I LOVE BEING JEWISH! I LOVE BEING A JEW!

By Brielle Goodman
KOACH-On-Campus Editor

As a Hebrew School teacher, I often wish I could impart my passion for Judaism to my 7^th grade students. I wish I could get them to see all the things about Judaism there are to love! But I know in time, with the right influences and experiences, they will come to love Judaism as much as I do.

Throughout the years, Judaism has given me SO much! Sure, there have been times when I wasn’t so sure about Judaism. But overall, I truly love it! The funny thing is, when I think about what about makes me love Judaism so much, I can’t easily separate one aspect which outweighs the positives of another aspect. I love studying Judaism and learning new things about facts in the Tanakh (Bible), I love singing the niggunim, the melodies, not to mention the t’fillot (prayers). I love following the mitzvot. Sure, I slip up from time to time: I’m far from perfect. (One of my favorite non-Jewish quotes is, "God made sin, that we may know His mercy" from Dangerous Beauty) I love teaching Hebrew school. I recently discovered that when I am at my job away from Hebrew school, I leave tired, but not drained. However, when I finish teaching at the Hebrew School, I leave energized every time. That realization said more to me that I could have previously put into words. Something about Judaism makes me feel alive! Something about Judaism lights a fire within me and I love that feeling. Something about Judaism makes me feel more fulfilled as a person when I have it as an active part of my life, as compared to how I feel when I’m not so active in the Jewish community.

One thing makes me sad about Judaism though, and that is the clashes between the movements. I understand that people prefer to practice their Judaism in different ways. But what is to say that one movement is more right than another? We are all Jews and we all acknowledge and revere the same God. It offends me deeply when one Jew looks down on another because they practice at a more intense, or a less intense, observance level. Until a few years ago, my experience had always been that Orthodox Jews looked down on the Conservative and Reform movements for "not being real Jews."

However, over the last few years, I’ve witnessed the opposite and it took me completely by surprise. A friend of mine decided to become Orthodox, wearing a kippah, keeping kosher, and being Shomer Shabbat (Sabbath observant). Another Jewish friend of mine made fun of him for wearing "that beanie" and ridiculed him for the fact that he found so much enjoyment and meaning in his new observance of Judaism. It shocked me that one Jew could be so disrespectful to another. It bothered me so much that I felt I had to say something. It didn’t have any effect on her reaction to him, but at least I’d said my piece.

Judaism is such a beautiful, loving religion. It is a religion of values and morals and a life guide. There is so much that is beyond positive about Judaism -- we should not be arguing over who is a "better" Jew, or who is a more "real" Jew. We should all appreciate that we observe Judaism at our own comfort levels and that Judaism allows us to practice Judaism as we see fit for ourselves. The only way the Jews will ever be a Global Community is if we stop fighting each other on minor dogmatic issues and love one another. Only then will we be able to conquer our outer demons. Love Your Neighbor As Yourself!

[Posted 5/6/05]