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God promised to disperse the Jewish people throughout the world
(Deuteronomy 31 and 32), part of His
purpose was
that we should serve as a barometer of the spiritual state of any
host nation in which we found ourselves. Thus Spain's golden age
was reflected by the religious devotion of Spanish Jewry. The contrasting
decadence of Weimar Germany was mirrored in the assimilated and
religiously alienated German Jewish community. So if we want to
learn something about the health of American society, all we have
to do is look at the condition of the American Jewish community.
In making the
appraisal, we should look at Jewish actions more than Jewish words.
Our communal leaders may express deep concern about Jewish "continuity,"
but when they fund Holocaust memorials more lavishly than day schools,
we have reason to doubt their sincerity.
So in this
vein, let us compare the observance of two revered days on the Jewish
calendar: the entirely secular Holocaust Remembrance Day, which
fell last month, and the ancient festival of Shavuot, falling this
year on May 28 & 29.
In the former
case, enthusiastic Jews young and old crowded synagogues, temples,
and Jewish Community Centers around the country. Holocaust survivors
had their pictures not only in Jewish newspapers, but also in lavish
spreads in the major dailies. Community leaders of every denomination
warned us not to forget our history. And yet, just a few weeks later,
on Shavuot, the day commemorating the giving of the Torah, when
the people of Israel became a nation, most Jews will prefer to forget
history. Year after year, in spite of its centrality to all of Jewish
existence and its three prominent Scriptural references (Leviticus
23, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16), Shavuot is trumped by Holocaust
Remembrance Day.
It's also true
that many more American Jews celebrate Passover and Chanukah, both
religious in origin, than celebrate Shavuot. But these other festivals
have been adopted and remodeled by secularists to suit their tastes.
Holocaust Remembrance
Day was established under the entirely secular auspices of Israel's
Knesset. It is a day that offers significance and meaning without
demanding that anybody evaluate his relationship with God. In fact,
secularists often use Holocaust Remembrance Day as an occasion to
encourage others to question the very existence of a God who could
allow the deaths of so many innocents.
Meanwhile,
in many homes Passover has become little more than a family reunion;
the dinner table distinguished chiefly by a symbolic box of matzo.
The discussion of the Haggadah, if it takes place at all, tends
to focus on universal themes like slavery and suffering, rather
than on the Almighty's role in bringing an end to Egyptian tyranny.
Chanukah follows a similar pattern. Light the candles, sing a song,
exchange gifts, and cheer our military victory against the Greeks.
The religious nature of the Macabees' struggle is ignored, displaced
by symbols that tolerate God-free interpretations.
And yet, for
secularists, Shavuot is an awkward holiday. There is simply no secular
rationale for celebrating it. To participate in a Shavuot observance
is to concede what no secularist can tolerate: that God gave the
Torah to Moses, a total of 613 laws to live by. What fun! No wonder
Shavuot is unpopular with modern Jews: It can only be enjoyed by
those already comfortable with the idea of a divine Boss.
Shavuot calls
us to reject the self-indulgent, anti-authority attitude of modern
secularism. Conversely, those who reject Shavuot reject two key
principles: That civilization depends on a general acceptance of
authority, and that the ultimate source of authority must be not
man, but God. American popular culture has always revered the rugged
individualist who strikes out on his own. But until recently, this
individualism was tempered by a deep and widespread religiosity
and respect for God's word. The invisibility of Shavuot in the Jewish
community is simply the reflection of a wider American problem.
One of the
most conspicuous differences between a nation comfortable with biblical
values, and one struggling to reject those values, is how its people
deal with authority. Do they train children to obey parents, students
to venerate teachers, husbands to revere their wives, and soldiers
to follow their commanders? Or do they manufacture bumper stickers
that smugly proclaim "Question Authority"?
In the Nazi
era, Germany strayed not by rejecting authority, but by substituting
the authority of man for that of God. We Americans have started
down a different road: We have begun by rejecting human authority.
But two separate roads can lead to the same destination. We may
yet end up in the same place the Germans did, where God's authority
is also nullified.
Americans face
a choice: Stay on this dangerous path, or get off? And we Jews face
a related choice, albeit expressed in Jewish terms, which is crystallized
in the approaching holiday.
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