Modern Orthodox Judaism: Encyclopedia II - Modern Orthodox Judaism - Criticism

Modern Orthodox Judaism - Criticism

Generalisations concerning Modern Orthodoxy are difficult to draw, and, as such, any critiscm may be aimed at a straw man. This section deals with criticism relating to standards of observance and to social issues; as regards its philosophy see "Criticism" under Torah Umadda.

Modern Orthodox Judaism - Standards of observance

There is an often cited contention that Modern Orthodoxy has lower standards of observance of traditional Jewish laws and customs than other branches of Orthodox Judaism [19]. This view is largely anecdotal, and is based on individual behaviour, as opposed to any formal, institutional position [20]: “There are at least two distinct types of Modern Orthodox.. One is philosophically or ideologically modern, while the other is more appropriately characterized as behaviorally modern… [The] philosophically Modern Orthodox would be those who are meticulously observant of Halakhah but are, nevertheless, philosophically modern….The behaviorally Modern Orthodox, on the other hand, are not deeply concerned with philosophical ideas... by and large, they define themselves as Modern Orthodox [either] in the sense that they are not meticulously observant [or] in reference to… right-wing Orthodoxy.” [21]; see also [22].

Modern Orthodox Judaism - Introduction of reforms

Modern Orthodox Rabbis have been criticised for attempting to modify Jewish law and the Codes of Jewish Law in the name of adapting Judaism to the needs of modern world. In fact, Haredi groups have sometimes compared Modern Orthodoxy with early Reform Judaism in Germany. It is true that in early 1800s Europe, all of Judaism that differed from the strictest forms present at the time was called "Reform". Even so, even at that time, the early "reformers" within Orthodoxy addressed this claim explicitly, taking pains to distance their "reforms" - those which could be justified as based on the Shulkhan Arukh and poskim – with those of the Reform movement, which could not; see further under Torah im Derech Eretz. As above, this remains the formal policy of contemporary Modern Orthodoxy, and this difference thus persists more than a century later.

Modern Orthodox Judaism - Difficulties inherent

Some observe that the ability of Modern Orthodoxy to attract a large following and maintain its strength as a movement is, ironically, inhibited by the fact that it embraces modernity - its raison d'être - and that it is highly rational and intellectual.

• The very term “Modern Orthodoxy” is, in some sense, an oxymoron. One of the characteristics of all religious orthodoxies, is the submission to the authority of its tradition - authority and tradition are a prerequisite for orthodoxy, and within an orthodoxy, the individual is expected to perceive himself as not having any choice but to conform to all of its dictates. Modernity, by contrast, emphasizes a measure of personal autonomy as well as rationalist truth [23]. Some implications are that Modern Orthodoxy is, almost by definition, inhibited from becoming a strong movement, because this would entail organization and authority to a degree "which goes against the very grain of modernity". A related difficulty is that Modern Orthodox rabbis who do adopt stringencies may, in the process, lose the support of precisely the "Modern" group which they sought to lead.

• Modern Orthodoxy’s "highly intellectual and rational stance" presents its own difficulties. Firstly, the ideology entails built-in tensions and frequently requires conscious living with inconsistency [24] (for instance, modernity vs. orthodoxy). Secondly, there are also those who question whether "the literature... with its intellectually elitist bias fails to directly address the majority of its practitioners" [25]. The suggestion here is that Modern Orthodoxy may not provide a directly applicable theology for the contemporary Modern Orthodox family; see further discussion under Torah Umadda.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Criticism", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki