The Jewish people are known as Am Yisrael, which translates to “the people who wrestle with God.” We take very seriously our obligation to strive to make sense of our tradition, to do all we can to adapt our understanding and attitudes to create a balance between the faith that has been passed down to us through the generations and the daily realities that make up contemporary life. Whereas many religions treat asking hard questions as a form of blasphemy, Judaism has never shied away from the hard but meaningful work of investigating even the smallest details, always in pursuit of a more intimate understanding of our peoplehood and our relationship with God.
Our history is littered with examples of debates and discussions, all “for the sake of heaven” for the purpose of advancing our ability to bring life to our practice. In Genesis 18, God tells Abraham that God is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins. Abraham asks God, “Are you truly going to destroy the whole city if there are 50 righteous people?” The two go back and forth until God finally agrees that if there are ten righteous people, the cities will be spared. While there weren’t ten righteous ones to be found, we get to see what it looks like to even approach God with questions and challenges. Rather than being smote for his insubordination, Abraham is instead lauded for his willingness to stand up for what he thought was right.
In the Talmudic era, there was frequent discussion between the house of Hillel and the house of Shammai about how the law is to be experienced, especially in the wake of the destruction of the Temple. Much of the Talmud is a collection of questions and answers, each trying to get to the root of how to live a Jewish life in the diaspora. Later, rabbis would engage in the practice of pilpul, a debate-style that would allow for questions and answers to follow a structure in order to get to the heart of the issue. This would eventually give birth to the process of Teshuvot, or answers, which allowed the community to submit questions to the rabbinic authority about putting the law into practice, with the rabbinic leadership then weighing in on how to go about living out the ideals that are embedded in the text, even after changes in context.
This process for posing impactful questions and seeking traditionally grounded answers is as important as ever in a world advancing far beyond our imaginations. How, for example, are we supposed to understand the laws of Kashruit when pork products can be made synthetically without any pigs? Is driving the synagogue on Shabbat really considered work, or is that an inevitable consequence of technological innovation? Perhaps the most important question is: How do we use our Jewish values to point us in the right direction on moral issues that the Torah might never have imagined?
So, let’s take up this sacred tradition and answer some of the profound and practical questions that make up living out our lives as Jews on a daily basis. Going forward, I will be offering answers to questions posed by the community about how to use Judaism to navigate the complexities of life. Which means I want to hear from you. What do you want to know about Jewish life and practice today? How do you grapple with what it means to be Jewish in an ever-more secular world? Is there something you have always wondered about living a Jewish life but have always been too embarrassed to ask? Here is the shot you’ve been waiting for: ask away!
Judaism has always treated questions as a sign of engagement, a desire to deepen our understanding and connection. As the saying goes, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question,” especially when asked with sincerity and earnestness. So hit me with your best shot, and let’s get busy applying the Jewish ideals we’ve inherited to our reality today.
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Austin Zoot is the Rabbi Educator at Valley Temple in Wyoming, OH.
