Q&A: Judaism as a Nation
Judaism as a Nation
Question
Have you written an article, or are you familiar with the issue of conceiving Judaism as a national identity without religion? A. Even today, do we still have a common denominator among all Jews as we did before the giving of the Torah—that is, are we one people even if we do not all relate to the Torah in the same way? B. What is the status of someone born to a Jewish mother, but Jewish history and Jewish folklore do not speak to him at all, and he feels completely Western, with no feeling whatsoever for Jews or Judaism? [Rabbi Gedalia argued that according to Jewish law he does not have the status of a Jew—not obligations and not rights.] C. Is it conceivable to feel Israeli because we have a shared fate—the Arabs want to kill all of us as a people? [That is what Tommy Lapid answered me when I asked him what we have in common: after all, what makes you happy does not make me happy, what saddens or moves you does not sadden or move me, so in what sense are we one people?]
Is it permitted or appropriate according to Judaism for a resident of France to feel identification with the French nation, to feel [also!] part of it, to be very happy if it reached the top of the World Cup, or if one of the French gentiles won a Nobel Prize? I have English cousins who, when they were children, once burst into tears in offense when we laughed about the queen. Does that contradict Judaism?
There are several practical ramifications here: A. For conversion—someone who feels Israeli and wants to fight for the Jewish state because he wants to feel part of this people. B. Regarding secular Ashkenazim who have no inhibition at all about marrying a gentile even without any conversion whatsoever. And more and more.
With thanks and regards
Answer
I do not recognize the concept of “the Jewish view” regarding anything. I can try to formulate my own view, and if it seems correct to me, then from my perspective that is the Jewish view. First, I will attach two links: one is an article about secular Judaism (there is no such thing), and the second is a thread that was conducted on my site literally until just now. Here is the link to the thread:
https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%9A/
Inside it there is a link to my article; I recommend reading it. In general, secular Judaism is a fact (an ethnic one), not a value; see there.
As for your questions, in my opinion some of them are not sufficiently defined.
A. We are one people. That is an ethnic fact. We are not one culture. That too is a fact. Secularism is a completely gentile culture. Without Jewish law there is no Judaism. See the above links. In my opinion there is no difference at all between a secular Jew and a German or an Australian. Language is merely a technical matter (there are also fine Jews who do not speak Hebrew). Aside from that, I do not see the slightest difference between them. But certainly, from my perspective, the Jew is a family member, unlike the Australian, and so I care about him more. But that is also true of a Druze person in the State of Israel, whom I care about more than the Australian gentile.
B. As stated, the person is Jewish from a halakhic standpoint (only at the racist level: the child of a Jewish mother) and a gentile from a cultural standpoint (his Judaism is not Judaism in any sense whatsoever). The question of how to relate to him is more complicated. I once wrote a controversial article arguing that an atheist is not subject to commandments and transgressions (that is, his commandments are not commandments and his transgressions are not transgressions). On the other hand, I am entirely convinced that he is obligated in commandments and transgressions (except that he cannot fulfill them, because even if he does fulfill them, it is worth nothing). See the article here:
https://mikyab.net/%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%94/
You can imagine that enormous arguments arose in Tzohar around this article, and many more afterward.
As for the question of interpersonal obligations toward him, in my humble opinion it is obvious that all such obligations apply. On the contrary, he is much better than traditionalists who know their Master and do not fulfill His commandments. He is coerced—and even more than that. See my article. “One who acts as your people do,” in my opinion, is not a fact (and not like Rabbi Chaim regarding a miserable heretic), but a state of mind. If it comes from wickedness, then he is not “one who acts as your people do.” If it is because he does not believe, then this is coercion in matters of belief (as in the well-known view of the Radbaz).
C. Leave the Arabs out of this. I hate these stupid demagogic claims that Hitler or Arafat define who is a Jew. Tommy’s definition is: a Jew is someone Hitler wanted to murder. That is sentimental nonsense.
D. It is certainly proper and desirable to feel part of the French people if you really are part of them. Belonging to a nation does not have to be exclusive. A person can be Jewish and French as well (the Cardinal of Paris went even further when he defined himself as Jewish in nationality and Catholic in religion). Should an American Jew not identify with his state and his American people? Why not? That is an obligation of every citizen and member of a group. On the contrary, someone who does not do so is, in my view, acting immorally. This may be compared to a person’s relationship to his family, his community, and his people. Can such relationships not exist simultaneously? So why not with two national identities?
E. The practical ramifications:
A. The desire to fight and be part of this people is worth nothing. A Druze person is also like that. As far as conversion is concerned, he is a complete gentile, and if he converts, his conversion is worth nothing. Conversion means accepting the commandments. That and nothing more.
B. What is the question regarding secular people who are willing to marry a gentile? I did not understand the question.