J.Post December 2: Judging Cardozo

Sir, - I am disappointed in Rabbi Cardozo. That is not to say I didn’t enjoy reading both installments of his essay. He writes with a passion for bold ideas and articulates his arguments forcefully and eloquently.

But there are a number of things with which I disagree, and some I find unclear.

He writes “Halacha is the practical upshot of unfinalized beliefs that remain in theological suspense.”

Frankly, I cannot understand the meaning of that sentence and have no inkling whether he is in favor of Halacha or not.

Also, the only examples of great and bold thinkers he chose were people like Einstein and Freud, who indeed were Jewish and great thinkers, but were not at all thinkers about Judaism. He ignores Maimonides and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.

Finally, I was looking forward to the second installment to include bold but practical programs for the implementation of the changes he suggests, but found them to be absent.

ZEV CHAMUDOT
Petah Tikva