Love and Numbers

A very important observation.

I remember one particular night when I was in my Reconstructionst shul's confirmation class a few years ago. Now, at this point, I had started to become Orthodox, but I was still somewhere in the interim stage.

Anyway, the previous week, someone had asked the teacher about Kabbalah, so the teacher brought a printout from the excellent Judaism 101 website. At one point, the page discussed the not-until-you're-40 stricture, as meaning that one must "fill his belly with bread and meat [Talmud and halakhah] before tackling the esoteric realm", as Rambam puts it. The teacher explained, you cannot study Kabbalah until you've completed your Jewish education.

The student piped up, "Well, we're all bar and bat mitzvah, and we'll be finishing confirmation soon; that means we can study Kabbalah!" My stomach turned in about as many knots as there are in tzitzit, in response to this; in my Sunday school, we had never opened up an actual Bible (we used textbooks ABOUT the Bible), and this student, poor girl, didn't even know how little she knew.

I think THE biggest problem facing Judaism, and I mean THE biggest, is lack of education. Rabbi Meir Kahane and Moshe Feiglin both call(ed) for actual, real Jewish education in the Israeli public schools. Not education "about" Judaism, nor Bible criticism, but REAL Jewish education. If the students become observant, great, but even if they remain non-observant, at least they'll know their own religion's philosophy and history, the same way that every other culture and nation teaches its own history. When America teaches American history, it doesn't teach it as if it is some arcane, abstract subject without relevance, and we shouldn't see Judaism as any less valid.

And I cannot imagine a better introductory text than Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's Nineteen Letters.

The issues in 19th century Germany are almost exactly the same as those today, and Rav Hirsch's first chapter is a fictitious letter from an Enlightenment Jew, disillusioned from Judaism, listing all his grievances against Judaism. Many of his complaints, would be echoed by Jews today. The rest of the book is Rav Hirsch's response.

Now, the book is unabashedly Orthodox, and so perhaps some would be uncomfortable with using this as a standard text. Nevertheless, since I'm personally Orthodox, I don't share this discomfort, and in any case, I believe this book has unsurpassed merit in at least being the starting point for a discussion. I could easily envision non-Orthodox reading this book, and using it as a springboard for arguing against Rav Hirsch's views.

In fact, when 19th century German Reform leader Abraham Geiger reviewed Rav Hirsch's Nineteen Letters, he had fantastically lavish praise for it. To be sure, Geiger disagreed with many of Hirsch's views, but he saw it as the noble and pious and intellectually-enlightened work that it was, and he was forced to praise it even as he criticized it.

If I had my way, I'd print a few million copies of this book, and distribute it to lay Jews. The book is availabe for free at http://www.archive.org/details/nineteenletters00hirs

See http://offthederech.blogspot.com/2005/11/hirschs-nineteen-letters-model-... and http://offthederech.blogspot.com/2005/11/hirschs-nineteen-letters-model-... for a disillusioned baal teshuva's respect for Rav Hirsch, even after he's stopped being observant.

On a personal level, I really appreciated this post. I come from an interfaith family and have actively sought out Jewish education and culture, only to often get turned away because I'm not "Jewish enough." In this post, you make the point that we should embrace anyone from any background who wants to learn more about Judaism. The people who complain about the religion dying out are often the same people rejecting those of us who want to study, learn, and observe the Jewish faith.

Lilit, I think you're exactly right.

I've never understood how a person can object to teaching Torah to gentiles. After all, if we are to be a "mamlechet kohanim v'goy kadosh" (a kingdom of priests and a holy nation; Exodus 19:5-6) and an "ohr lagoyim" (somewhere in Isaiah...), surely, does this not mean our messages, our teachings, our lessons, our laws, have some relevance to the gentiles?

(Lilit, I recognize that you spoke of children of intermarriage, i.e. half-Jews, or whatever one may call them. Please, do not misunderstand me; I am not equating such a "halfie" with a plain non-Jew, G-d forbid. Here is not the place to determine precisely what a "halfie" is, but surely, that status is not simply that of a gentile, but rather, much closer to that of a Jew. I am speaking of plain gentiles, simply to emphasize my point, and my words apply a fortiori to half-Jews.)

This is not the place to elaborate on the extent to which a non-Jew is able apply the teachings of the Torah to his own life, but suffice it to say, it is no small measure. If one excludes the purely "ritual" laws (which are clearly "cultic" laws uniquely applicable to the "priests" that the Jews are to mankind), one can easily say that the majority of the Torah is at least relevant to the non-Jew, and praiseworthy for him to adopt, even if not obligatory upon him per se.

If the gentile converts to Judaism, wonderful. And if remains a non-Jew, well, he'll be a better non-Jew than he was before. No matter which way you cut it, the Torah is not irrelevant to him.

Rabbi Benzion Uziel, the late Sefaradi Chief Rabbi of British
Mandate Palestine, put it wonderfully (Hegyonei Uziel, Jerusalem 5714
vol. 2, p. 127, quoted in "Loving Truth and Peace: The Grand Religious
Worldview of Rabbi Benzion Uziel by Rabbi Marc D. Angel" by Dr. Zvi
Zohar (book review), in The Edah Journal, Volume 1:2,
http://www.edah.org/backend/JournalArticle/1_2_zohar.pdf, Accessed
February 21, 2009):
Each country and each nation which respects itself does not and cannot
be satisfied with its narrow boundaries and limited domains; rather,
they desire to bring in all that is good and beautiful, that is helpful
and glorious, to their national [cultural] treasure. And they wish to
give the maximum flow of their own blessings to the [cultural] treasury
of humanity as a whole, and to establish a link of love and friendship
among all nations, for the enrichment of the human storehouse of
intellectual and ethical ideas and for the uncovering of the secrets of
nature. Happy is the country and happy is the nation that can give
itself an accounting of what it has taken in from others; and more
importantly, of what it has given of its own to the repository of all
humanity. Woe unto that country and that nation that encloses itself in
its own four cubits and limits itself to its own narrow boundaries,
lacking anything of its own to contribute [to humanity] and lacking the
tools to receive [cultural contributions] from others.

Now, some tangential matters, not of great importance:

Some will object that the Jewish people are to be a practical example, and teach by practice, not word. Now, there is a tremendous amount of truth to this; one learns far more by watching someone swim than by reading a book about swimming. Pedagogs are well aware of this principle, and it was said by Maimonides long ago, that the heart follows the deeds. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the paramount task of the Jew is to provide a practical example, this need not exclude the power of the word. Should Jews insist on staying out of the public forum, and go out of our way to avoid speaking, just because deed comes before speech? Surely, this would be idiocy.

Some will also object that the Talmud says that a gentile who learns Torah is deserving of death. However, the Talmud also says that a gentile who learns Torah is equal to the High Priest. The Talmud reconciles these two, saying that the former refers to learning laws not relevant to the gentile, while the latter refers to learning laws indeed relevant to the gentile. Now, this is difficult to understand; is the Torah some arcane source which we must jealously guard from the non-Jewish nations, as if we have anything to hide, and let them only learn things that are directly relevant to them per se, and secretively hide anything not directly relevant to them? Surely the truth is according to the 13th century Provencal halakhist, Rabbi Menachem haMeiri. He explains that the Talmud is not speaking of the difference between learning material that is irrelevant and relevant (respectively) to the gentile per se, but rather, it is speaking of the gentile's intent. That is, if the gentile learns with the intent to apply whatever he learns, he is like one learning laws relevant to a gentile, and he is like the High Priest. On the other hand, if he studies not with the intent to apply what he learns, but rather, he is learning for some ulterior motive (such as to inform on the Jews to the antisemitic authorities, or to use Jewish learning as missionary tools), then he is worthy of death. Professor Ephraim Urbach and Abraham Cohen likewise explains this anti-Christian polemic, when Christianity was trying to displace Judaism, and use Jewish learning to undermine Judaism.

Actually, since I've already broached the topic, I'll offer some words on the status of the child of intermarriage, who is perhaps not fully Jewish:

Rabbi Marc D. Angel (the rabbi emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel, the NY Sephardi congregation), following Rabbi Benzion Uziel (the late Sefardi
Chief Rabbi of British-Mandate Palestine) writes (Tradition 1972,
"Another Halakhic Approach to Conversions"), regarding converting (via
an Orthodox conversion) a Jew's non-Jewish partner, only for the sake
of marriage exclusively:
"Furthermore, it is dangerous to forbid conversion [in the case of a
non-Jewish spouse who is converting only for marriage] since it will
force the Jewish partners of interfaith marriages either to convert to
the other religion or to become defiled by the improper relationship.
Those who have been rejected from the people of Israel have
historically been our worst enemies. We also have an
obligation to the children of these marriages. After all, they are of
Jewish stock (Mizera Yisrael) even if their mother is not Jewish. They
are lost sheep whom we must reclaim for our people. In an emotional
passage, Rabbi Uziel writes: 'And I fear that if we push them [the
children] away completely by not accepting their parents for
conversion, we shall be brought to judgment and they shall say to us :
''You did not bring back those that were driven away and those who were
lost you did not seek'' (Ezekiel 34:4). This chastisement is
far more severe than the chastisement of accepting converts who in all
likelihood will not be observant Jews."

I myself am the son of a Jewish father and a Conservative-converted
mother, and so, once I became Orthodox, this was no longer sufficient
for me to consider myself Jewish, and I converted with the Israeli
rabbinut. But when I look at my mother and brother, I am unable to see
them as anything but Jewish. My mother taught me almost all I know
about Judaism, and it is with my mother and brother (not to mention my
father) that I attended shul, lit Hanuka candles, etc. How can I view
them as non-Jews? My entire Jewish identity is based on what she taught
me, based on her upbringing. If I
deny her part in the Jewish people, I deny my own. (I am crying as I
write this.) My mother wrote to Rabbi Angel about this, and his words of
consolation to her were truly beautiful and inspiring. While he could
not do anything, the halacha being what it is, he said that ultimately,
my mother's status is between her and G-d, and in the meantime, Rabbi
Angel said it is great to have her be part of the Jewish people,
whatever her precise halachic status may be.

B"H

OOh! So great that this book is available. You have aroused my curiousity...thanks so much for the information! 

******

Tikkun Olam, Right On!

 As someone who is happily intermarried to the love of her life, I have to say I agree with this article. Being married to a Greek does not prevent me or my daughter from being fully engaged Jews. Come Shabbat, we have dinner with my folks and all go to Temple together. We celebrate holidays, participate in every event, etc. On occasion, my husband joins us, very respectfully and supportively. He respects our Jewish identity and is in no way threatened by it, we respect his identity as a Christian, no big whoop. What is irritating is dealing with the assumption that I am somehow deficient as a Jew because my husband is not, or the surprise I face when I happily & matter-of-factly mention him because I refuse to be ashamed of the best, healthiest relationship I have ever known. It is particularly annoying when I get the old condescending raised eyebrow from someone who rarely graces the sanctuary with their presence. Ugh. I am already hearing from the Rabbi about my daughter needing to mix more with other Jewish kids in order to find a nice Jewish boy (or girl) someday. I always want to ask "Why?"...if the person she falls in love with ends up being Jewish, fine & dandy. But it is also fine & dandy if they aren't, as long as they love and support her and they can respect and celebrate one another's differences. But then again, I think it is more important for her to be a good-hearted loving person than to just be fixated on being part of an in-group. I struggle with that part of Judaism...sometimes there seems to be a fanatical focus on Jewish identity at the expense of a respect and love for humanity in general...to me that is a horrendous value to inculcate in a child and I'm not having it. If anything puts me at risk for becoming alienated from my roots, it's the reactionary tribalism within the Jewish community, not my big goyische boychick.

Shalom!

Edgar Bronfman continues to be a rational and reasonable voice within Judaism. he's right; it's not the fact that people are falling in love with non-Jews, it's the fact that Jewish values aren't instilled. education is a powerful tool, but it doesn't make people immune to falling in love with those of other backgrounds. rather than aiming to prevent intermarriage, the community at large should aim to increase its numbers in other ways besides simply telling the young generation to marry other Jews and procreate.

I must thank you.

Previously, I read Bronfman as saying that the solution to intermarriage is education, because education will prevent intermarriage. That is, the reason Jews intermarry, is that they don't know enough Judaism to understand why they shouldn't intermarry. As R' Kahane put it, if a Jew refuses to marry a gentile for other than religious reasons, this is racism. A (Jewishly) ignorant Jew, who is also not racist, has no choice but to condone intermarriage. Besides teaching anti-gentile racism, the only way for us to prevent intermarriage is to increase Jewish education.

After reading your post, I saw that Bronfman means that education will supplant the concern of intermarriage altogether, because it'll no longer matter who is technically Jewish and who is not; a Jewishly-educated non-Jewish spouse is just fine.

So, now I'll disagree with Bronfman. I must thank you, however, for helping me realize this.

LauraP, you say, "I struggle with that part of Judaism...sometimes there seems to be a
fanatical focus on Jewish identity at the expense of a respect and love
for humanity in general."

You have to understand: if Jews intermarry, that's the end of Judaism. Being the minority, there's very little chance that our children will carry on Judaism, unless we raise them in a fully Jewish home, and have them marry Jews themselves.

Rabbi Mordechai Machlis points out that the first several chapters of Genesis don't have a single Jew in them --- we are to remember that first and foremost, we ARE part of humanity, and G-d has never abandoned greater humanity, but rather, He has taken a roundabout way to gathering humanity, by first gathering the Jewish people to be His priests. And what is a priest without his congregation?

All the same, continues R' Machlis, some Jews care so much about greater humanity, that we forget about the Jewish people! Woe to the congregation when its priest takes off his garb and sits in a pew! We must remember that we ARE different, and that we have a particular mission, and that this necessitates marrying without our own. There is nothing wrong with gentiles, any more than there is anything wrong with the fact that a teacher must stay near the blackboard and not amongst the students.

If all Judaism is about is being a special ingroup at the expense of acknowledging a shared humanity, well, maybe it isn't anything worth preserving. Thank goodness for Reform Judaism, because if my 2 choices were Orthodoxy or nothing, I'd rather be a Buddhist. The most important Jewish value should be about being a mensch, religion should lead to a more open heart if it is worth perpetuating. I don't get what the obsession is about needing both parents to be Jewish in order to be a Jew. I'm Jewish, my kid is Jewish. Period. And the fact that her father is not a Jew has no bearing, doesn't make her less Jewish than a kid with 2 Jewish parents (even going by your stricter, Halachic interpretation). And she is very involved, at services weekly, proud to be Jewish...but more importantly the values she has been brought up with have made her a good human being. To me that is the important thing, more important than even having a specific Jewish identity. There are frum folks out there (Rubashkins, anyone?) who would shudder at their kid dating a Hindu but who are totally cool with inhumane labor practices that exploit children and undocumented workers. I don't get that. To me, Judaism is a means to an end (a religion that focuses on ethics, helps to forge decent values) as opposed to an end in and of itself. And Judaism is far from the only faith that can forge a really excellent value system (Buddhism, for example...when was the last time you heard about a Buddhist hurting someone in a religious dispute? What would that even look like? "Meditate now or I'll make you eat chicken!"?).

But then again, I truly believe that God has no use for sectarianism...and that all these identity politics are of human rather than divine origin.

Shalom!

"If all Judaism is about is being a special ingroup at the expense of
acknowledging a shared humanity, well, maybe it isn't anything worth
preserving."

Absolutely. If we take Judaism to be its own end, unto itself, indeed, Judaism is worthless. I wholeheartedly agree.

G-d told Avraham, "Be a blessing". Rabbi Dr. Leo Levi (Orthodox) notes that this is the only command G-d
gives Avraham; the rest are blessings, and the one command G-d gives
Avraham, is to be a blessing to mankind. Rabbi Hertz's famous
Humash/Pentateuch notes that the Jewish Messianic vision is presaged in
this command.

G-d, musing on Avraham's destiny to teach his own (Jewish) children the way of justice and righteousness, notes that therefore, He must inform Avraham of the fate of the (non-Jewish) Sodomites, that Avraham may pray for them.

If one believes that the Jewish people exist for ourselves, for our own sake, one will be quite hard-pressed to find any traditional sources to back up this opinion.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the foremost Orthodox rabbi in 19th century Germany, notes ("Judaism Up to Date"), 

"Consider Abraham, the first and most isolated Jew on earth. Was ever
anyone so isolated? Single and alone with G-d on earth, single and alone
in conflict with the whole of his age. What a heart did he bear in his
bosom, full of modesty, full of gentleness, full of compassion and love
for all, for the most depraved men of his time! The judgment of G-d is
suspended over Sodom and Gomorrah, over the vilest sink of iniquity
known in history, and it is Abraham who prays for Sodom and Gomorrah!

"G-d concluded with him and his descendants the most separatist
covenants and stamped on their body the most separatist sign of this
covenant [viz. the milah, circumcision]. And we see Abraham with the
pain inflicted by this sign still fresh sitting before his tent in the
heat of the sun and looking out for weary travellers, inviting
idolatrous strangers into his house and showing mercy and kindness and
the love of G-d to all his fellow-men without distinction."

----

Regarding Rubashkin, you're absolutely correct. See what I wrote in comment to another's blog at http://jcarrot.org/a-closer-look-into-the-struggle-of-the-agriprocessors...

At http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2006/03/rav-breuer-glatt-kosher-glatt-yoshor_..., a descendant of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (again, the foremost 19th century German Orthodox rabbi), quips as Rabbi Hirsch famously would: "Glatt kosher? Glatt yoshor!" ("Yoshor" means ethical propriety.) Says Rabbi Hirsch's descendant, 

"A further comment: “Kosher” is intimately related to “Yoshor.” God’s
Torah not only demands the observance of Kashruth and the
sanctification of our physical enjoyment; it also insists on the
sanctification of our social relationships. This requires the strict
application of the tenets of justice and righteousness which avoid even
the slightest trace of dishonesty in our business dealings and personal
life.

"God’s Torah not only demands of us to love our neighbor in that we
concern ourselves with his welfare and property, but it insists further
on a conduct of uncompromising straightness (”Yoshor”) which is
inspired not only by the letter of the law but is guided by the ethical
principle of honesty which, then, would deserve the honorable title of
“Yeshurun.”

“He fears God who walks in uprightness” (Mishle 14:2).

"We would welcome a campaign to link a drive for “Glatt Kosher” with
an equally intensive one for “Glatt Yoshor.” This objective is given
hopeful expression by the Prophet Zephaniah (3:13): “The remnants of Israel will not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.”

----

"Thank goodness for Reform Judaism, because if my 2 choices were
Orthodoxy or nothing, I'd rather be a Buddhist. The most important
Jewish value should be about being a mensch, religion should lead to a
more open heart if it is worth perpetuating."

Note again the words of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

"...Judaism is not a religion, the synagogue is not a church, and
the rabbi is not a priest. Judaism is not a mere adjunct to life: it
comprises all of life. To be a Jew is not a mere part, it is the sum
total of our task in life. To be a Jew in the synagogue and the
kitchen, in the field and the warehouse, in the office and the pulpit,
as father and mother, as servant and master, as man and as citizen,
with one's thoughts, in word and in deed, in enjoyment and privation,
with the needle and the graving-tool, with the pen and the chisel--that
is what it means to be a Jew. An entire life supported by the Divine
Idea and lived and brought to fulfillment according to the Divine Will.

"The more, indeed, Judaism comprises the whole of man and extends
its declared mission to the salvation of the whole of mankind, the less
it is possible to confine its outlook to the four cubits of a synagogue
and the four walls of a study. The more the Jew is a Jew, the more
universalist will his views and aspirations be, the less aloof  will
he be from anything that is noble and good, true and upright, in art or
science, in culture or education; the more joyfully will he applaud
whenever he sees truth and justice and peace and the ennoblement of man
prevail and become dominant in human society: the more joyfully will he
seize every opportunity to give proof of his mission as a Jew, the task
of his Judaism, on new and untrodden ground; the more joyfully will he
devote himself to all true progress in civilisation and
culture--provided, that is, provided, that is, that he will not only
not have to sacrifice his Judaism but will also be able to bring it to
more perfect fulfilment. He will ever desire progress, but only in
alliance with religion. He will not want to accomplish anything that he
cannot accomplish as a Jew. Any step which takes him away from Judaism
is not for him... a step forward, is not progress. He exercises this
self-control without a pang, for he does not wish to accomplish his own
will on earth but labours in the service of God. He knows that wherever
the Ark of his God does not march ahead of him he is not accompanied by
the pillar of the fire of His light or the pillar of the cloud of His
grace."

From "Religion Allied to Progress" (Rabbi Hirsch's polemic against Reform), excerpted at
www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/363_Transp/Orthodoxy/SRHirsch.html, and found
complete in Judaism Eternal (London: Soncino) and Collected Writings
(New York/Jerusalem: Feldheim)."

----

From another of Rabbi Hirsch's essays, "Judaism Up to Date" / "The Jew and His Time" (thiss essay is also a polemic against Reform):

"And why should they [Jews] not [be universalist towards all humanity]? The guide-book with which G-d had equipped
them for their wanderings had solved for them the riddle of history.
G-d had taken them back to to the beginning of human history and had
disclosed the glorious culmination which was to follow the deepest
gloom. G-d had called them [the Jews] His firstborn because among all the lost
sons of G-d they had been the first to find their way back to Him; and
they knew from this all their fellow-men would one day follow them
to their Father's heart. G-d had called them His priests, and they knew
from this that all mankind must be his people, for which they as
priests had to proclaim His eternal promise of salvation. And even
while G-d said to them "I have separated you from the peoples", the
[Talmudic] Rabbis came to them and warned them: "Do not forget: G-d has not
separated the people from you like one who picks the bad out of the
good and throws it away, for then they would be cast off for ever; but
G-d separated you from the peoples like one who picks the good out of
the less good and goes on picking again and again and adding the better
to the good" (Yalkut, Kedoshim). Every new turn in the world's history,
whether for sadness or joy, they looked on as such a selection and
collection of all the seeds of better promise; and all the songs of
their poets and all the words of their prophets revealed nothing except
this way of G-d in world history and sang of nothing but that bright
morning which will one day dawnn for all mankind for all nations to
see, and of which they, the Jews, will be and remain the messengers and
heralds.

"Thus it is just the most isolated Jew who bears in his breast the most universal thoughts and sentiments.

"With serene glance he wanders through the world and down the ages,
and joyfully welcomes every apparition in which, wherever and however
it may be, he sees the seeds of a pure worship of G-d and of the
ennoblement of man, the recognition of G-d and of the divine destiny of
man cultivated and preserved in non-Jewish circles. And though he knows
that until that morning comes he will nowhere find full and eternal
salvation established on earth, yet he rejoices to see anywhere the sum
total of truth and goodness increased on earth, he sees in every
sunrise the beams of the morning which will one day dawn cloudlessly
over mankind. Now at least he observes how one single grain which two
thousands years ago fell from the rich harvest of His Divine word - not
wholly free it is true from the admixture of strange elements - into
the bosom of mankind, has now grown and spread so luxuriantly that,
whatever clouds may yet darken the sky, it has already been greeted by
men as a full redemption of mankind [do not miss the subtle sarcasm of
Rabbi Hirsch, which he so discretely tucks into his none-the-less
optimistic words]. He can follow step by step the blossoms of which
since then have consciously and unconsciously been plucked from the
Jewish tree of life to enrich the realm of truth, love and justice.
When he sees this, he is filled with happiness at the thought of the
endless store of salvation and blessing which mankind will enjoy when
the seeds of salvation scattered from His Divine word shall have
reached maturity and brought the full redemption of mankind in which
G-d shall destroy death for ever, and dry the tears from every face,
and also put an end to the reproach of His people upon the earth. Then
his [man's] holy things will be still holier to him [man], then he will
cling even more closely to his divine treasure, and he will become
still firmer in his resolution to carry through to the end without
flinching this vessel which bears the salvation of mankind, until [Rabbi Hirsch proceeds to quote extensively from Isaiah]."

...

"Hence the Jew will not frown on any art, any science, any culture
provided that it is found to be true and edifying, and really to
promote the welfare of mankind. He has to taste everything by the
unimpeachable touchstone of his divine law; whatever does not stand
this test for him does not exist. But the more firmly he takes his
stand on the rock of his Judaism, the more ready will he be to accept
and gratefully appropriate whatever is true and good in other sources
according to Jewish standards; in whatever mind it originated, from whose-ever mouth it
issued, he will always be ready to say, as the Sages say, l'kabel
ha'emet mimi she'amrah to receive the truth from him who spoke it.
Nowhere will he ever sacrifice a single thread of his Judaism or trim
his Judaism to the needs of the time. Wherever the age offers him
anything which is consonant with his Judaism he will willingly adopt
it. He will in every period regard it as his duty to pay due
appreciation to the age and its conditions from the standpoint of his
Judaism, and to make use of the new means provided by any period in
order that in the conditions of that period he may be able to make the
old Jewish spirit expand in new beauty and may perform his duty to it
with ever-renewed vigour and loyalty."

---

There's your Orthodox parochialism. Rabbi Hirsch was THE foremost Orthodox rabbi in 19th century Germany.

My family has the hardest time accepting the fact that I am marrying a "non-jew".

From my understanding, my kids are going to be born jews because it counts by the mother.

He was raised Christian/Baptist and I don't expect and will not force him to convert. I love him for who he is and the way he is.

You can't control who you fall in love with, but as long as there's understanding and compromise between the two people who love each other, all things can be worked out.

We did agree that once our kids are born, they will be raised to know they are jewish, and we will guide them as much as possible.