Windows & Doors

Many conservative religious groups bar women from becoming clergy. And even in those denominations in which women do serve as clergy, they often face barriers in their careers because they are women. I was asked this week, if I think it's hypocritical to support a woman's bid to lead a nation but not to lead a congregation?

Initially, it does seem odd that someone could support a woman as leader of our nation, but not of their own congregation...until one appreciates that not all forms of leadership are the same, and not all leaders draw their authority from the same sources. If one believes that congregational leadership must reflect a certain interpretation of biblical verses or communal history, then it may not be possible for such people to admit women to such traditionally male roles. Ironically in fact, it might be hypocritical for them to embrace women as religious leaders!

Hypocrisy though, is a funny thing, since it's generally a charge made by people against others, who almost by definition, do not see things as their detractors do. Yet it assumes that they should. That is why, rather than simply seeing difference, those leveling the charge see intellectual inconsistency and moral confusion in those upon whom they have turned their sites. Thus it is a charge given to much abuse and even greater sanctimony on the part of those who level it. So let's be careful here.

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Take a deep breath everybody, because this one is a mess. And much like the responses to yesterday's post about Hezbollah's Death Shrine, in which the genuinely Islamophobic responses (really hateful stuff) are running neck and neck with dangerously apologetic excuse-making, this one is all about the deep currents of fear and resentment that run beneath so many people who happen to be of different faiths.

And if you want to see what I mean, just check out Steven Waldman's post about Sarah Palin and the Jewish vote, and some of the comments posted there. Let me be clear, there is much about the Republican Vice Presidential nominee that disturbs me, but it has little to do with where she worships, and nothing at all to do with the fact that she listened, without objection ("horrors", he said sarcastically), to a sermon by Jews for Jesus leader, David Brikner.

It's probably true, as Steven points out, that this will scare some Jewish voters. But neither that fact, nor large chunks of his analyses are anything to be proud of. While there is much to critique about Jews for Jesus, and I plan to write about them some other time, let's first look at the panicked and hostile response which they evoke far in excess of whatever threat they may pose. For starters, let's understand that if they are correct, then their evangelism is actually a favor to us. And if they are not, then who cares what they say? It's not like we are actually going to Hell because they believe we are, right?

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Asalaam Aleikum My Muslim Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing you today with both a blessing and a request. The blessing is that the month of Ramadan should bring you opportunities for meaningful reflection, deeper spiritual connection, and greater peace. And in the spirit of the month, I ask you to consider this morning's New York Time's coverage of the new Hezbollah museum in Nabatiye, Lebanon. I ask you to speak out against this museum which is actually a shrine to death. I ask you as members of the American Muslim community, particularly if you are Shia believers who share the tradition of those in Hezbollah, and as followers of a faith committed to the dignity of all human beings.

We can disagree about many things related to Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. We can disagree about imagined histories, desired futures, and sources of the ongoing conflicts in the region. But there should be no disagreement about the danger of celebrating death and destruction, even if we do not agree about the rightness of the cause. I fully realize that martyrdom is a sacred concept in Islam. The truth is that the idea is not foreign to Judaism either, or as we all know, to Christianity as well.

But an institution that dresses bloody skeletons in the tattered uniforms of the army it opposes and displays them for children can not be reflective of that which you believe. And if it is not, you must speak out against it. Not because you must oppose Hezbollah though -- that is one of the things about which we can and will disagree - but because such displays cross the line from respect for martyrs to a cult of death which will destroy us all.

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This gallery of US Presidents and those seeking the office, wearing kippot, also known as yarmulkes and skullcaps, is quite amazing. What does it mean that a garment designed to publicly mark its wearer as a Jew, can be found on all of these non-Jews? Could there be more powerful evidence of Jews, including those who are religiously observant, having fully arrived in American political culture? Are we really up to that kind of success?

As I look at the images of these world leaders so at ease (well, some look more so than others) in their kippot, I wonder about how uneasy so many Jews seem to be in the presence of religious expression that is not Jewish. I appreciate that as a minority, Jews are often worried about being "overwhelmed" by the majority culture. But that fear needs to be proportional to our success as a part of that very same culture. And frankly, I worry that it is not. We are far more adept at seeing the threats, than appreciating the success. And our general suspicion about the public religious practices of others, particularly Christians, is proof of that.

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With a new school year beginning, we are likely once again, to see many questions about prayer in public school raised. This one, asked by a listener who heard me on NPR, struck me as particularly worthy of sharing.

Hello Rabbi Hirschfield, I just heard you on Chicago Public Radio. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom and openness. I definitely will be getting your book! I was wondering what your whole take on the case of keeping moments of silence or reflection out of the schools - something that can be practiced by a kid of any religion or no religion. But some say it's a slippery slope where teachers may innocently talk about their own religion if a child asks what it means to reflect. Even though my siblings and cousins were all raised Hindu, we still exchanged x-mas gifts with our family, had a Christmas tree, sang carols around the neighborhood! We enjoyed the good cheer and charity that the Christmas spirit was about and I never thought of myself as Christian practicing these traditions. I guess it's all a slippery slope and we can't possibly have every religion represented in the school programs, right? Thank you!

Dear A,

First, in principle I long for a time when spiritual development is part of public education. I believe that without it, we mis-serve our youth. Second, for a moment of silence to work in that direction, let alone shared prayer to which I would object, we would need to prepare a generation of teachers and school administrators to guide that moment of silence so that it was about spiriutal development and not religious indoctrination. Third, we would need a national conversation on the importance of spiritual growth that was not predicated on a particular faith or some homogenized one-faith-fits-all hodge-podge. And fourth, we would need to nurture that process for a great deal more time than I suspect either those who opposes such moments of silence, or those who welcome them as the first step toward getting our kids to pray "the right way", could tolerate before jumping to the implementation phase of such moments in to the daily curriculum.

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