Q&A: Study Day on Sanctifying the Secular in Judaism
Study Day on Sanctifying the Secular in Judaism
Question
Dear writers, greetings,
We are happy to invite you to a study day that we are organizing (in cooperation with the Argaman Institute) on the topic of “the Torah perspective on the secular,” which, God willing, will take place on Sunday, 27 Sivan (26.6).
The question of the Torah perspective on the secular has come up often in the various articles in “Tzarikh Iyyun,” and to some extent it is the central thread that runs through the entire journal. Our attitude toward the secular affects how we deal with social questions such as going out to work and pursuing academic studies, but also more fundamental questions such as the status of women, the reasons for the commandments, the place of Torah study in our lives, and the proper attitude toward leisure culture.
More broadly, the distinction between sacred and secular organizes our daily life, distinguishing between Torah study and other fields, between yeshiva and university, between the Sabbath and weekdays, and between “religious” and “secular.” The different approaches to these issues continue to shape the split between Haredim and Religious Zionists to this day.
At the study day we will address these questions, bring different approaches and positions into conversation, and try to create a basis for a new and deeper discussion of the topic.
Among the speakers at the conference: Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Feivelson, Rabbi Ido Rekhnitz, Dr. Yoram Hazony, Rabbi Tamir Granot, Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer, Dr. Ronen Shoval, Rabbi Yehuda Brandes, Eliyahu Levi, Rabbi Oz Bluman, Dr. Eitan Abramovitz, and others.
For details and registration: https://iyun.org.il/conference/.
We would be very happy to see you there!
Answer
Hello,
Thank you for the notice.
I would just comment that this is really not the point of dispute between Haredim and Religious Zionists. For example, the Hardalim, despite their Zionism, are also Haredi in this respect, and I think there are quite a few Haredim who favor leisure culture. Moreover, what stands on the other side of this is not the Religious Zionists but the Modern Orthodox or the liberal religious camp (which, as noted, also includes some Haredim, and there is no overlap between them and Zionist religious people). It does not seem to me to be connected to Zionism in any way. In addition, in my opinion it is also not really connected to a considerable portion of the other issues you mentioned (the status of women, work, the army, and the like). It is connected to education, and this is an opportunity to comment that I get the impression (perhaps unfairly) that in the prevalent discourse in your journal, education is not given its proper place (in my opinion). It is usually perceived as a means of earning a living and not as something of intrinsic value. That is very nearly the essence of the discussion of sacred versus secular.
All the best,