankees, as a team, to win a string of championships. When these virtues were gone, specifically the third one, that excellence was gone. While this is true for baseball, it is certainly true of just about everything else. Think about the best teachers, Rabbis, and doctors you've encountered. These certainly apply to them as much if not more than those Yankees. In his beautifully crafted tale of that fateful night Olney, not only gives us great insight to what makes a good team, but also what makes someone elite at anything.

The Case For Israel By Alan Dershowitz

Rather than reviewing this one, I just have a couple points to make.

• This one should be on EVERYONE'S reading list. Dershowitz goes through 32 different claims that opponents of Israel make. He definitely is willing to criticize Israel but shows how Israel has consistently been one of the most moral countries in the ; even while being put in harder circumstances.  Other than citing great facts to know and us, Dershowitz writes a profound argument for Israel that anyone who says they are a supporter of Israel should know. 
• Other than being wildly valuable, it was also a great read. I read it in a day and a half because I just couldn't put it down. 
• After I finished the book,  I felt like I had a great argument for Israel, but it was almost too great. If the situation in the Middle East is such and open and shut case, then why are people so defiant otherwise? So I looked up reviews of the book. As with the issue at hand, it seemed like all the reviews were extremely positive or negative, and nothing in between. It seems that whichever side of the issue you are that viewpoint makes you look at the facts with completely different eyes that read every event differently. I can think of no other argument where each side completely reads every part of it in a different way. What is it about Israel that does this? 
• Whatever it is, it makes peace look distant. In order to achieve it, a paradigm shift must be made by one or possibly both parties. I hope to a time where that can come to fruition.

Have a chag kasher sameach and if you have some free time during Chol Hamoed, I would definitely pick this one up. Someone you know has it, it was a NY times bestseller.

"Exclusion and Hierarchy" by Adam S. Ferziger

       For centuries, Judaism was considered one group that kept faithful to the traditions of the Pharisees, the holders of Rabbinic Judaism (other than the Karaites).  With the advent of Reform and the Sabbateans, deemed deviant sects by traditional Jews, more and more Jews were willing to leave the traditional fold. When one person left normative Judaism, the response was easy. Cherem, the separation of the individual from the group, was an effective method to make sure people did not leave normative ways. When flocks of Jews were leaving this path, the traditional Rabbis could no longer reject the individual, and at the same time wanted to differentiate themselves from the people that were leaving them. Adam Ferziger goes through the progression of how “Orthodoxy” came into being by showing how they defined what deviance was too far. In this way Orthodoxy defined what they were not, in order to define what they are.

            Ferziger sees Rabbi Ezekiel Landau, the Nodeh BeYehudah, as the first step to what we call Orthodoxy today. Landau, for the most part made one huge distinction. Those that were ideologically different like reform and the Sabbateans were to be completely excluded from the community. He and then Rabbi Yaakov Emden believed that they should not even be buried with “Orthodox” Jews. However, those that were newly nonobservant, not because of ideological differences were fully part of Judaism. The next step towards “Orthodoxy” was Rabbi Akiva Eiger.  He was more willing to work with the Reform because they are still Jews. After this Orthodoxy became defined differently in many communities. Rabbi Samson Rephael Hirsch deemed separation as the most effective way to keep those that were still religious Jews.  At the same time he believed that he should be nice and work with them, but only on his terms. For example, he thought they could join his synagogue, but would not officiate at a wedding between an orthodox and a reform Jew, deeming it “intermarriage”.  Rabbi Bamburger and the communities in Berlin and Frankfurt, chose a different method in dealing with other Jews (they were not practically the same, but their method was similar). Rather than completely separating them, they decided to create a hierarchy, where the other Jews were welcome but they were deemed “class B” Jews without certain right, like having leadership positions or performing circumcision.

            As I see it, (as part of the Orthodoxy community) we practice a combination of exclusion and hierarchy, but we do more exclusion than hierarchy closer to the Hirsch model stated above. The conflict is clear, we want to be connected to all Jews, even if they have different views, but at the same time we believe that we are holders to the legitimate form of Judaism, not wanting to give legitimacy to other forms. However, I really think we lose a great deal of positive things by not accepting Reform as part of Judaism. With all the hate towards Jews of all forms that goes on in the world, if we were able to pool resources to be able to try and make the world a better place, be it through social action or Zionism, we would be able to create a semi-united front that would be so much stronger than it’s parts. Also, with the dwindling population of these sects due to assimilation, perhaps some would feel comfortable to go to an Orthodox synagogue.

            No matter what, it is vitally important that we respect all Jews not only as people that were made in the image of G-d, but also as people that have shared in our heritage for thousands of years. May it come soon that we will all be able work together for common goals and not let other problems divide us as a people.

           

Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Although in recent years sabermetrics has become a common way to evaluate baseball players, it has only become so because of the efforts of Billy Beane's, the protagonist of Moneyball, success as the general manager (salute) of the Oakland Athletics (the A's) around the turn of the century. To summerize, Beane saw flaws in traditional scouting of players, which only valued the tools a player had like power and speed, rather than testing his acumen as a hitter and ability of getting on base. As in all things, but specifically sports, people are wowed by flashy things, seeing the potential that could be, rather than seeing what is actually there. By empirically valuing players, the A's were able to get players that were undervalued by the market, enabling them to compete on a budget. Even within his own organization, Beane had to fight with his scouts over which players they should draft, sometimes not getting his way. It took a long time for others to question traditional thought in baseball, as it does in all other walks of life. It is the people that are able to think about the way things are and decide for themselves if it could be made better that are at the forefront of furthering society in a positive way. However, in baseball the risk is much less. Although Beane desperately wanted to field a competitive team, baseball is still a game. When dealing with issues of society and religion, there can be a greater fear of change. However, even in Orthodox Judaism there is always space for change within the Halakhik system. A general principle in Halakha is Hilkhata Kebasrai, when an earlier authority argues with a later authority, we follow the later authority. Other than where the entire Jewish community has accepted a system, such as the Talmud, since society changes, the Halakha must be malleable to fit the new situation. At the same time, Rabbis do not constantly change the rules. I think this can be seen straight from what happened in Moneyball. After putting in his new system, Beane was able to draft his perfect player, the player that everyone undervalued, but he believed could become a star, Jeremy Brown. As it turns out Brown did not become a star, playing in just one MLB season. Although the sabermetrics worked out overall and allowed the A's to compete with the teams that spent a lot more money than they did, on many cases the players flamed out, never accomplishing much. Challenging the previous system is shown to be a good practice, but doing so in every case for the sake of challenging does not work out. In important matters, change is good, but it needs to be done with the proper manner and foresight.
           Moneyball was also an interesting read because it gave great insight into what truly goes into winning a baseball game. According to sabermetrics, getting on base, along with other factors like slugging percentage, is the most important factor of sucsess. It is not the flashy plays of steals and home runs that are really important, it is the grind, day in and day out that makes a valuable baseball player. This is most certainly true of baseball, which has a long grueling season, but is true of most things. Consistently and relentlessly working at something almost always creates greater things that the one time event. 
         Moneyball was not only a really fun baseball book, but it also gave great insight into both baseball and life.

Through an Opaque lens by Rabbi Hayyim Angel

            This collection of essays is his first of now three collections that he has published. The collection is separated into two different parts, methodology and articles on various topics. Rabbi Angel seamlessly uses the methodology stated in the first section in his articles in the second. What is fascinating is Rabbi Angel’s ability to learn through many different means and texts. The articles on methodology go through very different speakers including Nehama Leibowitz, Rabbi Samet and the Rambam. Simultaneously, Rabbi Angel is able to use seemingly conflicting methodologies depending on the situation. He uses the extreme text based study of texts of Nehama Leibowitz, the literary study of Tanach of Rabbi Samet, and will sometimes read things allegorically based on the rational teachings of the Rambam. Rabbi Angel also allows himself of many other ways and methods of learning. He also uses Haftarot and any other biblical texts that can lend themselves in giving light onto the text he is studying. Rabbi Angel is even able to look at the archeological and other finds in his studies. He specifically uses this to find out how Sodom was destroyed. Assuming that G-d would have done the destruction naturally causes problems for the plain meaning of the text. The brimstone has no basis in the findings so far. Rabbi Angel displays a fascinating view; perhaps an earthquake destroyed Sodom. However, Rabbi Angel still takes into account the plain reading of the text that the destruction came from heaven. From both Biblical and other sources, Rabbi Angel shows that the ancient people believed that earthquakes came from heaven. In general, it is truly rare to see a person that is truly trying to find the essence of the text. Rabbi Angel is not focused on using his specific methodology; rather, he is focused on using whatever necessary to get the best explanation of the text that he can. This truly intellectually honest approach is something to behold.

            What was (and continues to be in his classes in Yeshiva College) most fascinating was the way he views learning Tanach. To Rabbi Angel, Tanach is not a text that we are just supposed to study and learn. It is a way of life that we are supposed to gain lessons from and live our lives based on them. This is seen in his article on Avraham. He goes through the different stories of Avraham’s relationship with G-d. Rabbi Angel, by going through all of the examples, shows how while Avraham truly is the exemplar of faith, he did not fully accept everything G-d said. Rather, we are allowed and supposed to question G-d, as long as we follow His commandments as Avraham always did. While is clear from this article in particular, in all of the articles it becomes evident that Rabbi Angel does not just learn Bible in the classroom or library. The Tanach is a way of life, something he looks at for everything.  

Printing the Talmud by the Yeshiva University Museum

* This post was taken from a review I did for the YU Commentator's January edition

On November 27, I flocked towards Rubin lobby along with many fellow undergraduates for a free book that was being given out by the YU Museum. Each person must have been thinking, "Free book! What do I have to lose?" I had thought the same thing, but it turned out that there was indeed one thing I would lose: my naiveté about the interaction between the Jewish people and the age old Talmud.  

Since the Talmud was standardized well before my lifetime, it appears to have become not altogether different than the Bible. Although it is still Torah She'beal Peh, and is empirically different than its Torah She'Bichtav counterpart, it seems to carry the same sense of invariability and lack of interactivity that the Written Law does. Printing the Talmud does much to dispel such notions. True, the Talmud has been standardized in recent times, but Printing the Talmud goes through the long and continuing history of the Jewish people's interaction with the pages of text we call the Talmud.

Printing the Talmudis separated into two complimentary parts: historical essays and the catalog for the YU museum's new exhibition, the latter displaying the progression of the Talmud's layout that the former suggests. The essays go period by period through the history of the Talmud, from its oral beginnings to its most modern advances.  The essays are by world-renowned scholars from all over the globe, including professors of Jewish History from YU, Columbia, NYU, Bar Ilan, Hebrew University and many others. This eclectic method of creating a fluid history of the Talmud is not unlike how the Talmud itself was compiled. Amoraic analysis "continued over generations, even centuries, developing sugyot (Talmudic discussions or essays), on specific topics" (13). This occurred in many different academies, most notably Pumbedita and Nehardea. The pages of the book even appear like those of the Talmud, with the footnotes on the side of the page mimicking the position of Rashi's commentary. Much like sugyot in the Talmud, each essay is self contained and is interesting in its own right, while still discussing topics that are involved in other essays.

Most importantly, the essays give the reader an authentic sense of how and why each step of the process occurred, giving a real feel for what was going on at the time for both the Jewish and gentile communities. By doing so, the reader is left with a genuine picture of how Jews have interacted with the text of the Talmud throughout the centuries. The Oral Law, with its constantly-evolving format, is shown to be empirically different than the Written Law. Indeed, the Oral Law is changing form to this very day, with new advances in traditional learning and technology. This picture would not be complete without the catalogue in the second half of the book. After reading much about the development of the page of the Talmud, the reader can then peruse through the pictures and see for himself the development of the Talmud by way of manuscripts.

Printing the Talmudoffers a few heated views of the Artscroll Schottenstein edition of the Talmud. An essay is devoted to translations of the Talmud, which portray the history of translations to German, Hebrew, and then English. In the essay, Rabbi Adam Mintz presents criticism of translations, including concerns that "translation cannot capture the full essence of the original" and that "translated volumes [give] non-Jews access to the Talmud, leaving out the possibility, if not probability, of misunderstanding and even misuse of the Talmudic texts" (132). Another difficulty that came up with the Shteinzaltz edition was that many "felt that it would be ‘cheating' to make Talmud study so easy" (138). For some reason, these fears were instantly thrown away for the Schottenstein Edition. While many would still view the volume as a great achievement and an increasingly valuable and necessary resource in the modern world, the concerns stated previously may apply even more so to the Schottenstein Edition.

This book is worth reading even just for the clear presentation of the progression of the Talmud's printing, with examples found in the manuscripts in the back of the book. Printing the Talmud is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about the creation of the texts that make up the very backbone of Orthodox Judaism.

 ***The entire catalog and set of articles can be found at http://www.printingthetalmud.org/home.html