Creating a Living Prophetic Judaism for the 21st Century, with Rabbi Alex Israel (201)

For over two millennia, the Jewish People has lived in a world largely defined by Jewish law, or halacha. While the Tanach is filled with what might be called prophetic Judaism - a Judaism, that is, which is dominated by those who spoke in the name of God - the Judaism that emerged during the era of the Second Temple and thereafter placed a greater emphasis on the minutiae of halachic practice and the intense study of Torah.

This halachic Judaism has been a massive success, and has kept the Jewish people alive for the duration of our long exile. For that entire time, Jews have successfully come into contact with the presence of God through their observance of Jewish law.

The question, though, is whether in 2024 we need to add more of the prophetic element alongside our continued commitment to halacha. Perhaps today we need a new infusion of prophecy - both in terms of its spiritual content, as well as through a renewed emphasis on Torah values that may sometimes be lost in standard halachic discourse.

Rav Kook entertained this possibility a hundred years ago, and Rabbi Alex Israel presented the potential for a new prophetic Judaism in today’s episode. Rabbi Israel and Scott talked about the sad reality that some people feel that halacha alone does not satisfy their spiritual thirst, and also discussed the problem of potentially losing the forest of Torah values for the trees of the myriad details of Jewish law. They acknowledged that there are some who are simply turned off by halacha’s extreme attention to detail, as well as by the need to rely upon authority in order to fulfill it successfully. Ultimately, the puzzle is how Orthodox Jews can maintain and further halacha, while simultaneously enriching Judaism with greater spirituality and a heightened sense of morality, ethics, and kindness - all of which, ideally, should emerge from within Jewish law. How shall we combine the necessity of including a living prophetic agenda within our commitment to fulfilling the details of halachic practice?

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