Rabbi Creditor: "Dynamic Judaism"
This is a series of monthly talks by Rabbi Creditor following Sunday morning Minyans, Feb.-Jun., 2009
Jan. 25: Dynamic Judaism: “An Introduction”. Audio, Handout
The term "dynamic" suggests a responsive system which responds to new challenges in real-time rather than having a predetermined response. Judaism has always been a home for questions, for newness, and yet somehow calls itself "traditional." Join this discussion of a living, breathing Judaism, which Rabbi Isaac HaCohen Kook suggested when he wrote that "the ancient must be renewed and the new must be sanctified."
Feb. 22: Dynamic Judaism: “Movements and Denominationalism”. Audio, Handout
Many believe that authentic Judaism has a certain look and that the different denominations of Judaism are either closer or farther from a "good-enough Judaism." How does each denomination see itself? Is that how one denomination sees another? Is it possible to see a valid Jewish path elsewhere without abandoning a conviction that your own is the right one for you? Join this discussion of what Rabbi David Hartman has called "A Heart of Many Rooms."
March 22: Dynamic Judaism: "Rebels and Heretics". Audio
What happens when someone pushes Judaism too hard? Are innovators heretics? Or is there a system of traditional heresy in Judaism? Who sets the boundaries of authenticity, and what precisely is tradition? Is advocacy a Jewish tradition? Or a concession to social trends? Join this discussion on the place of Jewish discontent and Jewish tradition, centering on those who, as Rabbi Haviva Ner-David has it, live "life on the fringes."
April 19: Dynamic Judaism: "Why not Oysters?". Audio, Handout
Rabbi Neil Gillman has asked: "Why do some laws change and others not change? Why can we drive to shul on Shabbat but not a museum? Why are all cheeses kosher but oysters still treif? Why change some portions of our liturgy but not others?" This installation of the Dynamic Judaism series with Rabbi Creditor will address these questions through an exploration of the Conservative Jewish approach to tradition in the face of new challenges.
June 14: Dynamic Judaism: "Catalyzing Rest". Audio, Handout
The power of Halacha (Jewish Law) to guide our lives is sometimes missed because it is simply so detailed. Certain personalities in Jewish history have called into question the usefulness of Halacha as a vehicle for Jewish spirituality. In this conversation, Rabbi Creditor will make a case for Halacha as a textured approach to healthy sacred living, and as a way of being in a distinctly non-fundamentalist relationship with God.