questions

Dear Rabbi Ginsburg,

Following your last mail, I have collected a few things I was
thinking about, when doing the reading/watching the videos.
One of the things that is fascinating, but at the same time also
'dangerous' is ritual or at least excessive ritual. I remember
talking to a French Orthodox Jew last summer in Israel (he was part
of my Ulpan) and he said that he did not believe in God, but that he
believed in ritual. I found that quite disturbing to be very honest:
I love ritual, but when ritual replaces religion as such or at least
its spiritual part, isn't there a danger of losing your connection to
God (when in fact you hope to get closer to God). Reciting prayers
for him was so automatic and he did not think at all about their
meanings.

There are 2 aspects of prayer the keva-the words and kavanah the spiritual intentionality.

That fellow is missing half of it



I was just wondering what your personal opinion on that
topic is. For instance, do you think Tefillin to be of fundamental
importance?

yes its a mitzvah-actually 2


I mean, after all, it is mainly interpretation, since the
Torah never actually says Tefillin should be worn (even though it
speaks of components, such as the prayer scrolls that are included in
it).

it says you should wear them as a sign on your arm and frontlets between your eyes.

How spread is the use of Tefillin in American Conservative
Judaism?


very little



Which leads me to the next question: do you feel that US
Conservative Judaism is similar to UK Conservative Judaism? People
here usually say that Reform here is like Conservative in the US,
while Reform in the US is more like Liberal Judaism here.


I think that is pretty true

I also have
a question on the different movements: is Reconstructionism in
between Conservative and Reform Judaism or is it just something
different?

different. watch my video series on the movements ad mordechai kaplan



I just felt that their approach was, let's say, more
liberal in certain ways, and thus possibly more Reform. Also, is
there really that big a difference between believing in God or in
divinity? I haven't read any book on Reconstructionism specifically,
but what I've read about it in the books you sent me and others,
sounded more like a debate on vocabulary rather than on contents.


I don't think so-Kaplan did not believe in God in any traditional sense

One
thing that I'm also thinking a lot about is the whole emigration to
Israel policies. I love Israel and I enjoy spending time there with
friends and relatives, but aren't diasporas important as well? I mean
Judaism wouldn't be what it is today, hadn't we spent time outside
Israel. I personally feel perfectly European and it sort of makes me
sad when synagogues have to close down because people have all gone.
There are countries in Europe where especially Orthodox and
Conservative communities are disappearing while the Reform and
Liberal ones are growing, because they keep the more 'European' Jews.
Does the choseness principle imply that only a good Jew is a Jew who
lives in Israel, because we were told to go there?


No=more than half of world Jewry does not live in Israel and has n o plans to. I feel as you do. We afre going in 3 weeks with 30 people and I am looking forward to it.


Also, since I'm
going back to Israel this summer for my Ulpan, is there any synagogue
or school/programme you could recommend (in Jerusalem)?


I'm doing an
academic programme but I was thinking of maybe adding something more
religious, especially to learn Biblical Hebrew.

try the Conservative yeshiva
Rabbi James Lebeau
Director, United Synagogue Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center
POB 7456
Jerusalem 94265 ISRAEL
Tel: 972-2-625-6386 Ext. 1
Fax: 972-2-623-4127
mail to: lebeau@uscj.org



Finally I have a
question on Kosher food. I've not been eating pork, seafood etc. for
years, but I am still mixing dairy and non-dairy food. I'm not even
really mixing it, but I'm not waiting for an hour or so to have
cheese after dinner. How central is that aspect of Judaism?

watch my video on meat and milk. try and wait at least an hour between.


Thank you very much for your patience & help! I hope you had a good
Pesach!
Best wishes,
great questions!!!!