Elements of a Philosophy for Diaspora Judaism: An Introduction to Rabbi Aaron Samuel Tamaret’s “The Exile of the Presence and the Presence of the Exile”

W hy be Jewish? Why join temples? Why bother to introduce our children to Jewish ideas and practices? Answers to these questions vary from person to person and from age to age, but the questions persist. Perhaps there are periods of remission but not of resolution. The questions seem as perpetual astheJewishpeopleitself. Inrecentdecades,manyJewshaveansweredthesequestionsbyreferringtotheHolocaustorthe State of Israel as primary reasons for remaining involved in Jewish life and for exploring Judaism. With the passage of time, the Holocaust grows more remote. To preserve the memories of it seems stillaworthygoal,buttheimmediacyandurgencyofithavediminishedwithtime.AndasIsraelhas transformedfromanimmediatelyendangeredsocietytoaregionalmilitarysuperpower,theshiftin itsidentityhasopenedthewayformanyJewstoquestionspecificsofitspoliciesanditsclaimsupon us.Territorialpolicies,thesteadygrowthofsettlementsfromthepost-Osloperiodintothepresent, military actions in Lebanon and Gaza, the blockade of Gaza, and the flotilla episode have caused manyJewstofeelincreasinglyremotefromIsraelasamoralorspiritualcenterfortheirlives. Once again the question of Jewish purpose, of Jewish mission, asserts itself afresh. Rather surprisingly,achapterfromanessaywrittenin1920seemsdirectlyrelevanttothequestionthatwe addresstoday.Itstitle?“TheExileofthe[Divine]Presenceandthe[Divine]PresenceoftheExile.” My translation of this text—the fourth chapter from The Community of Israel and the Wars of the Nations by Rabbi Aaron Samuel Tamaret/Tamares—appears on page 56 of this issue of Tikkun; I amofferingthisshortessayasanintroductiontoit. Many readers will recognize the term “Divine Presence,” an English rendering of the Hebrew word Shechinah. Referring to God’s presence within the sanctuary of the community of Israel (Exodus 25:8), the term is central to contemporary discussions of the renewal of religious experienceandtoseekingthefeltpresenceofGodduringprayerandceremony .Asthecentralexpression withinJewishmysticalthoughtandpracticeforthefemininepresenceofGod,itisafrequentpoint ofreferenceinfeministtheologyaswell.ThecentralityoftheterminTamaret’saffirmationofGod’s feltpresencewithinDiasporaJudaismcontributestothesensethat,despitetheninetyyearssinceits composition,hisessaysoundssurprisinglyuptodate. An Unassailably Jewish Critique of the Nation-State and Jewish Nationalism Rabbi Tamaret/Tamares passionately affirms Diaspora Judaism as the true, necessary purpose of Jewish existence, even as he expresses a severe critique of nationalism. Not prone to Jewishexceptionalism(asin“a‘Jewish’nation-statewillbedifferent”),heoffersasearchingcriticism 54 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 Rabbi Everett Gendler has served congregations in Mexico, Brazil, Princeton, N.J., and Lowell, Mass., and is chaplain and instructor emeritus at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. He has long been active in issues of socialjusticeandliturgicalrenewal. Elements of a Philosophy for Diaspora Judaism An Introduction to Rabbi Aaron Samuel Tamaret’s “The Exile of the Presence and the Presence of the Exile” by Everett Gendler Rethinking Religion Religion_1.qxd:Politics rev. 10/12/10 1:00 PM Page 54 thatextendsbothtotheindependentJewishkingdomsofbiblicaltimesandtotheTempleitself,as wellastomodernpoliticalZionism. ManyJewsareuncomfortablewithcriticismsofZionismandofIsraelasastate.Eventhoughtful ,sympatheticJewishcriticsofpoliciesoftheStateofIsraelareoftendismissedasignorantabout Jewish matters, inauthentic, or self-hating. Such charges can hardly be directed against Rabbi AaronSamuelTamaret/Tamares,1869-1931,knownastheprodigy(ilui)fromMaltsh.Inaddition to being an author and philosopher, Tamaret served as rabbi to the village of Mileichich (Grodno district) from 1893 until his death. He is aptly characterized in the Encyclopedia Judaica as “an Orthodox rabbi who fought against the fossilized halachah in a completely original style and who attacked nationalism and political Zionism as anti-Jewish phenomena.” Reassured by these Jewish credentials, perhaps we can, with less discomfort than would otherwise be the case, give reasonedhearingtoTamaret’ssearching,searingcritiqueofJewishnationalism. His essay begins with some reflections on the ever-changing fortunes of nations engaged in realpolitik domination and subordination. He then turns to the example of the traditional Jew rising at midnight to chant prayers of mourning (Tikkun Chatzot) for the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish people from its land. Often cited by detractors of Judaism as evidenceforGod’sremotenessnowfromtheJewishpeople,theexileispresentedinatotallydifferent light by Tamaret, who argues skillfully and vigorously that the exile in fact represents the continuity (through purification and intensification) of the intimate relation of the community of Israel to the Divine. For this, a prime example is Sabbath observance, providing clear evidence of thegiftsofspirit,andtheconsequentjoy,thatthisdaybestowsuponJews. Tamaretexplainsindetailwhythisexileisnecessary:itservesinthefulfillmentofGod’sdesire tobemadeknowntotheentireworldastrulytheonewhowouldredeemallpeoplesfrom“thetight trapofmaterialisticnationalism,”therebyfreeingallpersonstoexperienceintimatelythepresence of the Divine—a profound liberation theology. In Tamaret’s view, the example of living “not by might,notbyviolence,butbyDivineSpirit,”thebasicmandateofthecommunityofIsrael,wasseriouslycompromisedbythepowerpoliticalintriguesthatcharacterizedthepoliciesofallthekings ofJudahandIsrael.EventheconstructionoftheTemplerepresentedambiguitiesthatthreatened thepurityoftheintimatepersonalrelationshipoftheindividualtotheDivine.Thenationalisticdesire “tobejustlikeallthenations”;thetendencytovalueroutine,externalsacrificialactsabovethe intentionalinwardnessofTorahstudy;thegrowingtendencytoregardsacredscriptureasprimarily a governmental constitution—these were among the corruptions that could be cured by exile. Thecombinationofexileandtheoriginofthe“houseofstudy”enabledthecommunityofIsraelto serveonceagainasfreshwitnesstothepossibilityforotherpeoplestolivefulfilledcommunaland personal lives without the increasingly lethal costs of traditional nationalism. As Tamaret notes, “WhenTorahandExilearejoined,greatwondersareborninthesouloftheirbearer.” N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0...