Experiencing the spiritual and the Divine can be very powerful. We have all felt the transcendent experience of standing at the Kotel and feeling connected to G-d, our people, and thousands of years of Jewish history. To be clear, these experiences are not reserved to Jews. Judaism does not have a monopoly on G-d. But we do have a direct and specific way to reach out to Him. And that way is broader than many people give Judaism credit for.
Experiencing the spiritual and the Divine can be very powerful. We have all felt the transcendent experience of standing at the Kotel and feeling connected to G-d, our people, and thousands of years of Jewish history. To be clear, these experiences are not reserved to Jews. Judaism does not have a monopoly on G-d. But we do have a direct and specific way to reach out to Him. And that way is broader than many people give Judaism credit for.Reading Rachel Renz’s article in the Observer saddened me, and not for the reasons you may think. The halachic implications of entering a church and participating in the service was not the issue. What did, however, upset me was how we can wax lyrical about the “auspicious service” of the Cathedral, yet not realize that what we do and say can influence not just ourselves, but the many people who read our words.
I don’t know Rachel. However, I am fairly certain she is not going to become a regular attendee of church services. She won’t give up her connection to her faith and begin sporting a cross or adorn her home with a Christmas tree with a Star of David perched on top. She won’t, but others will and do. Many others.
I also don’t believe that most readers of her article will create a stampede to St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas Eve 2014, hoping to catch a glimpse of Timothy Dolan conducting his Christmas Eve ceremony and giving his sermon. But that’s not the point.
We, the Orthodox Jews, are swiftly becoming what’s left of our continued religious heritage. If we don’t stick to who we are and find greatness in our own Judaism and institutions, then who will? This is not to say Rachel and the other Jews she encountered during midnight mass don’t feel a connection to their Jewish faith and spiritual heritage. Her midnight church experience may have even given her a deeper appreciation of her own faith. I don’t discount that possibility. However, attending that service, and writing about it in such glowing terms, does a disservice to thousands of years of Jewish persecution at the hands of the Church.
Let’s not forget the persecution our ancestors were subjected to specifically on Christmas Eve, at the hand of Christians through the centuries.
Leaving history aside, right now countless Jews are abandoning their faith in record numbers to other religions, sects and cults to find that transcendent spiritual experience elsewhere. Do we really want to help them by acting as a portal to that end?
You may be thinking, “What’s the big deal? So she watched a midnight mass on Christmas Eve and wrote about the experience.” True, in the grand scheme of things, with all the terrible things that are being done to the Jews and in many cases by the Jews, it’s pretty insignificant. However, it’s exactly because of what is happening to our people—with intermarriage at 58%, and 71% among the non-orthodox—that we can’t afford to bask in the glory of another faith, instead of using every opportunity to realize, and more importantly publicize, the incredible faith we have to offer the world around us.