Is It Really Working
Resource
Type:
Peula
in:
Engels
Age:
14-18
Group Size:
10-55
Estimated Time:
45
minutes
The Situation:
Nadav
and Asnat cannot get married. Two years
ago they met in a law office in Tel Aviv where they both work, and since then
they have made a smashing couple. Their
friends were only too happy to hear the news when Nadav and Asnat announced
their engagement. The wedding was set
for mid-June, plans were made, caterer and hall reserved, and everything was canceled. Yes, canceled. Nadav found out, to his
surprise, that he is a Cohen. Asnat had
been divorced shortly after a terribly unsuccessful marriage 9 years ago. Nadav a Cohen - Asnat divorced - Under Jewish law, a Cohen is not allowed to
marry a divorced woman. Nadav and Asnat
love their land, their heritage, even their religious neighbors, but the truth is
they don't really care about Halakha. The government of
So,
the plans are canceled. Everybody's
frustrated with the government and disgusted with the rabbinate. Nadav and Asnat fly to
angry
with its proponents.
Sicha Question:
Should Nadav and Asnat be
allowed to marry in
Discuss
the issue. Three general opinions may
emerge:
1 -
A religious state means religious laws - Asnat and Nadav may NOT marry.
2 -
Nobody has the right to enforce religion on anybody at any time - Asnat and
Nadav may do as they please.
3 -
Ideally there should be religious laws, but if it will create hatred we should
not insist on it.
This
is a major discussion in
From Meretz's
platform:
The State of Israel is governed by
civil law, not by the Halacha. The Declaration of Independence's promise to
provide freedom of religion and conscience and equal rights to all citizens of
The state will respect and guarantee the right of
all citizens and residents Jews and non-Jews, secular and religious to live
their lives according to their beliefs and viewpoints, in private and in
public, during the week and on holidays, in building their family and in educating
their children, in culture and in entertainment, without any
coercion
by one side over another in religious matters.
The State of Israel will
respect the desire of every individual to practice the commandments of his/her
religion in his/her own way, and will ensure that all religious streams enjoy equality
in all areas of life. Women will be
permitted to pray at sacred sites on a completely equal basis. The principle of
freedom of religion, including freedom from religion, requires the separation of religion and politics,
and the separation of religious institutions from theinstitutions of the state.
Civil marriage and divorce will be introduced
alongside the existing religious
system, so that any adult man and woman will be free to realize their right to establish
a family without religious restrictions, enjoying equal rights in the act of
marriage, during the marriage, and in the event of divorce. Every citizen will be free to
choose
between the range of religious marriages and civil marriage.
From Likud
platform:
III.
Religion and State
1.The Government will act to bring the
religious and secular closer through mutual understanding and respect. The Government
will retain the status quo on religious matters. Whenever it becomes clear that
the status quo was violated, the Government will look into steps to undo the
change, including introducing legislation.
2.The Law of Conversion shall be changed so
that conversions to Judaism in
3.The Government will initiate research of
the history of the
4.The Government will make prayer
arrangements for Jews at holy sites in accordance to the guidelines of
religious law.
Discuss: Who do you think belongs for the most part to
each party - religious or secular?
Would
religious and secular Jews tend to agree or disagree on this topic?
Remember
Nadav and Asnat!!
The
general theme of the discussion should underscore that religious and secular
Jews may tend to argue about this point. Is it probable that secular Jews would want religious laws pertaining to
marriage, Shabbat, etc.?
Question: If in fact there is a conflict, should we
press our side of the issue and insist we are right, at all costs - even unity?
From A Torah Perspective
of the Status of Secular Jews - Rav Amital, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivat Har
Etzion, Gush Etzion:
We
have to concede that in principle, halakhah is harsh towards and intolerant of
those who violate it. Here is what Rav Abraham Isaac ha-Kohen Kook had to say:(4)
"And the fiercest of the nations (the Jews: see Beitzah 25b; Shemot Raaks hellish
vengeance on those who muddy up its life. It does not tolerate those who do so,
be they even brother or son. In its heart
there continues to reverberate the proclamation of its first shepherd (Moshe,
during the episode of the Golden Calf; Shemot 32:27), "These are the words
of the Lord, God of Israel: 'Let each of
you take up his sword and go through the camp from gate to gate, and slay
brother, neighbor and kin.'" This attitude is primarily one of principle,
and there is a vast difference between halakhic principle and practice in
this
respect. There are halakhic matters concerning which we are told halakhah ve'ein
morin ken - "the action, if performed, is correct under the law, but is
not prescribed a priori." Between the
proclamation in principle and the implementation there is a
great
distance. However the assertion in the
principle is important in itself and as an edifying factor.
[Is there a difference between the ideal we envision and the practice wemust implement?]
It
is worthwhile recalling what the Tanya says about those who have become so
alienated from things Jewish that one is not even required to reprove them,
since the commandment to do so applies
only to "your fellow" in Torah and observance, and not merely to any
neighbor of countryman. Hating people
who are so alienated is forbidden. As
the Tanya says:
"Concerning
one who is not your comrade, one with whom you are not close - it is concerning relations with
such people that Hillel the Elder has
said (Avot 1:12): "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing
peace, loving the beriyyot (creatures) and bringing them close to the
Torah." Hillel's use of the term
"creatures" rather than "people" indicates that he is
referring to those who are far removed from Torah;
you
must draw them closer with bonds of love - to the point where they are brought
into the study of Torah and service of God, and at the same time you earn
reward for having observed the precept of loving your fellow."
[Can we relate to and deal with all Jews in the same way? Should we consider the repercussions of our actions in light of the types of Jews we deal with?]
[concerning]
the State of Israel, with ramifications pertaining to pikkuach nefesh - the
saving
of life. If we believe that the State of
Israel is a haven for millions of Jews, and that the survival of those Jews hinges
on peace for Israel and the Jewish state's capacity to withstand its many
enemies; and if we believe that the reestablishment of the Jewish state and its
survival constitute Kiddush Hashem - sanctification and glorification of God's
name; if the State of Israel is precious to us; if we have not yet been
infected by the "Charedi heresy," which excludes God from the history
of the reestablishment of Jewish statehood and regards it as a purely human act
- then we had better realize that the State of Israel is not going to endure if
cordial relations do not prevail between all sectors of the nation.
Only if Jews relate to each other as brothers,
irrespective of ideology, can we maintain this state. Otherwise, we live under
a threat of destruction. I do not have to adduce any source texts to support
these latter two considerations. Concerning such instances, the Sages have already said, "Why do I
need a quotation from Scripture?
It
stands to reason."
[Does this issue have
special importance and urgency in the state of
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