12 Tamuz 5773 Parashat Balak Caveat on reading

Weekly Quote from Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, z"l (1881-1983)
What in our religion is more important, ceremonies or ethics?; What is primary, our relation to God or to one another?; What is the minimum to which we must adhere even on pain of death?... None of these questions has relevance to our problem today when Judaism is called upon to adjust itself not only to a new cultural environment but also to a new social environment that is radically different from any type of social environment with which Judaism has ever come in contact. The democracy of the environment which calls for a redistribution of the very units of Jewish social life is the novum in the problem.... Judaism can function only under certain social conditions. The question What is Judaism? therefore resolves itself into the question "How do these beliefs and practices function?" For the first time we try to get at the very essence of Judaism, for the function of a thing practically constitutes its essence.

From Communings of the Spirit, Vol. I, page 111, Sunday, February 4, 1917; used with permission.

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Visit JRF's Kaplan Corner! More info here. Keddem Congregation is a community-led, Reconstructionist Jewish congregation, passionately committed to infusing tradition with new meaning. Keddem is based in Palo Alto, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. Worship, study, community and governance at Keddem are based on the following values: Keddem Congregation is inclusive, egalitarian, participatory, inquiring, innovative, and compassionate.

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This page last updated Saturday, June 1, 2013 11:18 PM CDT.