Some questions

[Harel13]

Judaism DIR

Just some questions for you guys. Would be happy to hear your views. Feel free to answer all, some or none.

1. Why is Judaism important to you (I am assuming, of course, that you would not identify as a member of this DIR if it was not important to you)?

2. Do you think Judaism should be passed on to later generations? Why?

3. If you could make it so, would you want everyone to be Jewish? Why?

4. Is the Land of Israel important to you? Why?

Thanks! Have a nice day.

 

[dybmh]

1. Why is Judaism important to you (I am assuming, of course, that you would not identify as a member of this DIR if it was not important to you)?

Judaism is important to me because it strongly connects me to my family and national heritage. Also, practicing Judaism encourages me to be humble, grounded, and moderate.

2. Do you think Judaism should be passed on to later generations? Why?

I do. I see Judaism as a collection of opportunites. Opportunties to celebrate, to learn, to philosophize, to argue ( ), etc... These are valuable experiences in my opinion.

3. If you could make it so, would you want everyone to be Jewish? Why?

No. I actually think it's better that Jews are a nation set apart from the others. Why? I like the diversity; differences add interest... they are the texture of the fabric of life.

Is the Land of Israel important to you? Why?

What's a nation without a territory? Also, I think it's important to have a place where Jewish halachic practices like ritual circumcision and ritual slaughter are protected from the changing tides of personal opinion.

 

[LAGoff]

1. Judaism is important to me because I can't conceive of what God would be before (or without) the Hebrew Scriptures. The Tanakh has -- so to speak -- so made God what He is 'today' that it is for me as natural as breathing to give first place (Dt 6:4) to Him. (I see 'echad' as meaning that we are to put God first)

2. Passing 'Judaism' to later generations is a 'natural' result of what I wrote above.

3. The mitsvot aim to inculcate within and spread abroad Godliness from that one Place to the rest of the world; so the world is getting and will get the full benefit of what we have. If that means the whole world becomes Jewish, then that's what I desire. If God wants to keep us at 15 million, then that's what I desire.

4. The development of Judaism by Chazal (from the men of the Great Assembly until the the closing of the Talmud-era) has sort of made me less desperate for 'the Land', because the Talmud-era literature is Exile-friendly. However, Tanakh, and the hopes of Jews at all times (especially in this "Talmud-era literature"), has kept the main goal to be a God-fearing nation in the Land influencing the rest of the world.