Orthodox Rabbi Urges Jews to Proselytize

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has written an important challenge to the traditionally inward-focused Orthodox Judaism. While it is controversial, the debate may not be relevant. Dennis Prager explains why he talks to general audiences using a spin on Willie Sutton's justification for robbing banks--"that's where the Jews are." There isn't any way to reach the majority of Jews as a separate audience because most cannot be found in a synagogue. The case for Judaism must be made in the open.

Most Jews do not realize that Judaism is by far the religion with the most intellectual credibility.

For example, while most religions claim that God revealed himself to a single person or at most a small group of people in private, Judaism reports that God provided open miracles to an entire nation for decades (and correctly asserted thousands of years ago that no one would ever make a subsequent claim of national revelation). For example, millions of Jews walked through the split Red Sea as Pharoah's army drowned. Israel was then fed for a generation in the wilderness by manna that would cease every Sabbath.

Another item that Jews rarely consider is that Christianity endorses the Jewish narrative, even though religions are generally mutually exclusive. For example, Muslims believe that the Rabbis rewrote the Bible to expunge the evidence for Islam. Jews do not believe in Jesus or the Christian New Testament, but Christians believe in the Old Testament.

It therefore makes sense that Jewish values should find a welcome reception in a society with a cultural foundation in Christianity.

In a recent column I argued for the need to bring Judaism to the mainstream world. Judaism has nearly always been relegated to a backseat role. This is bizarre, given that every great monotheistic faith derives its core principles and, indeed, its monotheistic raison d'etre from Judaism. In effect, this makes Judaism the light of the world.

Judaism, of course, and not Christianity, is the faith that Jesus Christ staunchly defended and practiced his whole life. And yet the light of Judaism has never been allowed to directly illuminate the earth with its potent radiance.

Jews have forever erred in feeling that Judaism is not for non-Jews. Ironically, the greatest enemy of Judaism throughout the ages has been the Jews themselves who have remained utterly convinced that Judaism has nothing important to say to the wider world.

The results have been tragic. First, relative to the general population, there are barely any Jews in the world because we refuse to spread the light of our faith to those who might adopt it. Second, anti-Semitism could arguably have been mitigated had the demonization our people and our faith been countered by millions of non-Jews who turned to Judaism for wisdom and guidance.

It is time to correct this greatest of all Jewish omissions. The time for Judaism has arrived. The world today faces unprecedented social problems that Judaism is uniquely qualified to address.

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