"Understanding the 'Other'"

[Yisroel Markov]

R' Avi Shafran is a self-described haredi rabbi that writes frequently
for several blogs. The topic below is often reflected here on SCJM.
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.... a secular Jew and a religious Jew live in different universes,
each providing its own perspective on reality. The first step toward
lessening the interpersonal tensions born of those alternate
perspectives, I suggested, is simply recognizing that fact. And the
second is seeking � if you�re standing, you might want to sit down
here � to occupy, if only for a few moments, the mind of the �other.�

That suggestion won�t sit well with those who imagine that all
less-observant or non-observant Israelis are hateful, evil people, or
with those who look down at the charedi community as a hopelessly
backward and useless bunch. But it�s a vital one for them, and
everyone in both communities, to consider.

[...]

We charedim really believe, I confided, that Torah � its observance
and its study � protects the Jewish people. Really. We really believe,
I continued, that what some call an �Orthodox monopoly� in religious
matters in Israel is nothing other than an authentically Jewish
standard � the only one that can preserve the oneness of Jewish people
in the Jewish state. Really. We really believe that the peaceful
spirit of Jewish unity that the Western Wall has evidenced for more
than 40 years is threatened by those who want to change the mode of
public worship there. Really. We really believe that traditional
Jewish modesty is not misogynistic or prudish but as deeply Jewish an
ideal as providing for the poor or caring for the sick. Really.

Do any or all of those beliefs, I asked my listeners, strike you as
bizarre? �Of course they do!� I answered on the audience�s behalf. (I
read minds.)

�But you know what?� I went on. �The non-charedi takes on security,
pluralism, the Kotel and standards of dress are no less bizarre to
us.�

The discussion that followed, primed by questions from the moderator
and the audience, was an exercise in civility and intellectual
give-and-take, particularly noteworthy considering the attempts of
late by various parties in the media to bring a host of simmering
issues to a boil.

Read more: http://www.cross-currents.com/#ixzz2TaMKCx5H
--
Yisroel "Godwrestler Warriorson" Markov - Boston, MA Member
www.reason.com -- for a sober analysis of the world DNRC
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"Judge, and be prepared to be judged" -- Ayn Rand