Identity and You

Sermon Shabbat Vayishlach 5783

I am not sure that wrestling is an especially Jewish sport.  Then again, I’m not exactly certain that any sport can be called especially Jewish these days.  In the 1930s, when tough Jews were coming up from the tenements and slums of the Lower East Side and elsewhere, there were many great Jewish boxers.  In the late 1940s basketball—believe it or not—was dominated by Jews.  And there have always been a few standout Jewish baseball players, swimmers, tennis players, gymnasts, and even football players.  But wrestling?  Goldberg notwithstanding—if you remember him—is wrestling any kind of a sport for nice Jewish boys?

Near the beginning of our Torah portion of Vayishlach this week, Jacob has his name changed.  At the end of the great wrestling match that forms a central aspect of our story, the angel or human opponent gives Jacob a new name.  No longer will be he known as Ya’akov, the heel, but instead as Yisrael, “the one who wrestles with God.”  That name, of course, has a double place in our heritage.  It becomes the name of both the great people who is descended directly from Jacob, the B’nai Yisrael, the children of Israel; and it is attached to the land we will ultimately inherit as an eternal possession, the Land of Israel.  Both play a crucial role in the life of our people and in our identity:  Am Yisrael, the peoplehood of Israel; and Erets Yisrael, the land of Israel. 

I am often asked to briefly explain what Judaism is.  Since I’m a rabbi, most people assume that should be a pretty straightforward thing to do.  After all, it’s relatively easy to explain that Christianity or Islam or Hinduism or Buddhism are religions and have belief systems; it’s not even all that difficult to clarify the differences between, say, Roman Catholicism and Protestant Christianity.  But it’s far more difficult to explain just what Judaism is. 

The question becomes is Judaism a religion, a nationality, an ethnicity, an ethical philosophy, a world-view, a culture or a civilization?  The simple answer is yes… that is, Judaism is all of these things, and perhaps, for some Jews, mixtures of some or all of them.  But it’s a complex question, for Jewish identity is forged out of a combination of each of these elements, and can change for us over the course of our lives.

First, let us be clear: there is no doubt Judaism is certainly a religion, likely the oldest continually practiced religion on the planet.  There are variations between the different streams of Judaism—Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Progressive, Reconstructionist, Renewal—but Judaism is surely a religion, and every denomination of Judaism has recognizable beliefs, liturgy, and rituals, as all religions do.

There is also no question that Judaism is a nationality, since Israel is the only officially Jewish country in the world, the first nation with a Jewish majority population in over 1800 years, and the only country where being Jewish is a crucial aspect of national identity.  That means that, for Israelis, being Jewish is a huge part of who they are, even if it’s just because they are from the Jewish State or were born there.

Judaism is also a kind of ethnicity, or more accurately, ethnicities, since Jews come from every continent on the globe except Antarctica: there are Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern European heritage from America and Europe and Australia and South Africa, there are Sephardic Jews of North African or Spanish or Portugese, or Balkan heritage, there are Iranian Jews of Persian Jewish ethnicity, North African Jews from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, Yemenite Jews of Arabian Jewish ethnic heritage, Italian Jews of Romaniyot background, ethnic Jews from the Caucasus of Russia—truly Caucasian Jews—black Jews from Ethiopia and Uganda and Kenya, and Iraqi Jews, Damascus and Aleppo Jews, Greek Jews and Jews from India and Argentina and Brazil and on and on…  and for many of these Jews their ethnic Jewish identity is a big part of who they are.

And certainly, Judaism has serious claims to being an ethical world-view and philosophical system, a monotheistic approach to justice and morality that has helped shape all of Western Civilization and the modern world. It is often that quality that attracts people interested in converting to Judaism, the focus on truth, ethics and meaning in a confusing world in which those central concepts are so crucial and are often challenged.

Now Jewish culture, or really cultures, encompasses holiday celebrations, food, music, art, literature, theater, film, dance, ritual objects, architecture, archeology, clothing, philanthropy and more.  And each of these varied Jewish cultural expressions is distinct, extraordinary and remarkable.

Finally, you can make a good case that all these elements come together to forge Jewish civilization, a constantly evolving creation of the Jewish people throughout our long, complicated history.  

So, given all of this, I am always curious about the way we are defined.  When I served as a rabbi in Shanghai, China a few years ago I discovered that Judaism is not one of only five recognized religions in China.  The Jewish communities there are considered ethnic-cultural groups, and can’t be open about their religious expressions, although they do hold regular services and holiday observances.  In general, they are also closely associated with Israel as a national identity for the Jews who live there, even if they are from France, Australia, South Africa, Canada, or the US.    

Recently in America there has been some, shall we say, confusion as to whether Jews here should associate our national identity with Israel or not.  That is, we have been told that politicians who are strongly pro-Israel should be inoculated against associating with virulent Anti-Semites because of all that they have done for the Israel-US relationship.  While many of us see Israel as an essential aspect of our Jewish identity, and I strongly encourage connection to Israel among our congregation and our students, I doubt that most American Jews would prefer to be defined as primarily loyal to Israel for national reasons.  We are American Jews, loyal and dedicated to our own nation, seeking to see it live to the highest national standards, however we conceive of them.  We love Israel, but we are not Israelis.  We live here, vote here, and generally speaking expect our own children ultimately to live here, too.  If we have served in the armed forces, we have done so in the US armed forces, not the IDF. 

That is, most of us don’t really perceive our Judaism as essentially nationalist in nature.  We are part of the nation of Israel, in the largest sense, but we see it much more as a function of our place in Klal Yisrael, the peoplehood of Israel, rather than as citizens in absentia of Erets Yisrael, the land of Israel. 

So, I wonder—how do you see your own Jewish identity?  Is it purely religious, based on beliefs, prayers and practices?  Is it primarily based around devotion to Israel?  Is it ethnic, in the sense of being connected to traditions, holidays, food and music?  Is it based on admiration for and dedication to Jewish ideals such as justice, ethics, religious action, caring and compassion?  Is it focused on your connection to other Jews, either by culture or past experience? 

I think you will find that it’s somewhat different for each of us here tonight—and for most Jews you meet anywhere in the world.  Judaism has stubbornly resisted easy categorization by anyone for a long time, and I seriously doubt that will change.  Which is as it should be.  In fact, it is the eternal strength of our extraordinarily flexible and organically vital tradition, and very likely just why Judaism has continued to be a meaningful and important religion for thousands of years.

So, my friends, on this Shabbat when Israel was first named, and in a period when our Jewish identity is often framed solely for its connection to the modern state of Israel, I encourage you to continue to develop your own Jewish identities in every way.  I hope that you, like me, will always explore ways of deepening each of those aspects—indeed, all of those aspects—that make Judaism so vital and evolutionary.  Because we ain’t just one thing—and that’s definitely for good.

May we all find ways to deepen our own Jewish identities in every good way, on this wrestling Shabbat, and always.