On One Foot
interests of Judaism to support the continued grant- ing of basic civil rights to all, while making clear our moral opposition to the underlying conduct of those who exercise their freedom in violation of basic eth- ical norms of Judaism. We are providing no moral legitimization for an activity if we seek to prohib- it firing a person from his or her job because of it. Orthodox Judaism should seek to prohibit people from being fired from their jobs or evicted from their homes for reasons unrelated to their suitability for the job or the place of residence. This rule is in our own best interest, whereas a rule which allows eco- nomic discrimination based on society’s perception of a person’s private morality or religiosity is not. 5 Tikkun olam (social activism, or literally “world re- pair”) is an attempt to repair breaches of justice in our world. Tikkun olam is a central wellspring of spir- ituality and meaning for many contemporary Jews. The Reconstructionist movement has helped define the vanguard of social justice in the Jewish commu- nity, advancing causes from equality for women and LGBTQIA folks, to policy-shifting advocacy work in multi-racial, interfaith coalitions. The centrality of working for social justice was part of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan’s earliest vision for Reconstructionism. Tik- kun olam continues to be a central pillar for our work to build a more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive world and in our approach to Jewish life: RECONSTRUCTING JUDAISM (FROM THEIR WEBSITE) “The Jewish protagonists of social idealism should realize that the Jewish religion came into being as a result of the first attempt to conceive of God as the defender of the weak against the strong and that it can therefore continue to serve as the inspiration in the present struggle.” 6
TALMUD BAVLI, GITTIN 55B (THIRD-SIXTH CENTURY CE)
The Talmud introduces a story about a man, Bar Kamtza, who out of desire for revenge against anoth- er man, went to the Roman authorities and told them that the Jews were rebelling. He advised the emperor to send a calf as an offering and see if the Jews would sacrifice it. En route to the rabbis with the animal, Bar Kamtza deliberately blemished the calf, thereby inval- idating it for sacrifice at the temple. The Sages thought to sacrifice the animal as an of- fering regardless of the blemish, due to the impera- tive to maintain peace with the government. Rabbi Zekharya ben Avkolas said to them: If the priests do that, people will say that blemished animals may be sacrificed as offerings on the altar. The Sages said: If we do not sacrifice it, then we must prevent Bar Kamtza from reporting this to the emperor. The Sages thought to kill him so that he would not go and speak against them. Rabbi Zekharya said to them: If you kill him, people will say that one who makes a blemish on sacrificial animals is to be killed. As a re- sult, they did nothing, Bar Kamtza’s slander was ac- cepted by the authorities, and consequently the war between the Jews and the Romans began. Rabbi Yohanan says: The excessive humility of Rabbi Zekharya ben Avkolas destroyed our Temple, burned our Sanctuary, and exiled us from our land. 4 MICHAEL BROYDE, JEWISH ACTION (FALL 1993) 5 Even though homosexual conduct violates Jewish law and morality, the question of the Jewish position on homosexual rights laws should be based on a bal- ance between Judaism’s mandate to make the world a better place and the realpolitik needs to avoid en- dangering Jews’ well-being in America and to fos- ter our own growth and success here. Applying this balance to the case of homosexual rights in Ameri- ca leads this author to conclude that it is in the best
32 SPRING 2025
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