When I was in third grade, I received a book in Religious School called Israel and Me. Many a year and quite a few books later, I can’t help but laugh at this book and how rediculous it was. Take all of the complexities and boil it down to pictures of beautiful women on beaches, happy Israelis riding bikes, and groups of children hiking and planting trees. Everything was “dumbed down” and diluted in order to maximize the effectiveness of those pictures.
Now a Religous School Teacher, weekly we are urged to meet our students slightly above their level. encouraged to bring everything to a somewhat elementary level, lest they try and grasp some complexities of life… like when they watch the news over dinner meanwhile leaving room for them to question and grow and challenge.
All of this brings me suddenly to an email sent by the URJ to my inbox, written by one of the leaders in the youth movement. “I grew up believing God was this huge guy with a white beard sitting on an enormous throne adorned with gold, silver and other things one might imagine God would have on the divine throne. I grew up believing that if I prayed hard enough in services, God would grant me all of my wishes.”
Which teachers folded and didn’t challenge thier students. Which teachers failed over the years to explain that Hashem split the waters on the way out of Mitzrayim and also witnessed the skinning of Rav. Akiva alive while he cried out Sh’ma Yisroel?
I hope that in 8 years, when I am old and have moved on to a different fight, my students, my kids, will have a better understanding of what it means to be a part of the tribe and a better methodology of thought then to blindly accept the concepts presented to naive 3rd graders in their Religious School classes.
The author goes on about how services aren’t fun and/or enjoyable. Reading this segment and hearing this argument always gives me a headache.
1. Why do T’fillot need to be fun?!
2. Why can’t you look for things in T’fillot that you might find fun and/or entertaining before giving up?
3. If you don’t like services where you are…go somewhere else!
4. I think its a safe assumption that almost everyone gets bored at one point or another, suck it up!
5. I’d venture to say your void is actually the dissappointment that you know 1-4 but don’t do anything about it.
May we all one day continue to think and to challenge and refuse anything less than that. May we all one day abandon the disease of complancentism that has plagued those who once had teachers who were complacent themselves.
Filed under: Camp, Israel, Liberal Judaism, Questions
You’re right, you can never raise expectations too high – doing anything less only does those we’re serving a disservice. It is frustrating to look apathy and post-modern relativism in the face and try to fight back.
But let’s try to be patient and understanding. We all hit walls, and sometimes need to vent about them.
And, more important, let’s try think about our own words and their affect. “Sh’ma Yisroel!?” when did you go back 100 years in time and move to Eastern Europe?
Josh,
I think you seem to misunderstand my statment. I have challenged myself enough to become aware of many different styles of prayer. I have tried to find things I enjoy. I am not saying prayer is not important. I am offended that you and David think I am an uneducated, misinofmred Jew that needs to be given “patience”. I have studied more than you know about this religion. No, I am not as learned as the two of you, but I think you ought to know I care about Judaism and prayer. You are correct in the fact that I was not educated very well as a young one. I have studied to fill that void and now I have a better understanding of Judaism. I work every day to learn more about Judaism. You may find it offensive that I do not love to pray, but I find it offensive that someone like you cannot be more understanding, especially after the many talks I have had with you. I hope I am misunderstanding your writing, but please be careful in what you say online because it can be misinterpreted. If I am not misinterpreting my writing, I hope you can talk to me about my beliefs. I know what works for me and what does not. Maybe I am not Jewish to you, but I hope that with all of this talk about pluralism and your ostensible support of it you can come to understand me.
Andrew