● Survival of the Frummest ●
By: Rabbi Yossi Newfield
For long stretches of Jewish history, being a practising traditional or religious Jew meant living a life in accordance with Mosaic law, but not in overt conflict with the surrounding culture. At times, to reduce conflict with the dominant culture, rules were amended to allow the Jewish people to live more peacefully with their Christian or Muslim neighbors. It is for this reason that Rabbeinu Gershom (circa 1000 CE) took the unprecedented step of outlawing polygamous marriages despite their permissibility under Mosaic law, since in his time Christian Europe had banned polygamy.
Rabbis of all ages understood the delicate balance they had to tread between staying true to Mosaic law and its Talmudic interpretation and at the same time recognizing the facts on the ground. The extensive rabbinic responsa literature extant attests to the creativity, if not brilliance, of rabbinic leaders in trying to find practical solutions that allowed the Jewish people to survive the long and arduous exile.
This state of affairs continued until the times of Rabbi Moshe Sofer (1762–1839, also known by his main work as the Chatam Sofer), who vigorously opposed the innovation and change in Jewish communal life promoted by the Enlightenment Movement. The Chatam Sofer claimed that anything new or novel is forbidden – חדש אסור מין התורה. Today's ultra-Orthodox community are the heirs of the Chatam Sofer's rejection of much of the modern world. The rejection of science, democracy, and secular education can all be traced back to the Chatam Sofer's ambivalence and rejection of modernity and all of its blessings.
This is not to say the Chatam Sofer did not have a reason to be wary of modernity. The wave of assimilation in Germany and other countries surely highlighted the challenges of staying true to the Torah while simultaneously living and being a part of a liberal democratic order. Nevertheless, blindly following the Chatam Sofer's ethos of prohibiting innovation is wrong, and ultimately, self-defeating, as the current haredi lifestyle can not be indefinitely sustained.
Upon closer examination, though, changes have occurred in both halachic practice and Torah learning in ultra-Orthodox society. In the pre-Enlightenment era, a traditionally religious Jew was expected to keep basic rabbinical law (halacha). Only a small number of the most devout kept the most stringent opinion (chumrah) on any given question. Today, the difference between the halachic practice of the average man and a select few ultra-pious individuals has vanished. Now, all community members are expected to observe the most stringent opinion in every case and circumstance. Hence, glatt kosher meat has become today’s communal norm. This is also the reason behind the numerous new stringencies observed on Pesach. What used to be the practice of a tiny minority of families has now become the norm throughout the ultra-Orthodox – and especially hasidic -- world.
Equally restrictive is the intellectual narrowness and outright rejection of the rational tradition that not so long ago was an acceptable position within rabbinic Judaism. Today, the views of the medieval rationalists such as the Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim, the Ralbag on the Torah, and the theology of Don Abarvanel are almost entirely ignored within frum society. Instead, they have been replaced with the legends of the Baal Shem Tov, miracles of the Arizal, and stories of the incredible diligence in Torah study of rosh yeshivas. As far as Jewish law goes, even Rav Moshe Feinstein, the leading haredi posek of post WWII America, is considered too lenient and ‘modern’ by many.
The anti-science posture of the ultra-Orthodox community can best be illustrated by the example of the Chabad movement – which to outsiders may seem to be relatively modern. However, following their deceased rebbe's lead, Chabad adherents continue to believe in a discredited geocentric model of the universe. In other words, they reject the scientifically accepted Copernican view which states that the earth revolves around the sun (at least until Einstein came along). Despite their outwardly modern appearance, internally Chabad members still subscribe to an ancient and discredited model of reality.
Even before the corona pandemic, the ultra-Orthodox community was traveling on an unsustainable trajectory. Their high birth rate, lack of secular education, and dependence on social welfare posed enormous challenges for the frum. The pandemic only exacerbated these challenges a hundred-fold.
The ultra-Orthodox love affair with Trump is not surprising to say the least, as he is a defender of their isolationist, anti-science, anti-democratic, and frequently racist, faith. But Trump's reign is coming to an end, whether he likes it or not. With Trump gone, the ultra-Orthodox will have to eventually tackle their problems on their own. One thing is certain -- the process won't be pretty.