The Cardinals' Visit:
Thoughts of a Rosh Yeshiva
By Rabbi Hershel Reichman
Published: Tuesday, February 17, 2004
It is with great respect for those involved on the YU side
of the recent visit of Cardinals that I pen this article. The sincere
intentions and well meaning of those involved are clear. However, I humbly beg
to present another point of view. Much of what I write is based on my
understanding of the Rav (Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik) z'tzal's approach to
dialogue with the Catholic Church, and I hope and pray that I will be true to
my Rebbe's teachings -- at whose feet I studied for nearly twenty-five years.
Christianity for Jews
Judaism, as defined and interpreted by the Torah and
Halacha, prohibits Christianity to Jews as an idolatrous faith. There are those
Halachic authorities who state that as far as non-Jews are concerned, the
Christian faith is not idolatrous. However, virtually all major opinions agree
that for Jews, Christianity is idolatry. (See Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deyah,
Simanim 112-158, especially 147. Also see Tosefos Bechoros 2b d.h. Shma and
Rambam's uncensored Hilchos Avodah Zarah, his Epistle to Yemen, and Sefer
HaVikuchim of the Ramban.) Numerous halachic injunctions forbid Jews to accept
upon themselves Christian practices and beliefs, particularly the Christian
concept of Trinity and Jesus, which violate the Torah's fundamental principle
of the non-corporeal and singular unity of G-d. This is affirmed twice daily by
Jews in the first verse of Krias Shema, which proclaims Hashem Echad -- G-d is
One.
The Rav's Psak Against Religious Dialogue
In the wake of Vatican II, and its call for religious
ecumenism, the Rav z'tzal issued his psak (Tradition, 1964) that has defined
Orthodox Jewry's policy towards the Catholic Church for forty years. He
decided: "Religious dialogue" between Jews and Christians is
prohibited. "Social dialogue" concerning human and social issues,
particularly anti-Semitism, is permitted.
The Rav's psak was not issued in a vacuum. He was well
versed in Christian theology and knew exactly what Vatican II meant. As a
leading halachist of his time, he was also very well aware of the halachic
considerations that promote dialogue like aivah, darchei shalom, and hatzalos
nefashos, as well as those halachos that limit dialogue. Yet, he issued his, as
yet unchallenged, historic psak. As far as I know, nothing has fundamentally
changed in the last forty years to warrant a reassessment of that psak.
Thus, the only halachic issue for us to decide today is
whether or not any particular event is "religious" or
"social." To my mind, priests listening to bachurei yeshivah learning
Torah in a Beis Midrash is a "religious" event. I would also say the
same if rabbis went into churches to listen in on Christian religious classes.
I understand the term "religious dialogue" as used
by the Rav z'tzal to include not only discussing with priests the Gospels--
their theology, but also l'havdil, discussing the Torah -- which is our
theology. This should also prohibit discussions about "Torah u'Mada"
-- which is a Torah ideology representing a certain "shitah" or
school within Torah. Also, a "derech halimud," the way we Jews learn
Torah is a part of Torah, as the Rav said many times in his shiur -- whether
it's a "chavrusah system" or "Brisker system" etc. Thus,
all of these types of discussions should be avoided.
Let's move on to a broader discussion of Jewish-Christian
relations today.
The Sword and Dialogue
One must approach dialogue with the Catholic Church with the
utmost caution. We know that the Church has had an ongoing agenda since its
inception to convert Jews and replace Judaism with Christianity as the true
universal faith. The Church has always used two methods to advance Jewish
conversion: 1) the sword; 2) dialogue (see Rambam's Epistle to Yemen, and Bais
Halevi on the beginning of Parshas Vayishlach for a fuller discussion of these
two strategies). Millions of Jews have died at the hands of Christian swordsmen
- in the Crusades, in the Inquisition, in the Chmielnicki Massacres, and during
the Holocaust. Many thousands of other Jews have converted through Jewish-
Christian dialogue and Christian missionary activity -- as unfortunately
occurred in Spain before the Inquisition (See Marronos of Spain and The Origins
of the Inquisition in Fifteenth Century Spain, B. Netanyahu) and in nineteenth
and twentieth century Western Europe and America.
The Sword
Until this day, the Catholic Church has never renounced
totally and unequivocally its basic tenet that Jews must convert to Catholicism
for true salvation. Indeed, this tenet is still part of an active agenda. I
believe that the modern-day equivalent of the Christian sword is the Catholic
film "The Passion" that is about to be released. By all objective
accounts, it will re-awaken the ancient Catholic canard of Jewish deicide and
guilt and will undoubtedly cause tremendous resentment against Jews by
Christians worldwide. Heaven help us from the real and dangerous threat of
violent, ferocious, Christian anti-Semitism with its historical potential for
terrible pogroms against Jews throughout the world. The present Pope has indeed
seen this film and has not denounced it for its documented, dangerous
potential. By this silence, he again repeats the unforgivable sin of Pope Pius
XII in World War Two -- the "silent Pope" who with a few uttered
words might have saved many thousands of Jews from death in France, Poland, and
Italy, all Catholic countries where millions of Jews were killed. Must Jews
today worry about such dangers again with only silence from the present Pope?
Indeed, did the seven Cardinals who visited YU issue a public statement
denouncing the film's assertion of Jewish guilt for deicide before, during, or
after their visit? Or rather, was their visit a clever attempt to protect a
Church weakened by recent scandals from the expected criticism resulting from
the soon to be released anti-Semitic film?
Dialogue
I believe that the Cardinals' visit is using the Church's
second approach -- dialogue -- to manipulate the Jews. The first step is to
begin to talk. Then they hope that the Jews will compromise some principles.
And finally, they hope Jews will accept in some way the Christian view of Jesus
and become Jews for Jesus. Surely, it is a historic compromise of ancient
Jewish traditions when a "meshumad," a Jewish convert to Christianity,
is welcomed in a yeshivah beis midrash -- something which has never happened as
far as I know for over 2000 years.
We should not naively dismiss the dangers of religious
confusion in our own Orthodox circles. An acquaintance recently came to me
saying, "Rabbi Reichman, I was at a Martin Luther King memorial held in an
Orthodox shul at which the choir of the nearby Baptist Church sang Tehilim
(Psalms). Rabbi, their songs were so inspiring! They were truly spiritually
uplifting as were the words of their pastor. They also serve G-d!" I spent
close to an hour explaining that despite the spirituality he had experienced,
Judaism and Christianity differ drastically in many basic philosophies as well
as lifestyles, and that our faith could not and should not be confused with
theirs. I tried my best to help him. However, what about the other Jews who
attended the program and surely had similar reactions? Who will help them?
It is no accident that the meshumad Cardinal Lustiger led
the delegation to YU. Lustiger himself explained this when he previously said,
"I was born Jewish, and so I remain, even if that's unacceptable for many.
For me, the vocation of Israel is bringing light to the goyim. That's my hope
and I believe that Christianity is the means for achieving it"
(www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jean_marie_cardinel_lusti.html). Thus,
the message of the Church is crystal clear: "Shmad is acceptable. A Jew
can become Christian and say kaddish and do a 'kiddush Hashem' as a Jewish
Christian. Lustiger is a Jew for Jesus and is 'acceptable' to Jews. So are all
the Jews for Jesus." Heaven forbid! Let us not allow the Church to
manipulate us.
Jewish Attitudes Towards the Catholic Church
I want to state strongly what I heard from the Rav z'tzal.
When it comes to the Catholic Church, we Jews should not apply the maxim: Hevei
dan kol adam l'chaf zchus -- judge everyone by tilting towards their merit.
Rather, we should use the maxim: Kabdehu V'chashdehu -- respect them, but be
extremely suspicious of them. Millions of Jewish martyrs demand no less of us.
Forgiveness for the Church
Some may misinterpret the Cardinal's visit as tacit
forgiveness of the Church for past sins against Jews. Let us address this
issue. Firstly, we have to seriously contemplate whether we Jews today have the
moral license to forgive the Church for sins committed against Jews in the
past, since we ourselves were not the victims of those crimes. Furthermore,
even were we to assume the right to forgive, the Church has so far failed to
rise to the standard which warrants Jewish forgiveness.
There is a very important misconception here that warrants
elucidation. Both Judaism and Christianity preach forgiveness. However, these
two concepts of forgiveness differ. The difference is in the basis for
forgiveness. In Judaism, the basis is Teshuvah. In Christianity, it is
Confession. According to classical Judaism, Teshuvah consists of four elements:
1) Hakaras ha'Chet -- recognizing the fact of a misdeed; 2) Charatah Lesh'avar
- expressing regret; 3) Tikkun ha'Cchet -- fixing the sin -- for example,
returning a stolen item or paying for it; 4) Kabbalah L'habah -- sincerely
committing oneself never to sin again and really assuming a new lifestyle.
Christianity, however, suffices with confessing the misdeed
and having faith in Jesus. It proposes that through faith, the sinner is
forgiven. We Jews, however, cannot change our basis for forgiveness for theirs.
The Catholic Church may have belatedly admitted that innocent Jews have
suffered because of the Church. It therefore asks for Jewish forgiveness.
However, the Church has yet to say that the various Popes themselves and the
Church were ever wrong and guilty of sins during millennia of persecution! This
includes the incitement by priests, which was a major cause of all the pogroms,
rapes, murder, and plunder done to us for centuries in the Church's name (See
The History of Anti-Semitism, L. Poliakov, Schocken Books, p.47, 180, 330). We
want to hear the full "Charatah Le'sh'avar" -- the total expression
of regret and acceptance of guilt for sins committed by the Church against Jews
for 2000 years.
In addition, there is no "Tikkun ha'Chet" --
Vatican crimes against our people continue. The Pope tacitly approves the film
"The Passion," which will undoubtedly incite anti-Semitism.
Additionally, the Pope and his Vatican spokesmen have consistently adhered to a
policy of strict even-handedness, in effect equating Arab terror with Israeli
self-defense, to the extent that he welcomed the chief terrorist, Yasir Arafat,
in the Vatican after his expulsion from Lebanon by the IDF in the 1980s.
Furthermore, priceless Jewish artifacts and manuscripts --
said to include items stolen from the Second Temple and original Rambam
manuscripts -- are hidden in Vatican vaults. Jews are not allowed to see them
and certainly there is no intention to ever return them to our people. Would
any normal victim forgive a thief who acknowledges that he has the stolen goods
in his possession but refuses to return them to their owner? By any accounting,
the Church has stolen billions of dollars of assets from the Jewish people for
centuries -- yet not a penny is now offered to pay victims, their families, or
in lieu of that to pay the Jewish State of Israel.
We cannot forgive the Church even if it confesses and asks
for forgiveness. The Catholic Church fails to meet the Jewish religious
standard for forgiveness. For us to change Jewish standards of real Teshuvah is
to compromise our faith for theirs -- which is exactly what the Church wants us
to do in its agenda of compromising the Jewish religion.
Some Final Points
After all of the above, I think that we can reasonably agree
that the public nature of the meeting with the Cardinals is highly regrettable.
These types of encounters should be private, where the Rav's prudent psak can
be effectively maintained, as has been the general rule in the past when Jewish
Torah dignitaries met Church leaders when there was a need to do so.
Furthermore, the visit of the Cardinals conveys the highly
unfortunate impression of Jewish compromise and weakness, as if we Jews have to
accommodate every request and whim of the Vatican in our quest for their
acceptance. On the contrary, the fact is that our timeless faith has no need
for the Catholic Church's approval and acceptance. It is true that Jews live in
a hostile world, but we have always done so during our long two millennia of
exile. Our miraculous survival in exile and recent return to the Holy Land of
Israel is due only to the loving kindness of our one and only Father in Heaven,
Almighty G-d. Our trust and salvation is in Him alone. "Hinei E-l yeshuasi
evtach v'lo efchad," "Behold, G-d is my salvation, I will trust and
not be afraid" (Yeshayahu 12:2).
Let us conclude with the Rav's eloquent and fitting
statement (Solovechik, Rav Yosef Dov. Confrontation . Tradition 1964).
"We certainly have not been authorized by our history,
sanctified by the martyrdom of millions, to even hint to another faith
community that we are mentally ready to revise historical attitudes, to trade
favors pertaining to fundamental matters of faith, and to reconcile 'some'
differences. Such a suggestion would be nothing but a betrayal of our great
tradition and heritage and would, furthermore, produce no practical benefits.
Let us not forget that the community of the many will not be satisfied with
half measures and compromises which are only indicative of a feeling of
insecurity and inner emptiness. We cannot command the respect of our
confronters by displaying a servile attitude."
The writer is a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University and author of four volumes of Reshimos Shiurim of Harav Hagaon Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveichik.
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