Halachic Conservatives should go Orthodox

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (JTA) – Jewish clouds, like others, sometimes have silver
linings. And so, some of us hope that a glimmer may surround the Conservative
movement’s recent endorsement of a position permitting “commitment
ceremonies” between people of the same gender and the ordination as Conservative
rabbis of people living openly homosexual lives.To be sure, the
decision is tragic and telling. Tragic because it turns halachah, or Jewish
religious law, on its head – and does so, moreover, in the name of a “halachic” process. While some Conservative rabbis have labored mightily to present the
issue in a positive light, the attempts are risible. Conservative Rabbi
Judith Hauptman, in The New York Jewish Week, asserts “precedent” for
sanctioning same-sex unions in the Talmudic sage Hillel’s construction
of an entirely legal means to maintain loans through a Sabbatical year.
But equating employment of an entirely legal economic means with the
abolishment of a moral law is like claiming that legitimate
allowances in American tax law are grounds for permitting espionage.And while the Conservative decision may technically claim to preserve the
biblical prohibition on sodomy, it flouts clear halachic prohibitions on
other forms of homosexual activity and de facto condones a
homosexual lifestyle – imagine limiting a heterosexual couple to only
certain expressions of affection.In the words of Conservative Rabbi Joel Roth – who, to his credit, resigned in
protest from the rabbinic committee that reached the decision – it was “outside the pale of halachic reasoning.”None of which, of course, is to belittle the plight of those predisposed, or
even bound, to same-sex attractions. Every Jew, whatever his or her life
challenges, is precious in the eyes of God. But no matter how difficult the
struggle to live by the Torah’s prescriptions, that struggle is part of the very
essence of what it means to be Jewishly observant. And so the Conservative
abandonment of the unified response “We will do” that has echoed since Sinai
is indeed a tragedy.What’s telling is that it conclusively gives the
lie to the movement’s claim of fealty to the halachic process. More
than five years ago, I made the case in Moment magazine that the Conservative
movement’s claim of halachic integrity was belied by earlier decisions it had
embraced. Unlike true halachic process, which entails the objective
examination of verses mediated through the Talmud – leavened with societal
concerns at times, to be sure, but always within the letter of the law –
the Conservative process often has involved first deciding on a desired
result, then manipulating the sources to yield that outcome. In
light of society’s shifting mores, I predicted that it was just a matter of time
before Conservative decisors would come to embrace same-sex relationships,
too, despite thousands of years of halachic literature and explicit verses in
the Torah. My article was greeted with loud, angry protest. An army of
Conservative leaders blasted what one called my “nasty diatribe,” accusing
me of hating Conservative Jews, although my article had dealt only with a
theological process, not people. But – and herein lies the silver
lining of hope – there was much positive response, too, both from
erstwhile Conservative Jews who had left the movement for Orthodoxy, and from
members of Conservative synagogues who had come to suspect that things were
as I described them and were grateful for the confirmation.One
Conservative correspondent wrote that while he couldn’t imagine that his
movement would abandon Judaism’s forbiddance of homosexual conduct, he would
consider it impossible to maintain his affiliation if it indeed happened.
I don’t know how many Conservative Jews truly respect the concept of
halachah but simply have always accepted as fact the idea that their movement
was committed to the traditional halachic process. However many there may be,
they now have the benefit of a clear picture. It might not be a pleasant scene
for them to behold, but painful realizations often lead to spiritual growth.
Although Moment ran my article with its own incendiary headline, the
article I submitted to the magazine carried the headline “Time To Come
Home.” It was, in the end, a plea to Conservative Jews committed to
halachah to realize that their rightful place is really in the broad,
variegated but halachah-respecting Orthodox world. Many
once-Conservative Jews already have blazed a trail of return to a halachic
lifestyle. In the wake of this latest Conservative decision, I hope others
will follow.And what I hope no less fervently is that my own Orthodox
world will demonstrate its ownself-improvement and commitment – to other
Jews, warmly welcoming all who wish to join us, into our shuls and into our
lives.     Rabbi Avi Shafran is director of public affairs for Agudath
Israel of America.