Jews and Quakers, Law and Grace

Max Carter, the head of campus Ministry at Guilford College, tells me that I should wrestle with the conflict between "law" and "grace" more, and pointed to the fundimental tension between Quakerism and Judaism from Quakerism's earliest conception, namely that "much of the history of early Quakerism has to do with the 'non-necessity' of 'Jewish ceremonies' (as Fox often characterized outward practices)." The latest Friend's Journal (April 2010) also dealt with some of these tensions in their article Singing “Lord of the Dance”: Reflections on Anti-Semitism and Loving One Another by Steve Chase, Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta, Janet Minshall, Free Polazzo, and Joy Weaver. Facing this part of Quakerism has been a long and confusing process, especially since the most common attitude towards Jewish Quakers that I've encountered among Friends has been "oh, yeah, so-and-so is Jewish, and they've just been such a great addition to the Meeting. You know, I find Judaism so interesting. There are just so many connections between Quakers and Jews! Really, there's no reason why it should be a problem for you to be both."

But it has been a problem, a rich and rewarding problem, and I have dove deep into those troubled waters. I have known for years that I cannot be a Jaker or a Quew, because I'm Jewish, and I see no role models among Jewish Friends who keep kosher and keep Shabbos. This is not to criticize or to judge these beautiful souls who have found a way forward as Jews in a Quaker Meeting, but I've always wanted to keep kosher and keep Shabbos, to live true to the law I've been given. And as that's where I know I am led, it's been clear to me that I cannot call myself a Quaker. As George Fox said, for Quakers, those Jewish ceremonies are not necessary (I believe Fox was actually referring to Church traditions and calling them Jewish was simply a way to emphasize his point and insult those who opposed his ideas, but it's still relevant, I think).

But then there's Grace. And I do believe in the Grace of G-d. I don't think Christians have any monopoly on the concept of grace, for Jews certainly appreciate the Grace of the One who has preserved us throughout the ages. But I grew up, I suspect, with a more Christian sense of grace than is perhaps typical among Jews. I believe strongly in the power of G-d to speak through us in a gathered Meeting, and I believe in the Grace which reveals G-d's Truth in our hearts. I believe that we are all beneficiaries of that Grace, and that, yes, sometimes it does save us. From the hardness of our own prideful hearts, mostly, but also from missing the mark (or sin, as it is sometimes called) and giving in to our darkness.

My faith operates on many layers. There is the level on which it is good to follow the mitzvahs and traditions, to take joy and comfort in their structure. There is also the level on which I try to know, one day at a time, what G-d is trying to communicate to me, how He is trying to lead me. They are not mutually exclusive, by any means. They compliment each other well.

Yesterday I came out of the darkness I had been journeying through for most of this year. I came into the peace of clarity on my leading into marriage, and knew that I loved my partner with a clear and fearless heart. That was an undeniable experience of G-d's grace which I received through Quaker process, and which I do not think I could have received through the laws. And that is why, among other reasons, I sojourn with Friends, and perhaps always will. In silence, Truth can be revealed and a community can experience that divine Grace. That is a profound blessing that I hope to never take for granted. Certainly the relationship between Quakers and Jews is not perfect, and at times it can be painful. But those who search for Truth can perhaps learn from one another, at least.