The Movement for Reform Judaism

Reform Judaism is living Judaism.  It is a religious philosophy rooted in nearly four millennia of Jewish tradition, whilst actively engaged with modern life and thought.  This means both an uncompromising assertion of eternal truths and values and an open, positive attitude to new insights and changing circumstances.  It is a living, evolving faith that Jews of today and tomorrow can live by.

In keeping with this, we adopt an open and positive attitude to Jews, welcoming all as they are rather than as others think they should be.  We include many whose families have been Reform Jews for generations.  We constantly welcome others whose upbringing was in orthodox communities.  We are also a beacon of welcome for those who have drifted away from formal association with the community through apathy, antipathy or out-marriage.

We welcome.  We count people in.  We solve problems rather than create them.  We seek to open doors, not to erect barriers.  We understand doubt.  We prize our Jewish tradition of questioning.  We know that answers are often provisional, fragmentary, glimpses on a journey towards a living truth and reality that is always before us.

The Hebrew word Chai means live.  Its numerical value is 18.  Living Judaism is guided by the following 18 commitments.  It is not an exclusive list, still less a creed.  But what follows are, as it were, its fingerprints or hallmarks.

1. Searching for God

Living Judaism is committed to the encounter with the Living God, M’kor Mayim Chayyim.  For some the quest is almost instinctive and prayer, meditation, spirituality, mitzvot offer challenging paths.  For others, the experience of the Shoah and the pain and injustices of life raise huge obstacles of doubt and God remains mysteriously hidden.  Living Judaism is a vehicle for both groups.  It knows the search cannot be confined to the signposts of the past – for God must be eloheinu, our God and not just elohei avoteinu, the God of our ancestors.
 

2. Torah

The Torah, the five Books of Moses, is the formative document of Judaism.  It depicts, in the revelation at Sinai, the formative experience of the Jewish people.  We do not, however, regard the Torah as a document literally handed down to God by Moses but rather as our ancestors’ record of their encounter with God, a document itself revealing a process of inner development.  It contains both unique, universal insights addressed to all humanity and the foundation stones of the particularly Jewish task.  It includes both timeless and time bound teachings. 

3. Grappling with Modernity

Living Judaism is strongly characterised by the dialogue between tradition and modernity.  We recognise the strength and the wisdom of our tradition but we also recognise that Torah, Jewish teaching has always been dynamic, responding to new insights and new understandings.  It has never been set in stone.  Not all that is from the past is appropriate in the present and not all of the contemporary world, its ideas and values, is bad, let alone devoid of God.  In that sense, we believe that all religion is provisional and that continuing revelation is an awesome reality.

4. Brit and Mitzvot

Living Judaism is rooted in a profound sense of brit, of covenant with God.  Our ancestors entered into a solemn and binding agreement at Sinai, and, despite the challenge of the Shoah, we remain bound and endeavour to remain faithful.  From that brit flow mitzvot, Jewish obligations which are also binding, though we do not subscribe to an ancient list of 613 frozen in time but continue the age old process of listening and responding, responding and hearing.

5. B’tzelem Elohim and Tikkun

Living Judaism knows that nothing is more important than our ethical responsibility, embodied in the ethical mitzvot; no imperative is more insistent than that of acting b’tzelem elohim, in the image of God; no value is higher than that of seeking social justice; no task more holy than tikun olam, the repair of the world.  It is not for us collectively to seek political power but it is for us collectively to challenge power.  Whatever the government, whatever the politics of our day, we must know the heart of the stranger, we must remember the widow and the orphan, we must stand by our obligations as stewards of the world and the environment.  However comfortable our existence, however uncomfortable those duties, Living Judaism will not betray the uncomfortable or give in to its own discomfort. 
 
6. Jewish Ritual and Observance

Living Judaism espouses ritual and observance enthusiastically as an absolute essential of religious life.  Just as we are committed to ethical mitzvot so we are committed to mitzvot in relation to Sabbath and Festival observance, the dietary laws and the many other areas in which tradition seeks to render the mundane holy.  However, modernity has taught us that our rituals and observances have developed in the past and are continuing to develop and that Jews will reinterpret them and incorporate them into their lives in subtly different ways. 

7. Internal Pluralism

Living Judaism understands that darcheha darchei noam, vechol netivoteha shalom, its [the Torah] ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace – ways and paths.  For there is no one way within Judaism but many ways, many doors, many signposts to the Jewish journey through life.  

8. Responsible Autonomy

Living Judaism recognises the existential truth that individuals are free to make their own choices.  But authentic Jewish choice can only be exercised responsibly – in dialogue with the needs of our people, the teachings of our dynamic tradition and the promptings of God as we experience God in our individual and collective lives.

9. K’lal Yisrael

Living Judaism is committed to K’lal Yisrael, the totality of the Jewish people.  It is committed to staying close to the majority of the Jewish people and taking them along on the Living Judaism journey.  We are particularly conscious of this when it comes to matters of ishut, Jewish status.  Here we do everything that we possibly can to observe traditional forms whilst breathing into them both justice and compassion.  Only when the form and the values are completely incompatible do we change the form.

10. Jewish Learning

Living Judaism holds Jewish learning, the study of Torah as its highest value, its vision is of learning communities since talmud torah k’neged kulam, Jewish learning is the key to Jewish living. 

11. Home and Family

Living Judaism has at its core the home and the family.  We are committed to responding to changing patterns of relating and family life with sensitivity and understanding.  We understand that marriage, family and home are not open to everyone at every point in their life.  Yet we recognise that in home and in family lie values which are essential to Jewish continuity.  Whilst patterns of relating and what constitutes family change, our commitment to the essential value of fidelity remains constant.

12. Community

Living Judaism is rooted in family and community.  It  recognises that community is a vital form of extended family and that caring for people, valuing people, validating people is intrinsic to its task.  It is of the essence that community reaches out to each and every member and prospective member, finding out what each member needs and can give and supports and mentors each individual in their journey which is living Judaism. 

13. Counting People In

Living Judaism holds Jewish survival and Jewish continuity as a supreme value.  Without Jews there cannot be a Jewish God and a Jewish life.  Living Judaism seeks to embrace all those who would live as Jews.  It is welcoming, supportive, compassionate and open to all those who choose to become Jews.

14. Peoplehood

Living Judaism is driven by an absolute commitment to amcha, to our people, to our responsibilities to the Jewish family all over the world.  There are times when we feel obliged to be critical but our dominating concern is Tikkun Am, repair of our people.  Bridge building, peace making, working together, partnership-creation is our holy challenge.

15. Israel

Living Judaism is forever committed to the construction of gesher chai, the living bridge or bridges which indissolubly link individuals, families and communities with individuals, families and communities in the land of Israel.  As building the living bridge is our task and the mifgash, the encounter is its fulfilment.

16. Equality

Living Judaism is unconditionally committed to the principle of equality, both before God and in Jewish communal life.  We recognise the frequently disorientating effect of change in the social sphere particularly, but we are absolutely committed to the full implementation of principles of equality – not least between women and men and between heterosexuals and homosexuals. 

17. Respectful Democracy

Living Judaism is committed to a form of democracy in which rabbis are respected teachers and leaders but in which we also strive to listen to where people are, understand that wisdom and insight is not the monopoly of any one class or group and stress both the importance of teachers and also how much a teacher has to learn from his or her students.  Living Judaism is about vision and implementation.  A sharing, an ownership of that vision is an absolute pre-requisite to successful implementation.

18. Pluralism and Partnership

Living Judaism recognises that our global village will only thrive if there is dialogue and partnership.  Dialogue with other faiths and other groups is not a luxury but an absolute necessity.  Without understanding and peace between the faiths there will be no understanding and peace in the world.  Without the pooling of what is best in the faiths of the world, the future of humanity and the globe will be in gravest doubt. 

Each individual is unique and expresses faith in a unique way.  Judaism has never imposed a rigid creed and Living Judaism is a federation of views, a rich amalgam of insights and nuances.  Indeed, there is a precious vein of insight within Judaism which holds that the question is more important than the answer and which understands that the question is the true religious act.  This statement, contrary to appearances, is really a series of questions and therefore demands discussion and debate which, if conducted with respect and real listening, is, in itself, of the essence of Living Judaism.