[Avodah] Only Torah Judaism

[Prof. L. Levine]

The Rav's (Rav Shimon Shwab, ZT"L) disdain for Sheker was at the core of his thinking when
contemplating the so called "branches of Judaism" against which he
spoke publicly at Agudas Yisrael forums. The following excerpt from his
writings highlights this:

The official version of the Jewish establishment in America has it
that there are three branches within the Jewish religion: Orthodox,
Conservative, and Reform. This is common knowledge.
It looks as if the Jewish religion per se is merely a neutral entity which
has no conscience, no strong convictions, no dogmas. and no absolutes.
It is just a base for three branches. One a Torah branch: one a non-Torah
branch; and one in the middle-Torah, yes, but...

And why not add in the future some additional branches
we can only count up to three? Could not the Jews for J... one day claim
to be a branch of Judaism, since their main objective seems to be to
present a picture of unity to the outside world and to display unlimited
 [love] for all of our fellow Jews?

Let us state here unequivocally that the term "Orthodoxy" is false
and misleading. There is no Orthodox Judaism. There is only Judaism.
Reform and Conservatism is non-Judaism, or anti-Judaism. Without
the fundamental conviction that the whole Torah is handed
down to us from Sinai, there is no Judaism. There is nothing. Nothing
but a stark lie and absolute darkness. Without Torah min Hashamyim
down to us from Sinai, there is no Judaism. There is nothing. Nothing
but a stark lie and absolute darkness. Without Torah min Hashamyim down to us from Sinai,
there is no Judaism. There is nothing. Nothing, but a stark lie and absolute darkness.
 Without Torah min Hashamyim  life to a
Jew makes no sense and has no value. Therefore, Torah Judaism can
never be a branch, Heaven forbid. It is not a sub-division of a neutral
"faith." The Reform or Conservative clergyman or clergywoman is not
a colleague of the Orthodox Rav, as if each one could just put his or
her own ecclesiastical flavor into a nondescript soda water. The Torah-true
kehillah, synagogue, and school must never be an equal among
equals under the same umbrella organization that serves all branches.
Any recognition that the Torah allows the existence of branches or that
the Torah itself is merely a branch is already heresy. The gulf which
separates Torah from the branches is much wider than the distance that
divides the various Christian denominations from each other.

Jewish unity, yes-but between Jews and Jews only, and not between
different "Jewish" religions or philosophies. Any child of a Jewish mother
is part of the Divine Covenant and bound by reason of birth to accept
the Torah in theory and practice. That allows even a sinner to remain a
Jew forever, for the Divine Law ties him to the Jewish Nation, the nation
Jew forever, for the Divine Law ties him to the Jewish Nation, the nation
of G-d, the nation of the Torah. The obligation to live a Torah life makes
him and her our brother and sister, regardless of personal performance.
Torah is the only basis of Jewish unity. It is only because of the Torah
that we rightfully proclaim chaverim kol Yisroel.

But unity between Torah Judaism and non-Torah "Judaism"? Never!

YL
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20220522/22f95f91/attachment-0001.htm>