Losing My Religion?

Before Covid, Judaism had begun to crumble. With Covid, the house is caving in. We can’t just plan to redecorate while the building is falling. We must both restore the structure and make some major renovations.

Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z”l advised that we were in the throes of a paradigm shift. Paradigm shifts occur at times of crisis. Perhaps that crisis in Judaism began with modernity.  Or perhaps it began with the destruction of the shoah.  But the structures of Judaism held steady with the synagogue as the focus of Jewish life. Synagogue buildings had been the delivery systems of spiritual life to the Jewish community. The number of synagogues were shrinking but the Bet Knesset (house of gathering) remained the place we attended or avoided.

And yet, the religious life we took for granted was fading. Many were dissatisfied with boring services and stale Jewish education. While the fight for human rights waged, Judaism held fast to prayer language displaying provincialism and protectionism. Others struggled with imagery of the heavenly father figure preferring a universal deity enabling goodness in this world.

I suffered the frustration of uninspiring services and a lack of vision. I learned how to refresh my spiritual life with new melodies, updated prayers, and redesigned rituals. And even as I learned how to renew religious practices, I did not envision how the old paradigms would be challenged.

Then Covid hit. The house of gathering was shuttered. When buildings were emptied by fear and fiat, we had to rethink how we address our spiritual needs. What spaces would be designated for holiness? Perhaps it is now a 15-inch monitor.

Want a Jewish “fix?” Just search the internet from home. With the shift to online Jewish experiences, we can select spiritual experiences from our couches.

To meet the needs of those who chose to search for an engaging Jewish experience, Rabbis and Cantors had to adapt quickly. Judaism in 5780 had to step up its game.

For those who cared to look, they found great choices. Without geographic limitations, we can “attend” synagogues offering the best services. Production values improved. Talented musicians were cherished. Rabbis found new “groupies.” With all these improvements, Judaism has not discarded the past. We have just installed an upgrade . . . Judaism 5781. Same religion, better operating system.

A new Jewish year has begun. We read the Torah from the beginning . . . again. It’s the same “book” but each time we read the Torah we can find new insights and meanings. As we figure out the new Judaism, we should start with the sacred road map that is Torah.  There we can find the inspiration for change.  Here’s an example. Adam and Eve were confronted with the expulsion from Eden but they only began a family when they went out into that brave new world.

This is the time to reboot Judaism and rebuild the mainframes. Start with Bereshit to find that inspiration. God created a magnificent world. The start of spiritual life began with two human beings. Building the next Judaism begins with you.

Rabbi Evan J. Krame