Dr. Eitan Homa, a San Francisco Wexner Heritage alumnus, enjoys shaking foundations of thought. He may be reached at ehoma@dermatologyoffice.com.
It’s July 2007. If you want a great traditional dvar torah? Google Matot-Masei. Want something a little different. Keep reading.
So, do you keep kosher? Oh, only in the home and on Passover you say. Why are we as a people so schizoid about this week’s parsha commandment of keeping kashrut (kosher)? The dark truth lies in communal uncertainty and fickleness about our faith and the relevance of keeping its commandments. Scary, isn’t it? Even amongst us “Wexner Elite”, the numbers of true kashrut observers I dare speculate is low.
Not surprised are you?
In the past year I have had a number of people ask me if I have read New York Times Best Sellers; Sam Harris’ book The End of Faith or Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion.
Contemporary well written books arguing against the presence of God and organized religion. In this age of militant Islamic terrorism, all religions can appear irrational and the cause behind hateful wars.
The crisis of faith intensifies and for what its worth, here’s my view. We all have our deeply held beliefs, some more rabbinic than others. But ultimately, we who are in Wexner care about Judaism in our own special ways. For some, it’s Israeli politics, others language & culture and heaven forbid, a few even care about true Torah observance. But in the end, it’s all good and all so very real. The fabric of our religion, culture and history is undeniably rich, whatever your beliefs are.
Have you ever considered that what you believe is wrong? Let me repeat, have you ever considered what you believe is wrong? Ya, me too. And I like that way. It keeps me intellectually honest, open and nonjudgmental.
So, when I Google the parshat hashavua and read not only rabbinic Divrei Torah, but divergent interpretations to suit every color and stripe of Judaism I can do nothing but smile. The crisis of faith will never die, but likewise, neither will our passionate desire to keep the Torah alive and meaningful.
Shabbat Shalom.
