Local News
March 21, 2008
What Is Modern Orthodoxy?
Maayan Jaffe
Staff Reporter
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb served as spiritual leader of Congregation Shomrei Emunah for 13 years, between 1989 and 2002. As the current executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Weinreb continues to visit Baltimore on a professional and personal basis; many of his children and grandchildren reside locally.
Baltimore Jewish Times: Can you define modern Orthodoxy for me?
Rabbi Weinreb: don’t know what modern Orthodoxy is. I don’t think it is a useful term, … it only adds to the divisiveness of the Jewish people, as do other labels such as ultra-Orthodox.
The Jewish people, including the observant community, have different positions on many different things. For example, there are some Jews who believe in the State of Israel as a religious achievement, some who see the State of Israel as literally the devil, and there are all sorts of positions in between. Nevertheless, we are talking about differences within the religious Jewish community – women who are careful about Taharat HaMishpacha, family purity, about families that keep Shabbat.
Was the term ever useful? What about the concept of Torah U’ Mada?
Look, it is legitimate for an observant Jew to believe that he should try to integrate secular knowledge into his Torah study. It is an idea that is out there, that exists even in the Haredi communities. … Mixing secular knowledge with Torah knowledge is an age-old dispute that goes back as far as Maimonides, and it has nothing to do with terms modern Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, etc.
The term modern Orthodox came from something which faces every Orthodox Jew, historically and today: How does an observant Jew cope with the challenges of living in cotemporary American society. There are a wide variety of strategies for how to do that.
One is to try to accommodate oneself to the challenges of American society without giving up the core practices of observant Judaism. [These people] dress in contemporary styles, have a secular education, speak the language of the culture they live in, perhaps keep up with current events, theater and sports, but do not compromise the halachic core, things like keeping Shabbat, kashrut and the laws of family purity. As such, the term modern Orthodox would include people who would consider themselves ultra-Orthodox, who dress in clothing that does not distinguish them from members of their place of employment and who do pursue secular education, perhaps they are accountants or lawyers, etc.
Thirty years ago, modern Orthodox probably meant you attended an Orthodox synagogue, so you may not have been thoroughly observant.
Again, at this point in time, the term is no longer helpful.
So what defines synagogues like Suburban Orthodox or Shomrei Emunah, where you used to be rabbi?
What these shuls have in common is that they are open and welcoming to all Jews, they have a wide variety of opportunities to study Torah, … halacha [Jewish law] is not compromised one iota, effort is made to make davening, [prayer] as dignified as possible, and both acknowledge the special role of the State of Israel in contemporary Jewish life.
Both are Orthodox Union affiliated shuls.
What are the main issue facing OU-affiliated shuls?
The main issue is giving their constituencies a sense of spirituality, which means improving decorum in the synagogue, making services more meaningful, making classes more meaningful to life, bringing emotional components of life into one’s religion. In other words, bringing God into religious life.
Many of the problems we all see – OU Orthodox or not - such as teens at risk, off the derech [path], domestic violence, family discord, etc. - all of them trace back to this need for greater spirituality.
Many say Baltimore has “moved to the right.” What do you think about that?
It is not a matter of left or right, but a matter of are people serious about their religion. One advantage of living in Baltimore is that people are very serious about their religion. … People are concerned and want to be guided by Torah, not only when it comes to Shabbat or kashrut, but they also want the Torah to guide their educational, career and financial choices, for example.
Where do you see the Baltimore Orthodox community heading in the next 10 years?
I think you are going to see continued growth, and along with this growth, I think you are going to see continued diversification in terms of number of synagogues and the emphasis of these synagogues. But all the synagogues will continue to have in common a very serious commitment to mature, sophisticated Torah study.
I also see an increased emphasis on outreach. The advantage of having a beautiful Orthodox community is you can use it to educate non-Orthodox Jews as to the value of a Torah observant life.