Curt,

No problem, I forgive you. It was less an issue of me being offended or having hurt feelings, it was more an issue of requesting that you maintain the discipline of looking at the issues I was trying to bring up. So, don’t worry about my feelings (this time around), I only experienced frustration that some of my observations were passed over on account of a separate issue which you preferred to write about.

My recent episode with the Rabbi was noteworthy because it raised new awarenesses. What do I mean? Well, I have always admired Jews because of what they have suffered over the travail of ages, as a philosophy major I appreciated Maimonides for his cutting edge scholarly work with Aristotelianism, which was a dangerous thing to do in his day. I respected and respect Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon because one of my heroes, Saint Thomas Aquinas, respected and quoted him so much. I studied Spinoza, but his positivism and materialism which left little room for the Transcendent is not very appealing to me. Martin Buber: great philosopher, I use his “I Thou” insights quite a bit when teaching students about right relationships.

My favorite of Jewish thinkers is hands down Viktor Frankl, I’ve read most of his published works and incorporate his teachings into much of what I do and say. That being said: I have always had high regard for Jews and most Jewish scholarship which I’ve encountered. So, when I experienced what I experienced with the learned but very secular, liberal and disrespectful Rabbi a few days ago, I was greatly saddened. Up until that day I never had a bad interaction or experience with a Jew (not including High School when a Jewish classmate trash talked Jesus to my face). I went away from the meeting with the Rabbi feeling sad, not for myself, but for him and Jews who he is reflective of.

Two other educated Christians were at that meeting, both have had much exposure to Jews and Jewish culture for most of their adolescent and adult lives. The Christian man (with a Masters in Divinity and Ph.D. in philosophy) grew up with Jews in a Jewish neighborhood in New Jersey, the Christian lady (M.A. from RICE and about to receive her Ph.D.) dated a Jewish man for a time and had Jewish friends at Rice. The Christian man and Christian lady both commented after the meeting with the Rabbi that he was very reflective of the liberal Jews (and liberal Jews are the majority of Jews in America) they have known over the years.

Secularism and “the right now” seemed to be fundamental to the Rabbi I visited with a few days ago, my Christian friends who were there said that the same could be said for the Jews in their lives. The Christian lady said about herself: “Before I became a true Christian in college, I was a GOOD PAGAN. I was good, I was moral, but there wasn’t anything spiritual about me. This is how the Jews in my life have been: Good people, but without much spirituality or sense for the transcendent.”

I must thank the Rabbi for clearing some things up for me. As a Catholic, I always thought of a Jewish Rabbi along the same lines as how I would think of a Catholic Pastor or Protestant Pastor, that is: A spiritual leader and guide of the people. The Rabbi we met with basically cleared up for us that what qualified him for his job was NOT what he believed and NOT how he is able or not able to lead, but rather, he is qualified as a Rabbi for what he KNOWS. To Know and To Believe are entirely different things. We were able to find out much of what the Rabbi KNEW, but very little of what he BELIEVED. The Rabbi admitted that Jews find much of their identity in what they have shared by way of suffering and persecution. Identity in what they have suffered together is stronger than identity because of what they believe in or hold as true.

I do not need to forgive because I was not offended, I was saddened at the shallowness and liberal secularness of that meeting. For me the issue is one of “How can I raise spiritual awareness or appreciation for this Rabbi, who values Knowing more than Believing?” I must also beware of spiritual pride for myself, but that is a separate issue which my Spiritual Director can take up with me. For you and me Curt: “What can WE do to help brother Rabbis and good Jews shift importance from identity in what was suffered to identity in what is believed?” No need to solve the problems of the universe in one sitting, just some food for thought.

Anselmus