The Illusion of Orthodox Education

I mentioned previously the differences between the personal identity and the public or communal agenda. I spoke of home and community, but we yet have to speak of the school system. The illusion referred to in the title of this post is not that there are different types of education and that one of them is orthodox, but rather that there is a concept of an orthodox, ultra-orthodox, or modern-orthodox schools or curricula. Schools are not monolithic, though they may be generally promoting a certain agenda and recruiting students from a relatively homogeneous community. The diversity within one school is immense, and it is even greater across the school system of any denomination.

I will expand more on this topic later, but first, I wanted to discuss a theme that seems to have been abandoned by the orthodox educational system (with all of its diversity): Tikkun Olam

Last week I was asked by a rabbinic graduate of YU what are the internal Jewish sources for Tikkun Olam (Perfecting the World). His question reminded me of an incident which took place some twenty years ago at a high school staff meeting. As one of my colleagues suggested steering the curriculum in the direction of Tikkun Olam, another Judaic studies teacher, a rabbi, objected vehemently, claiming that it is reform or conservative concept and not an orthodox one. Back then I thought that the Rabbi was in the minority, but over the years I have come to learn the sad truth, which has been finally cemented with the question of the rabbinic student, that orthodox Jews truly believe that their sole purpose is to take care of their internal affairs and guarantee the continued existence of the Jewish people and their closeness to God, and that the State of the Union, of Humanity or of the Planet is not their concern or their responsibility.

I originally planned to present here all Biblical sources for Tikkun Olam, but then realized that even with an abridged version I will have to limit this installment to sources from the book of Genesis. The rest of the vast Biblical literature dealing with Tikkun Olam will be presented in future installments, albeit in a cursory mode, just as an eye-opener and an incentive for us to invest more in understanding this fundamental concept of Judaism. In a following article I will examine the reasons for Orthodox Judaism’s seeming apathy and indifference to the rest of the world. I would welcome any ideas and thoughts on the matter.

Before we start with what is in the Bible, let us discuss that which is not there: The resurrection of the dead, the World to Come, Heaven and Hell, the eternal existence of the soul and reincarnation.

All these tenets of the Jewish faith cannot be found in the Bible for a very simple reason: God did not want us to live our lives thinking of the eternal reward our soul can expect when it reaches its final destination, because that would have directed all of our actions to benefit ourselves. All these concepts surfaced in the period between the destruction of the First Temple and the Hasmonean war, because Jews felt that there is no reward in this world for their observance. It was then that Antignos of Sokho, the early Mishnaic sage, warned his disciples against serving God for the purpose of reward, knowing very well the destructive outcome of such an approach.

If the Torah did not deem mentioning all these elements necessary, it means that for at least 1,500 years it was possible to live as a good Jew without  thinking of עולם הבא, the world to come, and of the palatial mansion even the meekest of Jews can build there with his good deeds. They must have had a different understanding as to what is our purpose in the world, a simple and logical understanding which somehow evades us today. That understanding was that we can never know why God created the world and why it is the way it is, but we do know that God provided us with a guide on how to make this world work in the best way possible, for the well-being and peace of not only the Hebrews, Israelites or Jews but all of its inhabitants. Since God is eternal and immutable, our actions do not affect Him, and therefore the commandments governing our actions towards God – בין אדם למקום, are meant to help us and not Him. They teach us to accept God’s authority and to make sacrifices for Him, thus paving the way for us to accept the laws governing our behavior towards others – בין אדם לחברו, and to be willing to make sacrifices for society and for humanity.