 |
| YCT head, Rabbi Asher Lopatin (Image from NJJN) |
Open Orthodox no more. So says Rabbi Asher Lopatin in a recent interview in the New Jersey Jewish News. He objects to the use of that term as a description of his school, Yeshiva Chovevei Torah (YCT). This is because of the controversy it has generated. And yet he says that his liberal philosophy is exactly that of Open Orthodoxy but that term detracts for the mission of the school. In a personal conversation I had with him a while back he expressed the same sentiment to me. He then said he just wants his Hashkafa to be known as liberal Orthodoxy. But now he seems to prefer being known simply as Modern Orthodox. In any case he has dropped the term Open Orthodox from all of YCT’s literature.
I understand why he feels this way. Open Orthodoxy has been attacked so many times that it is in danger of losing its identity as an Orthodox institution. And for good reason. It isn’t so much that his mission is problematic. I even agree in theory with a mission that tries to be as inclusive and ‘open’ as possible.
My only difference with him is in how he pursues his mission. Specifically that being inclusive does not mean including ideas and innovations that are not compatible with centuries of Jewish tradition. And that have been widely rejected by legitimate Poskim across the entire spectrum of Orthodoxy. There are some things that are just not ‘open’ to us as Orthodox Jews. Much as we’d like them to be.
The truth is that the fact that Rabbi Lopatin has not changed his philosophy but has simply chosen not to be called Open Orthodox any more - preferring the term Modern Orthodox - does not really help him. To paraphrase Shakespeare, a rose by any other name is still a rose. It isn’t the name that is problematic, it is the philosophy behind it. Or more specifically in this case how it is applied.
What is a bit concerning to me that it is unclear whether he wants to co-opt that term exclusively for his Hashkafa or just want to be in the general category of Modern Orthodoxy. If it is the former then I have a problem with it. Even if I grant that YCT is still in the fold, it is unfair to co-opt that name for his movement to the exclusion of all others. Modern Orthodoxy is a broad definition that encompasses much more that the extreme left that Rabbi Lopatin and his yeshiva represent. It encompasses a right wing as well. Not a Charedi right wing. But a Modern Orthodox right wing. Whose Hashkafa is perhaps better known as Centrism. A Hashkafa to which I subscribe.
A Centrist is someone that embraces modernity in positive ways as long as it is compatible with Halacha and tradition. To a Centrist there is nothing inherently evil about secular culture and much of it can be used to enhance our lives in variety of ways. We embrace secular studies as either a function of Torah Im Derech Eretz (TIDE) or Torah U’Madda (TuM). This is in contradiction to our Charedi brothers who see secular knowledge as not much more than a means towards a livelihood at best. They see secular culture as wasteful at best or even inherently evil. To the extent that they participate at all it is for purposes of health or utilitarian benefit. Secular knowledge it is seen as a means towards a livelihood at best and not valued at all otherwise.
Clearly therefore (at least to my mind) being a Centrist is being Modern Orthodox. Centrists are therefore entitled to be called by a name that described what we are: Modern and Orthodox. Centrists embrace modernity same as the left. What makes us Centrists is that we share many of the values of the right. We are in essence in the center Hashkaficly.
Why is a name important? Names are important because Orthodox Judaism has evolved to the point that there are many groups with different Hashkafos and therefore different identities. Those of us that are of limited background and seek truth can then find out what each Hashkafa is about and choose which one they believe they are closer to. And it is useful to know that there are modern Hashkafos as well as right wing Hashkafos – each with their own different segments to choose from.
Gone are the days where we were all one people with a single worldview. Times have changed and Orthodox has changed with them. Who is the ultimate possessor of Truth? I think we will have to wait for Moshiach to find that out. In the meantime the best we can do is serve God in ways that we believe He best wants us to. For that is the ultimate purpose of Judaism.