Tradition and Change.
" Tradition and Modernity " - or "Tradition and Change! "
What ideas do these two concepts conjure up? What feelings - positive and negative - do we associate with each? For a moment or two just run these words through your mind.
Tradition . Of course! Fiddler comes to mind! The song made famous by the musical. Tradition . Positive feelings: Familiarity, history, loyalty, wisdom gained by experience , security.
Contrast Modernity! Positive feelings: New, democratic, scientific, open-minded, progressive, creative, fresh, technological, change.
Compare the sets of associations and we discover that what is considered positive for one might well be negative for the other. The "familiarity" of Tradition becomes "boring" for Modernity ; the "new" of Modernity becomes the "untested" for Tradition . The "security" of Tradition becomes the "slavery" of Modernity . The " progressive" of Modernity becomes the "inexperienced" of Tradition.
On an extreme level, the "stability" of Tradition, becomes the "Same old - same old" of Modernity and the "New" of Modernity becomes the "Betrayal" of Tradition .
We can see here a classical clash of world views: a motif that has political as well as religious implications. It may well reflect the ancient tension between priest and prophet: the priest representing the service of God through traditions of ritual and the prophet claiming that the ritual is an abomination unless accompanied by a social consciousness. This clash is deeply rooted in people's emotional sense of reality and probably less dependent on their rational sensibilities.
For all this, the blending of the tension between Tradition and Modernity is the very essence of what defines "Conservative Judaism"! As a result we face serious challenges in order to meet this desired harmony of what is potentially two separate poles. To be successful involves a process - a process of learning in order to understand both sides. For now, it would appear that "Modernity" has the greater appeal. Our "modern" society exerts such an influence on us that there are Jews who might well believe that "Judaism is the Democratic Party platform!"
But we are actually seeking a balance. This means that we have a mandate to search and study our Tradition, to become familiar in its paths and discover its beauty. At which point we can bring it to bear on the current situation. To survive I hope we can devote some of our precious time to learning from past experience and apply it to our present circumstances.
Living in tension may be uncomfortable, but it is dynamic and certainly not "boring"! It can stimulate us look at life from the larger perspective. It can help us discover what belief in God is about. It can make every day a delight!
Susan, Sarah, David and Micah join me in wishing you a year of spiritual fulfillment.
Rabbi Mordecai Miller