(Essence of Judaism) Sherry Herring (NYC)

(W. 72nd Street between Broadway and West End Avenue)

(Kaplan was right)

With this approach, the question of “why be a Jew?” loses its relevance. If Jewish life is a unique way of experience, it needs no further justification. We may call this approach to Judaism the intuitional approach, in contrast with the traditional approach of NeoOrthodoxy and the rational approach of Reformist Judaism. Such an approach would bring about a profound psychological difference in
Jewish living. Jewish life would no longer have to be lived for the purpose of exemplifying certain universal truths. Neither would it have to be pruned and clipped into conformity with a complex of abstract values whose very universality precludes their adoption as the purpose and rationale of an entire nation. Attachment to Judaism has always been derived from just such an intuitional attitude toward it. The various interpretations of Jewish doctrine and practice, the abstract values and concepts, are but the formal afterthoughts of that intuitional attitude

[Mordecai Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization, p.180]

About zjb

Zachary Braiterman is Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion at Syracuse University. His specialization is modern Jewish thought and philosophical aesthetics. http://religion.syr.edu
This entry was posted in uncategorized and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to (Essence of Judaism) Sherry Herring (NYC)

  1. Eden Nameri says:

    In Ottawa, there was once a rabbi named Basil Herring. His wife’s name was Sherry. Actually, it was an era in which almost all the Ottawa rabbis had food-related names: Berger; Gerber; Bulka.

Leave a Reply