Q&A: The Third Identity and the Problem of the Rabbis
The Third Identity and the Problem of the Rabbis
Question
Hello and blessings. I very much identify with what you wrote about the third identity, but if this were a Torah-based approach that made sense, there would be rabbis voicing it. But unfortunately, all those “great Torah leaders of the generation” from all sectors are nowhere near this in their thinking. I don’t know of a single rabbi who would agree to separate religion and state. I don’t mean to say that something is legitimate only if rabbis think so, but perhaps the third identity really has no place within the Torah world? How does the Rabbi ground a commitment to the values of morality and democracy within the Torah world?
Answer
The whole point of the third identity is to serve as an alternative to the existing identities, including the “great Torah leaders of the generation” who lead them.
A commitment to the values of morality and democracy exists among many good Jews, and also among rabbis, except that they are not willing to admit this openly, and instead anchor it in necessity, pressures, hostility, and fears. The reason is that they do not understand how this can truly be integrated. I have discussed normative duality in several places, mainly in the third book of the trilogy, and also in this article:
https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=f18e4f052adde49eb&q=https://mikyab.net/%25D7%259B%25D7%25AA%25D7%2591%25D7%2599%25D7%259D/%25D7%259E%25D7%2590%25D7%259E%25D7%25A8%25D7%2599%25D7%259D/%25D7%259B%25D7%25A4%25D7%2599%25D7%2595%25D7%25A4%25D7%2595%25D7%25AA-%25D7%2591%25D7%2595-%25D7%2596%25D7%259E%25D7%25A0%25D7%2599%25D7%25AA-%25D7%259C%25D7%259E%25D7%25A2%25D7%25A8%25D7%259B%25D7%2595%25D7%25AA-%25D7%25A0%25D7%2595%25D7%25A8%25D7%259E%25D7%2598%25D7%2599%25D7%2591%25D7%2599%25D7%2595%25D7%25AA-%25D7%259E%25D7%25A7/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjp3Z2MjYiFAxWtQ6QEHUmdB0IQFnoECAQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2jDrfIHVRwIN_98ObB51NS
And also in column 541 on Jewish law and morality.