Virus unsettles the world and religious practice

JORDAN MOSHE

As people and Jews, we’ve become too complacent with the way the world operates, Cardozo told a Zoom audience at eLimmud on Sunday, 31 May. He also heads up a think tank which focuses on finding new halachic and philosophical approaches to dealing with the crisis of religion and identity amongst Jews.

“We’ve got used to the way the world works,” he said. “We see something we can rely on, take it as normal, and suddenly a virus comes along and changes it all in a moment.”

Something shocking like COVID-19 isn’t unexpected, he said.

“A little virus makes us aware of another world, a murmur that has actually always been there, but most of the time we don’t listen to it. We created a world view that was unrealistic, believing that we were in control and masters of it all.”

The shock introduced by something like a virus has shaken mankind, and made it realise that the security and complacency we took for granted was an illusion, Cardozo said.

“The arrogance that goes with that is broken down. It requires a lot of humility. We actually know and understand much less than we thought. This virus has shown us that.

“We think, we talk, breathe, and take it for granted, and a virus tells us that it’s all wishful thinking. Closed up in our homes, we are now contemplating the reality of a different world. We have woken up.”

Jewish law is actually no different, Cardozo said. Halacha’s function is to disturb, to make us upset, agitate us, and cause us to protest.

“The whole purpose of Jewish law, kashrut, Shabbat, and so on is to amaze us and ensure we never fall victim to complacency,” he said. “To live in contentment is more dangerous to human existence than anything.”

Rabbi Louis Jacobs of the United Kingdom said, “Who of us wants to live in contentment? Religion throughout the ages has been used to comfort the troubled. But today, in our convenient word, it should be used to trouble the comfortable.”

“Religion is supposed to trouble us and Rabbi Louis Jacobs show us what the purpose of life is,” Cardozo said.

This was the original purpose of Jewish law, but the halacha has fallen victim to complacency.

“If you live a religious life, you get used to it, and go through motions,” he said. “We keep kosher, keep Shabbat. But that’s not the purpose. The purpose isn’t to get used to these things, just like we aren’t supposed to get used to the world.”

“We got so used to the way of life that we do it automatically, and one day is the same as the next. If you do this, you miss the point.”

Cardozo stressed that religion has lost its passion and its reason for existence.

“It needs to wake us up, to realise that religion isn’t a law that tells us what to do, but music notes. Every mitzvah is there to be played on a musical instrument called halacha. It’s a spiritual violin.”

Unfortunately, halacha has been derailed. In the past 2 000 years in exile, Jews have lived under difficult circumstances, and Jewish law had to make sure we would survive in those circumstances. Because of that, said Cardozo, we created defensive laws, walls around us to keep the world outside.

“It ensured our survival, but by doing so, halacha lost its ability to give us a wake-up call,” he said. “There is exile halacha and there is prophetic halacha as it was understood by the prophets who were amazed and saw the uniqueness of the world.”

Thanks to the existence of the state of Israel, we can embrace a more natural form of Jewish law.

“All communities worldwide are affected by the existence of the Jewish state,” Cardozo said. “Now, we are able to get halacha back on track, making sure it’s not just defensive, but we can stand on our own two feet.

“We don’t have to be afraid anymore. We need to remove the fear, and make halacha organic again, make sure it’s felt by all.”

We need to think in terms beyond Orthodox or reform, and look to the Talmud for the original, organic halacha, Cardozo said.

“Perhaps this moment of the virus gives us a moment to wake up. We cannot continue like this in our general lives or Jewish lives. Let’s put Jewish law where it belongs and no longer derail it.”