Has reform Judaism evolved to the direct opposite of the earlier concept?

Question

When reform Judaism was started in the early 1800's it was perceived as leading people away from a Torah lifestyle.

Could it now be exactly the opposite? Taking people new to Judaism and gently leading them to a Torah lifestyle? Could Judaism survive without this stepping stone of Reform Judaism?

Just to be clear. This question is not intended to bash reform Judaism. Quite the opposite. It is intended to praise it as a way to follow the Torah. In my city, Reform Judaism is becoming more observant on kosher and other mitzvot.

Some wonderful answers so far. It's going to be hard to choose a "best" one.

Haven't many orthodox Jews assimilated without becoming reform Jews first? If so, how did that happen without reform Judaism? If orthodox Jews first became Reform before becoming assimilated, wouldn't the Reform movement have grown in direct proportion to the decline in orthodoxy?

If you look back to the 17 and 1800's the biggest flow was from the mitnagdim to the chassidic movements. This was also the major division in Judaism in the United States in the early 1900's.

According to halachah, it is forbidden to determine if a child who is born is a mamzer. This is only something that can be done BEFORE a wedding takes place. Not after.

To those looking on, this may appear to be infighting among Jews. Quite the contrary. It is a vehicle among Jews to have us refer to Torah to find Hashem. Those who think differently are reflecting they have problems in their own spiritual development. We use these sorts of discussions to learn Torah.

Answer 1

Edit to kismet - what you say makes no sense. If the people attending Reform synagogues are either going to do that, or not attend at all, then how is the movement leading people 'away' from Torah???

I am a member of a Reform shul, but I have also attended an orthodox one. At the Reform shul I enjoy the services because families can sit together and because at least women are a part of the service. Every single time I went to an orthodox shul the women just sat there chattering away, hardly paying any attention and certainly not being drawn into the service.

Now maybe this was just my experience and is not typical, but then I can only speak from personal experience.

If a Jewish person is going to 'marry out' then surely it's far better that the Reform shul, rather than turning them away, welcomes them and draws them and their partner in so that they still remain part of the community?

I do get very fed up with non Reform Jews being so critical and insulting about the Reform movement. It's bad enough when non Jews bash Judaism - we don't need to do it to each other!

EDIT GERSHON

No worries, I realise you weren't bashing Reform - Kismet was the one busy doing that!

EDIT TO ST

You have a disgusting mouth and mind. This is not the first time I have read your insulting comments about Reform Judaism. Yet aren't you the one who described himself as an 'ex Muslim'? If this is true and you actually left the Jewish faith, then I think it's hypocritical to lecture US! You are not a good Jew nor a decent person.

Answer 2

this is an interesting question and I think many beliefs are truely going through some reform at the moment. I think on the whole reform of any kind opens things on a wider scale which brings the theories and beliefs to those who may not have thought of a particular path before,I do think that many may take on board parts of judaism wether through ther reforms of the later years or just through their own spiritual journey. No mater which road we take or what we call it or how we get there the important thing is we get there as we are supposed to and what ever help we have on the way is fantastic.

Answer 3

Things tend to come full circle. Reform Judaism may have been ahead of its time, and now that society and culture have changed, these and the reform movement may be meeting each other half way. The progress of civilization tends to advance thinking and enlightens people to the point where they adopt new and better ways which are more spiritual in nature, the true essence of religion.

Answer 4

Not only that, many of those who are "new to Judaism" are also secular Jews who've never practiced it before and are wondering why it's attacting so many converts!

I think you're right. I love to see the interest in Judaism -- but mostly from Jews who are returning (teshuvah).

Kismet77: Reform congregations are moving more to the right -- becoming more observant and using more Hebrew. Without Reform congregations, secular Jews would have very little contact with other Jews. I have friends in Israel (women) who attend Orthodox shuls and try to get the women to participate. (They say "it's not allowed.") She finds the women to be very hesitant, but the men are happy to find a woman who wants to participate and encourages other women to participate. Women in Reform congregations are every bit as active as the men.

Shalom
.

Answer 5

Reform Judaism is still leading people away from a Torah lifestyle. Many reform rabbis do not even believe in G-d, and they see practices such as keeping kosher as antiquated and irrelevant.
Reform Judaism is responsible for so many cases of mixed marriages and of people erroneously being identified as being Jewish... It does not help Judaism, it harms it.

Answer 6

Reform Judaism has actually been one of the biggest reasons for Judaism to decline. It is spiritually dead, it is like going to church and it leads to people either rejecting Judaism or assimilating. and has created many Mamzars and fake converts

Answer 7

I don't think that Reform Judaism itself ever led people away from Torah, but that many people who wanted to follow a secular lifestyle but still wanted to acknowledge Jewish connection with remnants of Jewish belief, clung to the title of Reform sometimes more than the beliefs of the faith.

I believe that it was an attempt by a generation to be both accepted in a larger society and still remain within Judaism in a time when religious pluralism was less widespread.

I see that Reform Judaism has changed over the years to be more inclusive of a wider range of Jewish practice and custom and incorporates a greater amount of Hebrew.

One thing that has changed, the shift from using and teaching the Ashkenazi pronunciations of Hebrew almost exclusively for the Sephardi. That was not easy for me to become accustomed.

Torah observance of Shabbat and kashrut are still taught as personal options in how or what level of observance is practiced..and that is something that is at odds with traditional Judaism.

There are other changes I've witnessed. When I was a child..it was not unusual to see someone bring a dish to a pot luck at the synagogue that may have contained meat and cheese..Now, all I see are kosher foods.

It is a vibrant faith. I connect to the aspect of Tikkun Olam that is strongly interwoven into every aspect of my observance of Judaism.

EDIT: Kismet, I can understand a fear that by omitting from personal practice, longstanding rituals that the faith may be "lost", yet Reform acknowledges that not every ritual that is observed by Orthodox is found in the Torah, but arose afterward as a means to honor the belief found in the Torah. Reform allows us to find relevance to our lives today to honor Torah.
Not only do I not seethe a kid in its mother's milk, ...to honor the precept of not being cruel to an animal..I do not eat animals, and I work for the welfare of other animals.
Not only do I observe and honor the Passover with a seder, but I honor the contribution of Miriam with the NEW tradition of Miriams cup..to teach of the strength of her spirit and the well of Miram.

We do not add to Torah or take away from Torah, but we do add to or take away from customs and rituals that are designed to honor the eternal covenant of Torah....just AS the rabbis did when they debated and conferred to create Talmud precepts to keep Torah alive in Diaspora lands.

Reform Jews see Judaism as a vibrant and growing faith that speaks to new knowledge of the world around us as a blessing from God allowing greater opportunities for service to humanity in our role as a light unto the nations.

L'Chaim speaks of seeing Jews return to Judaism through Reform..I have seen that happen in a few cases, and I've also seen people driven away from the Jewish community because they did not feel a sense of connection..in every branch of Judaism.

I found my best connection through Reform Judaism. I respect those whose path is different while still honoring the eternal covenant and Torah.

I must make one last comment on the different branches of Judaism. Over the past 20 years or so, I've noticed a growing awarness among Jews that our beliefs and faith are much closer to one another from Reform through Orthodox..than many realized, despite having a ew key major differences. I see this growing awaress manifested in large part to the Jewish response to assaults on our faith from OUTSIDE groups claiming to speak for Judaism.

When Orthodox and Conservative and Reform continually speak out as ONE unified voice for Judaism to declare the real beliefs..it shows each of us..that what we live ..with our values, ethics and core sense of what our role as Klal Yisrael truly means..is much closer than what some of us realized. That's a good thing.

Shalom :)

EDIT: I have heard that claim " many Reform Rabbis do not even believe in G-d" before, yet I cannot understand how that is possible at all!
A Reform rabbi leads our congregation in prayer to God and I cannot imagine ANY congregation ever employing a Rabbi to lead them if he or she did not believe in what they LED. I also cannot see how it is possible to ordain a person a Rabbi if they do not believe in God. That accusation makes no sense. I can see how a Rabbi could be agnostic to particular aspects of belief about the nature of God and still be a rabbi, but it is illogical to the extreme to say " Many Reform Rabbis do not believe in God" What is that accusation BASED on?
How can you think that possible? I'm 49 and grew up Reform and it sounds utterly absurd to me whenever I have heard it ( and I had never heard it before I came to Yahoo chat )

EDIT : I see most of the comments here in the light ot discussion and learning even if challenging. We are not taught that it is a sin to test and challenge our faith. However, the comment that made insulting accusation of Reform Judaism of it leading one to commit incestuous or adulterous relationships to create mamzerim..is nothing less than lashon hara. ( evil speech ) For the reader unfamiliar with these terms here, a mamzer is the result of a sexual relationship from adultry or incest..not a child born to an unwed Jewish mother as some non-Jews often are confused in thinking since it is colloquially translated as a word Y/A will probably censor, b*s*a*rd. Also a Jew familiar with Jewish law and terminology would know that the plural of mamzer is mamzerim. )