Telushkin sees Jewish survival in ethics, ritual

By Amy R. Kaufman

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Rabbi Joseph Telushkin delighted the audience with his trademark distillation of Jewish wisdom and humor April 6 at Congregation Shaarie Torah.

Telushkin was invited to speak as part of the congregation’s Rabbi Geller Lecture Series for the second consecutive year, and once again he held an audience of 250 in thrall.

Telushkin struck a reassuring note when he spoke of the survival of Judaism while beset with internal and external threats.

“I would argue that Jews in the United States are not in danger,” he said.

He said the United States is “the first society in which Judaism has been emancipated,” citing, among other examples, the fact that Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an observant Jew, was the Democratic candidate for vice president in 2000.

He also said the high rate of intermarriage indicates acceptance of Jews in America.

“They like us so much that they are willing to marry us,” he said. “You can’t say there’s a problem with anti-Semitism and a problem with intermarriage.”

Telushkin said when a public figure is exposed as an anti-Semite in America, there are serious consequences—for example, he said former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan was “thrown out of the Republican Party” for his anti-Semitic remarks.

Addressing the concern that Judaism is a dying religion, Telushkin said, “The Jews have been called a dying people since Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah hadn’t produced an heir.”

He mentioned that Look magazine ran a story on “The Vanishing American Jew” in the 1960s.

“Look what happened to us, and look what happened to Look,” he quipped.

Telushkin said Jewish history is marked by “bitter disputes that each side was convinced would lead to the destruction of the Jewish people.”

He said Rabbi Yochanan ben Zachai advocated surrender at Masada and “would have been killed” by the Jews who sacrificed their lives rather than be taken as Roman slaves. “Two thousand years later, we regard both as heroic,” he said.

As a second example, Telushkin said the Vilna Gaon opposed Hassidic Judaism, which placed emphasis on a personal relationship with God, and “excommunicated some Hassidim. … Now the Vilna Gaon is regarded as the greatest scholar since Maimonides, and Hassidism is regarded as having a positive influence on Jewish life.”

“The Pharisees and Saducees had a split, but neither accused the other of not being a Jew,” Telushkin remarked.

He quoted his lifelong friend Dennis Prager: “One of the most important days in a person’s life is when he meets a person of different beliefs who is both a good and intelligent person.”

Referring to internal conflicts that threaten the Jewish community today, Telushkin counseled, “Step back, even while the battle is raging. Don’t impugn the motives of those with whom we disagree.”

Telushkin said he believes Jews should “put the emphasis on the ethical” but said, “Without ritual, we wouldn’t have Jewish continuity.”

“Without practice, we lose holiness,” he said. “When my parents lit the Shabbat candles, there was a separate candlestick for me. I knew that because I existed, there was more light in my parents’ house.”

He said ritual has “the power to speak in the language of poetry.”

“Parents constantly tell their children they love them, and when they grow up they’re on the therapist’s couch saying they didn’t feel loved,” said Telushkin. “Ritual gives us the perfect way to express love.”

Telushkin is the author of “Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History,” “A Code of Jewish Ethics: You Shall Be Holy,” and other best-sellers. He co-authored “Why the Jews: The Reason for Anti-Semitism” and “The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism” with Dennis Prager.

The Rabbi Geller Lecture Series is funded by a generous donation by Ruben and Liz Menashe. Telushkin’s talk was co-sponsored by more than a dozen individuals.

Following the lecture, Telushkin met with about 40 young adults for a conversation about Jewish ethics. That event was co-sponsored by Moishe House, Urban Jews PDX, Machar, Hinenu,  Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and Portland Jewish Events.