Jewish unity doesn’t require unanimity

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

SAN DIEGO —  I’ve decided to tackle a topic that may, and should, stir more than a little discomfort.  Jewish disunity. Jewish disrespect.

The Rambam writes “It is a mitzvah for every Jew to love every other Jew as himself… Therefore a person must praise his fellow Jew and be careful with his property the same way he is careful with his own property and desires to be treated respectfully. Whoever seeks honor through his neighbor’s shame has no portion in the World-to-Come…”

The Talmud says that when Rav Eliezer became ill, his students came to visit and they said, “Master! Teach us how to live so we can merit the World-to-Come!” He replied, “Be careful to treat your fellow man with respect.”

So what has happened that we just don’t get this?

Ahavat Yisrael describes the commandment to love a fellow Jew. Implied in this is that there are two separate entities, the lover and the beloved, and the imperative is that the intensity of the love between them should be on the level of “as you love yourself.”

Achdut Yisrael describes the reason why one Jew can truly love another “as yourself,” because in essence, we are one.

The Talmud Yerushalmi explains Ahavat Yisrael with a parable: If a man were to cut a piece of meat with a knife and by mistake cut his hand, would one imagine that one hand would hit the other to reprimand it? So too, in Ahavat Yisrael, each Jew must view the other as part of the same body. Living with a day-to-day awareness that all Jews are limbs of the same body is the true fulfillment of the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael.

If only this were true. Sadly, there is too much Jewish disunity and disrespect. Even within the different streams of Judaism, there are deep divisions and lack of unity.

Imagine that one rabbi all but forbid his congregation to attend the lecture of a world-renown rabbi because the event would be held in a Conservative synagogue. Ahavat Yisrael? Achdut Yisrael? I surely don’t think so.

One rabbi said, “Because we have differences doesn’t mean we can’t love and be committed to one another, learn together, and work together for Jewish survival. Our differences don’t mean another Jew is less intelligent, less well motivated, or less desirous of truth than ourselves. Our differences mean we disagree.”

Unity does not mean uniformity.  People of good will can and must disagree about matters of great importance without questioning their love or commitment for one another.

We can’t pretend we don’t have differences. We differ greatly in our understanding of G-d and revelation, the authority of Torah and of Jewish law.  While Orthodox Jews believe the Torah is a G-d given work communicated in its entirety to Moses, Conservative and Reform Jews believe the Torah is a G-d inspired work but perceived through the medium of one or more human beings, thus allowing a more flexible interpretation with a wider tolerance of divergent trends.

The first assumption needed to begin a true, open and respectful dialogue is that our fellow Jews are “as Jewish”, as close to G-d, as honest, intelligent, and well-intentioned as ourselves. All too often prejudice and mistrust interfere with this assumption. Many religious leaders, in their attempt to promote “growth in Judaism,” “adherence to (one interpretation) of Halacha,” and “Jewish outreach,” have failed to promote unity, instead confusing it with “as long as it’s my way” uniformity.

I believe Tifereth Israel Synagogue {Ed’s Note: a Conservative synagogue, where the author is a member}  can be a leader in a “United Kehila of San Diego” in which all Jews are comfortable, welcome, accepted, and respected. Let’s commit to promote greater cooperation, appreciation, respect, partnership and unity between rabbis and between Jews from all the different branches of the “Tree of Life” that is the Jewish people.

Let’s demonstrate courage and creativity to overcome the polarizations that threaten to continue to fragment our people into our separate silos. Let’s do something daring, different, and bold – bridge the gaps among the streams of Judaism on a personal level and on a communal level and put our synagogue on the map as a leader in truly living the mitzvot of Ahavat Yisrael and Achdut Yisrael.

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Dr Michael Mantell, based in San Diego, is a Senior Fitness Consultant for Behavioral Sciences, American Council on Exercise, best-selling author and international behavior science presenter and keynote speaker. Mantell may be contacted via michael.mantell@sdjewishworld.com