A little over a hundred years ago, the Jewish philosopher-poet Yehudah Leib Gordon admonished his listeners with a phrase that became the watch-word for much of Jewish behavior in that era: Be a Jew in your house, and a regular person outside (Yehudi bi-vay-techa, Adam bi-tzay-techa). In other words, keep your Jewishness and its practice as your own private affair, and when interacting with the rest of the world, relegate your Jewish identity to the back burner. Or hide it altogether. Many followed Gordons advice, and outward Jewish signs such as Kipah, Tzitzit, and Kashrut were abandoned in public, as the Jews strove to imitate and emulate their gentile neighbors. Eventually this public neglect of Jewish life spilled over into the private arena as well, and soon the motto was altered: Be a Jew neither in your house nor outside. A crisis of assimilation is happening again today. Young Jews are apathetic and disinterested. How can we break the cycle and turn the ship around? It starts with each of us, expressing our Jewish identity on a regular basis. Some suggestions: Make the commitment to Jewish education for yourself and your children. Light Shabbat candles and the Shema every day. Listen to Torah classes while commuting, or start a lunchtime study group at the office. Teach (or your neighbor’s children). Speak Hebrew and play Jewish music. And pay that long-overdue visit to Israel. Dont hesitate. Judaism is not all-or-nothing. The options are endless. The experience is transforming. The reward is eternal.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 01:00:01 +0000
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