“This is a book about Judaism, but I believe you’ll find it unlike any other book on Judaism you’ve ever read or are likely to read.” So begins the preface to David Gelernter’s new book, “Judaism: A Way of Being.”
That’s quite a claim for a first sentence. For the most part, it is true.
A good number of books on this topic deal with the how-to and external aspects, such as prayer, rituals, celebrations, garb — in other words, what you should do. Examples include Hayim Halevy Donin’s “How to Be a Jew” and George Robinson’s “Essential Judaism.” Other books focus more on Jewish theology and philosophy — in other words, what you should feel. Examples include Jonathan Sacks’ “A Letter in the Scroll” and Milton Steinberg’s “Basic Judaism.”
Gelernter’s book is closer to the second group and is essentially his philosophy of Judaism — the big picture. It is definitely not “Judaism for Dummies.”
A professor of computer science at Yale University with a Ph.D. in Hebrew literature, he is the author of nine other mostly academic books, as well as one he wrote after he was critically injured in 1993 opening a mail bomb sent by Theodore Kaczynski (aka the Unabomber).
Gelernter writes the new book from the standpoint of Orthodox Judaism, addressing four fundamental themes:
1. Separation. Halachah (Jewish code of law) gives Jews a sense of distinctiveness from other cultures and of man from nature.
2. Veil. Man’s communication with God can be like a translucent window, with man on one side and God on the other. Physical manifestations of this veil are Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the prayer shawl and the curtain covering the ark. The veil “hides God’s presence but not His nearness.” You can feel the divine presence, approach it, but not “see” the other side.
3. Perfect asymmetry. Tal-mudic sages developed the cult of the family. To be whole, a family must have both male and female components that are “perfectly asymmetrical.” Although men and women were created as equals, the definition of equality is not interchangeable gender roles, but rather a balance of those roles. Orthodox Judaism might look to be male-dominated, with women in subservient positions. Men, by virtue of their aggressiveness and external orientation, deal with public religious observance and earning a living. Women use their inner dignity — which is subtlety but not weakness and is more formidable than physical force — to assume their role behind the scenes as Judaism’s private face.
4. Inward pilgrimage. As God withdrew from history after the two Temple destructions, Jews left home and “grew up” so they could hear God’s inner voice — as a voice within the human mind. Jews now understand how evil coexists with an omnipotent God; that evil is mankind’s doing. “For Judaism,” Gelernter writes, “the problem is not why God allows evil, but why man allows it.”
Gelernter develops his four themes through a series of mini-essays on topics that don’t always seem related. He rambles and digresses to other issues, such as discussing homosexuality in the chapter on perfect asymmetry. It’s not a long book, but it takes patience to plow through his arguments.
“Judaism: A Way of Being” by David Gelernter (248 pages, Yale University Press, $26)