"History isn't over. There's still time for Judaism to recover. We can trim the boat." DovBear
"There you go again, confusing Orthodox Judaism for Judaism. Orthodoxy died about 150 years ago, with the first major breakthroughs in true scholarship of the Torah. Orthodoxy descended into fundamentalism, and will most likely die down there. The positions that are Orthodox are no longer believable by anyone with a thorough education." Ms-Nagid
The boat of Orthodoxy does have some problems, its true. The recent troubles are only the tip of the iceberg. Looming up ahead through the mist are the forbidding peaks of Science and Biblical Criticism. So now the boat has holes in its side, somewhere down in the lower class compartments. Some passengers down there are panicking. Quick, we must do something ! We are top heavy with 2000 years accumulated flotsam and jetsam. Trim the boat ! No that won't help, too little too late, we must abandon ship !
However is that really an alternative ? Abandon ship ? Who can survive for long in this cold cruel sea ? Where are the people who jumped ship before ? For a while we heard their plaintive cries: "Come on in, the waters fine" they called out at first. Later we heard "Please, please, please join us". Were these cries for company, or cries for help ? After a while their cries receded into the long night, and they were never to be heard from again.
And look at the ship. What a marvelous ship this is ! The finest to ever sail the seven seas. What a beautiful edifice ! They don’t make ships like this anymore, or ever. It has survived storms, tornadoes, tsunamis. It has survived the steamboat era, the modern luxury liner era, and still it sails on. The first class cabins are the finest in the world. Sure the ship’s captains and officers are responsible for the collision in the first place. But they only had our best interests at heart, trying to steer us through unfriendly waters to reach our destination. Maybe some of them have been too long at the helm. Perhaps a mutiny ? No, they will soon retire, and a new generation will take over, more familiar with modern methods of navigation.
Meanwhile, the upper decks are unaware of the collision. “This ship is the safest in the world” they say. “Watertight compartments, at the first sign of any leak these compartments are sealed shut. A few holes in the side won’t cause any major damage.
So jump ship ? Not this passenger. I wouldn’t trade my luxury cabin for the ice cold waters outside. Mutiny ? No need. Trim the boat ? A good idea, perhaps with a lighter load it will be smoother sailing from now on. But we need to be careful. We don’t want to rock the boat too much, it may capsize.
So come on inside and let the band play on !
