How Jewish Are You?
Do you ever feel like you are more or less Jewish then someone else? Do you think some Jews think that they are more Jewish then you? How Jewish are you?
This is a question that strikes a deep cord among many Jews. Many times we feel judged or labeled by others as not being as Jewish as we should be or as Jewish as them. Or many times we feel guilty about not being as Jewish as we should. What is the Jewish (not just the opinion of your Jewish neighbor) perspective?
For starters I would like to clarify some terms; being Jewish has nothing to do with being a practicing Jew. Practice does not equal Jewish and non practice does not equal not Jewish. Practice is practice and Jewish is Jewish.
Now that we got that out of the way now let us resume. So how Jewish are you? The answer is as Jewish as any other Jew. You can’t be more or less Jewish. You can practice more or less, you can observe at different levels, you can believe differently, but being Jewish is like being pregnant, either you are or you are not.
And if you are Jewish, then you are just as Jewish as Moses, Miriam or any other Jewish person throughout the ages.
That is part of the meaning that we are the chosen people. It means that our Jewishness was chosen by G-d not by us. Although we were happy to become Jewish, it was not our choice but rather G-d’s choice. Now what that means in simple terms is, that if you chose to be Jewish then your choice might be different then say Moses’ choice, after all his choice is more informed and probably a lot deeper then yours or mine. So if we had only chosen G-d then there would be differences in our Jewishness. Some Jews would be more Jewish then others. But that is not what happened at Mount Sinai, G-d chose us and when G-d chooses there is no difference between you, me or Abraham and Sara. From G-d’s perspective we are all equally chosen and therefore equally Jewish. As for the full meaning of what it means to be chosen that will have its own essay.
Now what you do with your Jewishness is up to you. But no matter what you do or don’t do your Jewishness stays the same. A Jew who does not practice any part of Judaism is just as Jewish as Maimonides or queen Esther.
I have encountered many Jews who don’t think like this and think that somehow their practice or lack thereof effects their being Jewish, that somehow they are less Jewish. Regardless of membership status, affiliation, knowledge of Hebrew, level of practice or whether you celebrated your B Mitzvah, a Jew is a Jew is a Jew.
When people begin to confuse practice/belief and being Jewish it becomes very divisive. As the old joke goes (I heard it from Dennis Prager), we Jews have a unique way of labeling other Jews, if he is more religious then me he is a fanatic and if he is less religious then me, then he is not Jewish.
We are one people, with one heart, one Torah and one land.
There is no reason to create division among Jewish people. And certainly no reason to feel even one tiny bit less Jewish then you really are. Judaism makes a very powerful statement regarding every single Jew, “Kol Yisroel… Every Jew has a protion in the world to come”, yes every single Jew. In the prophets we read that G-d says, “The nation that I have created brings me praise”, every Jew just by being alive brings G-d praise.
The Holocaust was a very tragic and sad time for our people. One of the lessons we can learn from this sad part of our history, is how a Jew is a Jew no matter what. The Nazis, may their name be erased, treated all Jews the same.
One of the ways we can remember the holocaust is by showing and practicing Jewish unity. Treating other Jews with love, respect and kindness, regardless of their level of observance or affiliation.
Another way to remember is by joining us on April 18, at 11:30am to hear Rose De Liema and her story of survival.
You can also attend our next JLI course; Beyond Never Again, How the holocaust speaks to us today which begins on Monday evening, April 26 or on Tuesday morning, April 27. Go to www.myjli.com to sign up.
Some final thoughts: If I am as Jewish as the greatest of Jews, what does that mean for me? How does that impact the way I see myself and the way I act in my day to day life? How comfortable am I with who I am? What is my responsibility to my own Jewishness? How does this change the way I view my Rabbi? Other Jews?
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Zalman Marcus