by Rabbi Stuart Dauermann

This past week a number of us have been discussing the right use of a Torah in congregational life, and the protocols involved.  This has been a significant discussion, demonstrating the maturation of our movement and its leaders, for which we should all be grateful.

 

This week's Parasha includes the following interesting passage, which, happily further illumines these issues.  I acknowledge in advance that my perception of this passage is affected by my strong opinions on what ought to be the trajectory of Messianic Judaism, without implying a criticism to others who hold differing views.  However, I submit, the text speaks for itself, and speaks loudly.  See if you do not agree.

15 On the day the tabernacle was put up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, that is, the tent of the testimony; and in the evening, over the tabernacle was what appeared to be fire, which remained until morning. 16 So the cloud always covered it, and it looked like fire at night. 17 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tent, the people of Isra'el continued their travels; and they camped wherever the cloud stopped. 18 At the order of ADONAI, the people of Isra'el traveled; at the order of ADONAI, they camped; and as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they stayed in camp. 19 Even when the cloud remained on the tabernacle for a long time, the people of Isra'el did what ADONAI had charged them to do and did not travel. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle; according to ADONAI's order, they remained in camp; and according to ADONAI's order, they traveled. 21 Sometimes the cloud was there only from evening until morning; so that when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they traveled. Or even if it continued up both day and night, when the cloud was up, they traveled. 22 Whether it was two days, a month or a year that the cloud remained over the tabernacle, staying on it, the people of Isra'el remained in camp and did not travel; but as soon as it was taken up, they traveled. 23 At ADONAI's order, they camped; and at ADONAI's order, they traveled -they did what ADONAI had charged them to do through Moshe (Bamidbar/Numbers 9:15-23).

What do you notice from this text about what it was like for the Jewish community to live with God in the wilderness on a day by day basis? To me, this passage demonstrates that their daily life with God was based on responding to God's initiatives, His commandments, His covenant. Their spirituality was about knowing the will of God and doing it—it was about learning to make His will their own will. It seems to me that this is why the text is so VERY redundant about who was taking the lead and who was following whom!

This passage has much to teach us about the difference between Messianic Judaism and what I have come to call "Messianic Jewishism."  Messianic Jewishism is my term for shtick—it is about randomly adding Jewish decorations to our bodies, our homes, our services.  Messianic Jewishism will be seen whenever and wherever the objects and practices of Jewish life are used in a whimsical manner, where following a sense of personal leading is approved of, but where following a normative Torah-based way of life may even be regarded with suspicion or hostility, and where just a little bit of Torah life is good, but any more is surely going overboard. In many cases, Messianic Jewishism even embodies a mindset that is fundamentally secular or pop-culture-religious, coating it over with a thin veneer of Jewish looking stuff. But does such a road lead to the mindset, the heart-set, the life-set of our ancestors?  Could this be what God has in mind for Messianic Judaism?  I wonder if today's reading does not strongly challenge this tendency.

In contrast to Messianic Jewishism, I dare to believe that Messianic Judaism is, will be, and indeed must be a religion that goes against the grain of our 21st Century, self-centered, individualistic perspective. We would rather call the shots, do our own thing, be free to do exactly as we please, answerable to no one, and above all, we want to minimize inconvenience to ourselves. And in our religious lives we tend to remain in the center, doing only what we "feel led" to do.

And have you ever noticed that when people chooses their own practices, say, being "biblically kosher" instead of rabbinically kosher, the choices invariably are the easier road?  Is "easy" always the path of obedience. Yes, Yeshua's yoke is easy and his burden is light, but that is because he pulls along with us, not because Messianic Judaism is supposed to be "Judaism lite."  Or so it seems to me.

It is crucial that we wrestle with this and resolve this issue deep in our hearts. Is our religion simply about getting God to do our bidding? Is it about Jewish shtick? Is it an elite religion that makes us feel special because we attend its services? Is it about "What I get out of it?" Is it about "Meeting my felt needs?" Is it simply about my feelings? Or shouldn't it be more about responding to a God who is "out there" and has not been silent?

Perhaps you do not agree with me. But I would ask you to consider the following questions growing out of today's text.

1. Notice the relationship between the will of God, the preferences of God, and human preferences in this passage.
2. What is it about this passage that underscores God calling the shots, and people responding to his preferences?
3. Do you think this is a "hard sell" in our generation, and if so, why?
4. Do you think most folks are apt to accept these terms of relating to God, or do you think most folks, even religious folks, are going to rather say, "I pass?"
5. Is there anything to be lost through choosing a spiritual mind-set less responsive to the initiatives and preferences of God?
6. Is there anything to be gained by letting the grain of our religious life be governed by finding out what God wants us to do and then doing it?
7. Why is the tabernacle called "the tent of the covenant?" And what did this have to do with how our ancestors lives their lives? What did this have to do with the texture, the grain of the right kind of Jewish religion?

The covenant is the contract God made with Israel to which our ancestors all agreed: that in view of all God has done for us as a people, and in view of all he stands ready to do for us, we owe him certain kinds of behavior that bring him honor. Whether we enjoy these behaviors, feel "led" to do them, or "get something out of them" is really secondary. The point is, we obey the Covenant because we owe Him, because he is the God who redeemed us all out of slavery and death, and because God has spoken. We do this because he says to do it. Only by obeying Him as a people do we bring Him proper honor in the sight of the nations.

Why obey God?

1. He is God. 
2. He redeemed us from Egypt and through the Messiah. We owe Him big time. 
3. Inevitably, any other kind of life proves to be narcissistic and self-serving, to other people's eyes even if not to the perpetrator.

To live a Torah-based Jewish live is to honor the God of our Fathers.  It means to live according to the ways of life God gave our people, so that by our collective obedience our whole fabric of life is like a finger pointing to Him—not to a generic God, not to a Higher Power, but to the very specific God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. By living such lives and ONLY by living such lives, we call attention to Him and to his marvelous faithfulness to our people throughout time. Again, it is NOT about what we get out of it. It is not about being respectable, moral Theists. It is certainly not about our preferences, nor is it about our feelings. It is not even about salvation. It is about ONE thing. It is about honoring the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because he is the True and Living God, because we owe him, and because he is worthy of honor. And for Messianic Jews, it means doing this with all the help available to us through Yeshua our Messiah and the Spirit of the Holy One.

This is the life that Yeshua exemplified. It was He who said "I always do what is pleasing to Him." This is the life which to which the Spirit assists us as a community. This is Messianic Judaism, not American pop-religious culture, and not Messianic Jewishism.

And yes, our movement as a whole, myself included, is a long way from working through the implications of such a viewpoint.  But I have trouble looking at the Bible and not seeing things this way.  What about you?