On being Jewish

One of the hallmarks of being a Jew is that you question everything. If you just accept everything you're told by your parents or rabbis you violate one of the most important precepts of Judaism: ask questions. For instance, my daughter-in-law (DIL) told me the other day that they found out God has a secret name that only ordained rabbis know and they are sworn not to tell anyone. Give me a break...if there were such a thing someone would have leaked it in three thousand years!

Passover is another time to ask questions. When I studied for my Bar Mitzvah in 1982 at the age of 42 (I was a little late) I got carried away by the stirring melodies of Adon Olam but did I really believe the Red Sea parted just to let Moses and the Jews cross? No. Do I even believe in God? No, again. (In fact I just read an article in this week's New Yorker by Jill Lepore, a Harvard history professor, who says that most of the "Founding Fathers" didn't believe in God either and the word "God" doesn't even appear in the U.S. Consitiution. So how should I conduct myself at the Seder? I'm actually looking forward to it as our Haggadahs this year have been modified by my S and DIL to more accurately reflect contemporary culture. Way to go!

Still, I question everything. This made me unpopular in school with my teachers as they used to have to squirm at some of my questions. And in college I found that it was much easier (if not intellectually dishonest) to just spew back at the professors what they wanted to hear. People don't generally like someone who questions - unless you are talking to another Jew. Then we recognize our solidarity in skepticism. We are sometimes referred to as "Pharisees" in the bible questioning everything from the morality of divorce to how many shekels you should tip in a sushi joint. Quesstions, questions...that's the glory of our secularism.