The role of Torah in my life (Jewish Thoughts)

For our monthly discussion groups, we were asked to look on this past week and think about Torah and its role in our lives. Here is how I perceive Torah in my daily life:

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As a modern Reform Jew, my definition of "Torah" is a very broad definition. I view it as the covenant between God and the Jews. And just like with traditional Judaism, I think that this can include any teaching that is based off Torah (or based off something that is based off Torah...). Both the original Five Books of Moses are Torah, and yet so is the whole Tanakh in a way. And the Oral Torah is also Torah, as is all teaching based off that. These are all signs of the covenant between Jews and God.

Yet unlike traditional Judaism, I view this covenant as changing--as constantly being in a state of "reform". The Written Torah, the Oral Torah, and all that are based off of them were written by humans, and while they might have a divine spark, they are also susceptible to change. Some elements are unchangeable, some must be reinterpreted/changed, but they all can influence our life, even if in new ways. Thus all of Judaism can in a way be seen as a an element of Torah (even extreme views, such as wanting to destroy the Dome of the Rock, contain nuggets of true Torah buried somewhere within). Halakha (Jewish law) is but one of many authorities for my (Reform) Jewish life, in addition to communal values, personal conscious, and societal norms--and together, these can create a modern Jewish life, a life dedicated to Torah. There is no one way to live Torah--it all depends on ones experiences, surroundings, morals, and more. Reform Judaism is great for me because it allows me to follow both Torah and modern ethical values--and to me, these modern ethical values and modern interpretations are also all versions of "Torah," because I believe that they, too, come from God and can represent our covenant with God.

Yet despite all this, when I look back on this week, and I reflect on how much Torah has guided my actions, I am torn. On the one hand, I think that I do a halfway decent job of combining Torah and modernity. I am studying at a modern Jewish seminary, after all, where I am studying not only the Written Torah, but also classes that derive from Torah such as Mishnah (a commentary of Jewish law based on the Torah), Modern Hebrew or Jewish Philosophy. I am also living a more noticeable Jewish life than I ever have: I wear a kippah (yarmulka) every day, I lay tefillin ("phylacteries") regularly, my life changes and grows more restful on Shabbat, and more. Sometimes what I do is "traditional" and sometimes it is not, but it is increasingly "Jewish" (as per my definition of Torah, which is very inclusive of many Jewish ideas, customs, and interpretations).

Yet one of my problems with Reform Judaism today is that it has become too much like some other religions, where religion is relegated to its own section of ones life, and other parts of life are separate from religion. In traditional Judaism, there only used to be one life--your Jewish life, and everything was a part of it. Even today, everything a stereotypical halakhic Jew does involves Jewish tradition--i.e. "Torah."

One of my goals as a rabbi is to introduce this concept of Judaism in daily life to more liberal Jews. I am not saying that every Jew needs to say a b'racha (blessing) before eating--in fact, if they do not want to, then they do not have to--but maybe they should consciously be thankful to have food in front of them. They do not have to wear tefillin or a kippah, but perhaps they can be proud to wear some sort of identifying Jewish accessory (such as a necklace or Jewish t-shirt). I am of course not saying that this is the only way to be Jewish, and I am definitely not saying that being Jewish is the only way to be a good person; I am, however, saying that there is value in living a Jewish life outside of the synagogue.

Yet if I want to preach this, then I need to live this way. And as of right now, I do not. I still am way more Jewish when I am doing homework, studying at school, or praying in a synagogue than when I am not. When I look at this past week, I think about how many b'rachot I did not say, how much Torah I did not study, how many Jewish blog posts I did not read.

Therefore, when I reflect on this week, I am glad that to some extent I involve my interpretation of Torah in my life--but I also wish I did more. Slowly but surely, I hope, that will happen.