There is a Jewish tradition called “Responsa” in which a lay
Jew asks a rabbi or panel of rabbis for advice on a particular question about
religious law or practice that is either too nuanced for him/her to figure out
or is related to a modern situation that isn’t covered. The answers are
published in sets kind of like the Federal Register so everyone can benefit
from the answers.
I love reading these for a variety of reasons.
- As a religious person, I benefit directly by learning from the answers.
- As a closet philosopher, I enjoy parsing the logical arguments to see how they come up with the answers.
- As a policy wonk, I am curious to see how they craft the answers to be true to the core principles of the religion while also adapting to the realities of the modern world, the decreasing religiosity of the population, and the desire (for some rabbis at least) to be inclusive.
The question this week asked what parts of religious
practice can non-Jews participate in, particularly during a religious service. My gut reaction to hearing the question was
“Uh-oh, here is a chance for some rabbi to circle the wagons and keep the
non-believers out.” But I was pleasantly
surprised.
First, the rabbi noted that the answer should depend on
contextual nuances such as whether the non-Jew was someone who was in the
process of converting to Judaism, a non-Jewish spouse of a mixed marriage who
is supporting the Jewish spouse by attending service, a random visitor, or
someone with a strong interest in a limited topic but not the rest.
Then, he gave an answer based on a generalizable framework
rather than just saying this or that. This approach really resonated with the policy
wonk in me. What he boiled it down to is
whether the particular activity is something that Jews are religiously
obligated to do. In that case, a non-Jew
doing it would take the spot away from someone who needs that spot. That would be unfair. But for anything else,
it should be permitted (if not encouraged). This would include leading prayers
that are not part of the core service, participating in a social or charitable
activity – even bringing sacrifices to the Temple (if it is ever rebuilt)
excepting the mandatory sacrifices of the major holidays.
Interesting thoughts. A great example of why I like following
these.
