It is about Separation....

Guest Teacher: R. Uri Regev, World Union For Progressive Judaism

Deut. 22:
The rules of Lost & Found:
If you find an ox that belongs to your "fellow Israelite" - return it.

Well, the translation really doesn't say "fellow Israelite" but that is how it is translated in many cases. It is not entirely clear if it says "fellow" meaning only your neighbor Israelite or if it refers to anyone. This did lead to some trouble because it seems that maybe it is a directive to only take care of your own kind.

The rules of Fashion:
Men do not wear women's apparel, Women do not wear men's apparel, Do not combine wool and linen.

These were NOT about homosexuality at all. It was due to common pagan practices of the times where they dressed as the other sex to 'confuse the gods'.... And one of the most emphatic points of Torah is that we must not do as the pagans do.

Keep wool and linen separate - Keep US separate as a community. It is all about "Separation" - keep the Jews and Gentiles apart.

It is designed to hold the community together and to protect the community from pagan practices.

So, do these laws foster discrimination? Do they keep us from moving forward into modernity? Does Torah hold us back from the changing realities in the world?

In some ways maybe the answer is yes.

The perfect transition to introduce the World Union for Progressive Judaism to our study:

"The mission of the World Union for Progressive Judaism is to preserve Jewish integrity wherever Jews live; to encourage integration without assimilation; to respond to modernity while perpetuating the Jewish experience; to pursue social justice and equal rights for all."


Explore their site and learn about their activities and support the Reform movement world wide to open new doors to the Jewish community in the world.