His latest post
A Halachic View of ‘Freedom of Religion’
is now available http://jewishvaluescenter.org/jvoblog/hellenists A link is also up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JewishValuesOnline/
While comments are most welcome at both these sites, as we also would like to develop a discussion on this topic here at Nishmablog, we also present the article below
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A Halachic View of ‘Freedom of Religion’
It’s Chanukah time and Jews, around the world,
are again celebrating this holiday which is said to mark our nation’s
freedom from the tyranny of the Syrian-Greek overlords who controlled
the land of Israel at this time. What we have already previously
addressed, though -- in the blog article, ‘Why Chanukah Isn’t About What You Think It’s About’ --
is that this is not actually a correct presentation of the story behind
this holiday. The original battle, which eventually led to the
involvement of the Syrian-Greeks, was a civil war within the Jewish
nation between the traditional Maccabees and the Jewish Hellenists. The
whole Chanukah story began with a religious war between these
two factions within Israel. The Syrian-Greeks only got involved because
the Jewish Hellenists called for the overlord’s intervention on their
behalf, falsely telling the Syrian-Greeks that, if the Maccabees won,
the traditionalists would then fully rebel. The Syrian-Greeks really
only became involved to protect, effectively, their financial interests.
This misrepresentation of what occurred has then led to
another misconception that permeates our modern discussion of the
holiday – that the battle was for freedom of religion. While it was true
that each faction within Israel wanted the freedom to follow their
specific religious beliefs, the concept of ‘freedom of religion’ (as we
understand and practice it today) declares that there should be a
general tolerance (within certain parameters) for the different
practices of religion of all people. This was not generally the issue in
regard to Chanukah. The Hellenists began the whole war because they
wished to prevent the traditionalists from practicing traditional
Judaism. They were totally against freedom of religion. When the
traditionalists won, it would seem that they then tried to impose the
practices of traditional Judaism on the Hellenists. The advocation of
‘freedom of religion’ would not seem to actually be one of the lessons
of Chanukah.
Yet the traditionalists only attempted to restrict the
Hellenists’ faith after their victory; before the war they did practice
tolerance. Why was this so? And why did these Jewish Hellenists attempt
to restrict the practices of the traditionalists when, throughout the
ancient world dominated by Hellenism, there was general acceptance of
other religions? In regard to this last question, the answer may lie in
the fact that the tolerance expressed by Hellenism, in general, was
towards other pagan religions. The Jewish Hellenists faced a different
issue: monotheism. This reflected a whole different problem and is why
the Jewish Hellenists could not, like Hellenists elsewhere, express the
tolerance of their compatriots in other lands. Monotheism really
challenged them.
What is perhaps of more interest to me, though, is the
other question – why the traditionalists practiced tolerance towards the
Hellenists before the war but did not do so after the war? It would
seem obvious that if they practiced tolerance at anytime, there must be
some halachic concept of freedom of religion. The first
challenge is then in explaining why they only observed it in one set of
circumstances and not the other. The further and, perhaps, greater issue
is explaining this very concept which, in effect, would be tied to the
circumstances.
A senior rabbi once explained to me that, after the
Hellenists attempted to violently impose their beliefs upon the
traditionalist Jews, it would have been foolish for the traditionalists
to then be tolerant of these Hellenists. This would only allow the
Hellenists to rebound and then attempt to attack the traditionalists
again. You simply cannot be tolerant of others when this tolerance will
only provide the means for this other to attack you. Once the Hellenists
showed their true violent hatred of tradition, the traditionalists
could not express tolerance towards the Hellenists.
This idea actually also presents an interesting insight into the halachic view
of ‘freedom of religion’. In many ways, it is different than the
general secular view. Within this secular viewpoint, in accepting
freedom of religion, we accept the right of individuals to simply
maintain their views in this regard. ‘I believe’ – and that should be
enough for the other to stand back and not interfere. In the secular
eye: religion is an expression of the ego and the call is for one to be
allowed to express and follow the decisions of one’s ego.
From a Torah perspective, though, the issue is truth, yet the truth
is actually difficult to ascertain. What we are thus to further
recognize, and this is reflected in the value of tolerance, is the
inherent fallibilities within the human being which make this goal so,
so difficult. Halachic freedom of religion is not about ego.
Even one striving to reach the right conclusion, though, can make a
mistake and the call of freedom of religion, in this regard, must flow
from the recognition that one is not necessarily culpable for a mistake
if one is still striving to reach the truth and do right. Halachic freedom
of religion is not a call to accept another’s view as correct but,
rather, a recognition that the other may not be culpable for his/her
view, if mistaken, and should be treated, as such, as if innocent. We
may still be called upon to recognize the need and right of all to
express their thoughts and be adamant in their positions. The further
call is that this must necessarily be accompanied with the recognition
of human fallibility.
This should actually be the way with all our freedoms. They should
not be expressions of unbridled egos but also recognitions of our
fallibilities. This would, in fact, change their natures. Freedom of
speech then would not be only a right to yell what I want to say as an
expression of ego. It would also include a call to listen for it would
demand of everyone to consider their fallibilities and human
shortcomings. Coupled with a faith in the human spirit should also be a
recognition of our limitations. The expression of this truth indeed may
be part of the Chanukah story.
Rabbi Benjamin Hecht
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