A Rabbis Perspective Rabbi Emanuel Feldman

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An Unorthodox Look at
the Future of Orthodoxy

Once upon a time, there were three

main Jewish religious groupings:
Orthodox, Conservative,
Reform. As is well known, the
Orthodox believed in Torah min
haShamayim, Divine Revelation;
in the authority of the Oral Torah
and its accompanying halachah.
Reform rejected all this. The
Conservatives were an ideological
mlange containing elements of
Orthodoxy and Reform.
For many years, Orthodoxy was down
for the count and needed life support,
while Conservative and Reform were
ascendant and powerful.
That was the 20th century. But
somehow, in one of the great mysteries
of Jewish history, the Orthodox
miraculously rose from the ashes, and in
the 21st century became ascendant, while
Conservative and Reform steadily lost
ground. (What caused this resurrection is
beyond the scope of this essay.)
However, the Orthodox, being Jews,
soon split into different factions, and new
variations of the old Orthodoxy began
to surface, each with its own agenda and
nomenclature. A casual observer of the
Orthodox scene would find, in the second
decade of the 21st century, a confusing
pastiche of different shades of Orthodoxy:
Plain Orthodox; Modern Orthodox; Ultra
Orthodox; Chassidic Orthodox; Yeshivish
Orthodox; and most recently, Open
Orthodox.
What was most curious is that, unlike
the 20th century when deviationists

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from Jewish practice called themselves

Conservative or Reform, in the 21st
century all variations of Jewish
observance, no matter how far removed
from halachah, insisted on being called
Orthodox a term that had, astonishingly,
become fashionable and de rigueur.
But it is a cardinal principle of Jewish
life that nothing has reality unless it
spawns a breakaway. Below we offer, as a
service to our loyal readers, a crystal-ball
preview of the future of Open Orthodoxy.

2040: Ultra-Wide-Open Orthodox

Program: The Wide-Open Orthodox are
not open wide enough. Example: Since
our female rabbis are not obligated by
halachah to wear tefillin, our heterodox
male rabbis, in the interest of equality,
are also absolved from tefillin. We have
also dispensed with all head-coverings.
Our new bare-headedness symbolizes our
ultra-wide-openness to others and to
Heaven. Of course we are Orthodox.
Uniform: Whatever.

In the present: Open Orthodox

Program: The Modern Orthodox are not
modern enough. MOs insistence on full
Torah observance smacks of intolerance
toward the nonobservant, and is closed to
the realities of modern life. OO is open to
diversity and innovation: tefillin and aliyos
for women, ordaining female rabbis, and
greater respect for all viewpoints, even if
they question the authenticity of Torah
and halachah.We are definitely Orthodox,
but not closed.
Uniform: Come as you are. We are open.

2050: Apikor-thodox
Program: Ultra-wide-open is too narrow.
We reject the idea that G-d even if he,
she, or it actually exists tells us how
to behave. Judaism should not interfere
in personal lives; Jews can do as they
please. Apikor-thodox is more than wideopen; we have no doors, fences, limits,
or boundaries of any kind. Our ultraliberal rabbis are attracted to subjects
like gender-by-choice and noted Olympic
athletes, because everything is permissible
and nothing is toeivah (abomination).
Thou-shalts and thou-shalt-nots only
serve to repel people; therefore, we view
Shabbat observance, mikveh, Hebrew
language, and mitzvos in general, as
burdensome chumras and unnecessary
stringencies. But we are definitely
Orthodox.
Uniform: None no tallis, no tefillin, no
kippah, no obligations.
Such are our projections. Beyond 2050
our eschatological crystal ball becomes
cloudy. Which is probably just as well.

2030: Wide-Open Orthodox

Program: Loyalty to halachah,
but halachah is what our egalitarian
committees say it is, not what others say.
We are no longer in Medieval times. We
are wide open and flexible. We accept and
respect all points of view.
Uniform: In order to be open, kippot of
any kind are optional, but hats, especially
black ones, are not encouraged. All
innovations are welcome.

27 Av 5775 | August 12, 2015