Q&A: Tradition
Tradition
Question
I wanted to ask the Rabbi what he thinks about tradition, or what he thinks about traditional societies. I was always educated that it is important to preserve tradition—for example, the prayer rite, prayer melodies, and so on. And more generally, a connection to tradition. Personally, I think traditional societies are backward societies, since they have difficulty changing even in the moral sphere—for example, the status of women, the attitude toward homosexuals, and so on. Traditional societies are connected to the past and have difficulty connecting to progress and change. My question is: why is tradition important at all, and if it is, then what is its importance? And does the Rabbi think that the drawbacks I listed regarding traditional societies are correct?
Answer
Every phenomenon has advantages and disadvantages, and I do not see much point in discussing such questions in such general terms.
My approach is that tradition, in the sense you describe, does not have much value. Not because it is harmful or creates unnecessary conservatism, but simply because there is no real value in it. Why should I do what my forefathers did? Why is it my fault that they decided to do something?
In Jewish law there are laws of custom that of course do grant status to tradition. But personally, I do not see inherent value in it.
An exception to this is factual tradition. When halakhot from Sinai are passed down to me, that is of course very important. When forms of thinking are passed down to me, likewise.
I have written more than once in the past that I oppose both conservatism and novelty-seeking. These are two approaches that do not discuss issues on their own merits. The former will not do something just because it was not done in the past, and the latter will do it because it was not done in the past. The damage you described from a conservative outlook also exists in an innovation-oriented society. It opposes correct things simply because that is how things were done in the past, and it ignores valuable patterns that developed over the years. In contrast to both of these approaches, I think each thing should be examined on its own merits, without regard to whether or not it fits what existed before.