I credit Reb Moshe Waldoks for helping me find a practice of Judaism that spoke to my soul. Through his scholarship and humor, I became a devoted Torah study participant and went on to take the 100-hour Meah class. I became a regular member of his independent shul, which grew into a vibrant community at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts. I was raised in a Conservative home that kept kosher, and Shabbat candles were lit. However, after my years as a Moonie and deprogramming, I could never find a spiritual home where could fit until I found Moshe and the many wonderful people I came to know and learn from.
Waldoks is now retired, and Rav Claudia Kreiman is the rabbi. I wanted to acknowledge and share Moshe’s wisdom and perspective. I also wanted to let more people know about his one-person play that he wrote and performs in. In this interview, we discuss modern-day Judaism and how it can work to provide an example of the opposite of a cult: a community in which people belong and can be themselves without threats of non-conformity.
Reb Moshe is the son of Holocaust survivors and an “advocate for joy.” Reb Moshe attended a Yiddish-language yeshiva in New York City, completed an undergraduate degree focusing on the history of Jewish thought at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and earned a doctorate in Jewish intellectual history at Brandeis University.
Reb Moshe spent 12 years as a teacher, storyteller, and comedian. He co-edited The Big Book of Jewish Humor with William Novak and produced 200 episodes of Aleph, Boston’s first Jewish cable television series. Reb Moshe now lives in Boston and is the Rabbi Emeritus at Temple Beth Zion.
Continuing to connect with his comedy roots, Reb Moshe has an upcoming one-person play called “You Can Live if They Let You.” The show runs from September 12 through 15 at the Plaza Theatre in Boston.
Reb Moshe’s Healthy Approach to Judaism
When I read a Boston Globe feature article about him, I invited Waldoks to several lunches, and I remember asking him question after question. You see, I was skeptical of any spiritual leader and had an allergy to conformity and obedience. Many former cult members live in distrust of anything that smacks of religion. They especially distrust charismatic spiritual leaders. Reb Moshe’s approach to Judaism is ecumenical, rejects authoritarian approaches, and supports freedom of thought and belonging. He also employs a question-and-answer approach to teaching that encourages open-ended discussion instead of accepting things as “the Truth.”
I particularly liked Reb Moshe’s encouragement for people to practice meditation. I learned of his trip to visit the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala to help answer his questions about how the Jews have survived in exile for so long. This journey was described by Rodger Kamenetz’s book, The Jew in the Lotus. A documentary by the same name was made by my friend Laurel Chiten about this journey. He founded the Nishmat Hayyim: The Breath of Life Jewish Meditation Community as a resource for Jewish contemplative practices in New England.
Temple Beth Zion promotes freedom, diversity, and helping one another. Cults often take away the ability and sometimes even the desire to make decisions for yourself. Reb Moshe was a strong supporter of my work. As a community, we were active in supporting social justice causes, including Palestinian rights. Many talks and nonprofits have developed to promote a two-state solution. Bridge-building and getting to know people who may be considered “other” to yourself are also tenets of an inclusive faith. This is exemplified by being a founding member of GBIO- the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, a lobbying group that works for the greater good of all.
Ideology and the Hubris of Belief
Temple Beth Zion is a beautiful example of a group that is a healthy influence. All groups influence their members in some way. Cults use BITE Model of Authoritarian control methods to ensure dependent, obedient members. Healthy groups don’t use deception or sales tactics to recruit new members. Healthy communities provide opportunities for open discussion and allow members to hold differing beliefs.
Orthodox means one view. In the podcast, Steve and Reb Moshe discuss how healthy groups provide opportunities for learning and seeking rather than requiring people to all believe the same way. Belief comes with the connotation that there is an end to the journey, whereas seeking never ends. What’s important is providing tools to use on each person’s individual seeker path.
Another aspect of Reb Moshe’s outlook on religion is the importance of dialogue. Good dialogue does not involve trying to overpower the other person or to convince them of something. Instead, both people speaking need to bring the best of what they have, the best of what they hold dear, to such an extent that both parties come away with more knowledge and perhaps some religious envy.
Fatalism and Religious Traditions
The goal of religious traditions should be to create good human beings. However, no ideology can erase human experience. Every person brings their experiences to the religion they choose. Sometimes, this means it’s hard for people to love if they have never experienced love. Often, ideologies try to negate the human experience element of life. Reb Moshe encourages everyone to bring their experiences and fold those into religious life.
War and politics are also human experiences that affect and, in turn, affect religious life. Apocalyptic religious beliefs sometimes encourage violence because, at its core, apocalyptic beliefs imply that things must get worse before they get better. This is a very fatalistic way to live. In opposition to this, the Jewish prophetic tradition instead considers how we can improve this world and turn swords into plowshares. No amount of violence will bring about the “end of time,” and there is no guarantee that violence will ever beget peace.
The Jewish tradition encourages imagination and interpretation. It does not promote literal translations of Scripture. It takes imagination to understand what is “other,” or different, from you. Understanding other people is our challenge if we are willing to take it on. This may not always be easy, but building the communities we desperately need in a divided and often too digital world is worthwhile.
“Shalom” means wholeness and peace, but it also references the capacity to maintain equilibrium to achieve a sense of tranquility. Reb Moshe’s work encourages others to find this peace through community and engaging with those who are different from us. May we all seek to achieve Shalom and help others on their journeys.
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