Donald 2

The podcast discusses the Jewish Studio Project and whether it is Jewishly traditional or novel. The question of whether being Jewishly traditional is bad is raised, and it is suggested that the project can be both traditional and novel. The project combines elements of traditional Jewish learning and creativity. It emphasizes the importance of studying and interpreting Torah, as well as being creative in the process. The project also focuses on the joy and emotional aspects of Jewish learning, which may be seen as novel compared to more mainstream traditions. It suggests that Judaism is not just about inheriting the religion, but also about continuously reinventing it and making a positive impact on the world. The connection between Jewish tradition and innovation is seen as essential for the survival and identity of the Jewish people. Judaism Unbound, podcast number two, is the work of the Jewish Studio Project Jewishly traditional, Jewishly novel, both, or neither? I found the question of whether the Jewish Studio Project, the creation of Adina Allen and Jeff Kasowitz, is whether it is Jewishly traditional or Jewishly novel an intriguing one to think about. In the midst of a class on Jewish innovation, it's pretty clear that the superficial assumption underlying the question is that, quote, Jewishly novel is an inherently good characteristic. But does that make, quote, Jewishly traditional bad? The question also poses whether JSP could be both Jewishly novel and traditional or neither. While I think my bottom line answer to the question's prompt is both, I think better questions are, how is JSP both Jewishly traditional and novel, and is a grounding in Jewish tradition a necessary or even important element in Jewish innovation for me? And is the Jewish tradition we are discussing the rabbinic tradition of the past 2,000 or so years, or possibly the more modern liberal, the eschatoric Jewish tradition? Can it even be said that there is Jewish tradition versus diverse Jewish traditions in plural? In so many ways, JSP's part urban art studio, part Beit Midrash, is focused on goals that are at the very heart of the rabbinic Jewish tradition. Nothing could be more traditional than gathering eager learners to study and interpret Torah and teaching them to be creative in doing so. The goal of enhancing the love of Torah in the Jewish people and finding a way to make Torah a more immediate and tangible presence in our lives is, in fact, something we pray for, yes, traditionally, every day. Humans being creative has also been a core element of the Jewish tradition, flowing naturally from the idea of B'Tselem Elohim, that we've all been created in God's image. That we should be able to, quote, partner with God in the creative process of the world, as Adina and Jeff advocate, is, to me, mostly a very traditional idea. After all, what could be more humanly creative and traditional than the vivid imagination inherent in the Midrashic, yes, tradition? But there are points of emphasis of Jeff and Adina's work at JSP that seem very novel to me, or at least focus on aspects of Jewish tradition that are less mainstream than the modern Ashkenazic tradition I grew up in. First of all, one of the most traditional characterizations of Jews and Judaism is that we are, quote, the people of the book, that we focus on deriving meaning from words, and that our creativity is mostly in and through writing. While still interpreting Jewish text, JSP recognizes that creating images is an equally powerful way of interpreting text and creating meaning, and perhaps engaging with the more emotional aspects versus intellectual aspects of our beings. Perhaps related to the focus on instinctive image-making versus reading and writing, JSP is expressly focused on both using and creating joy in the process of Jewish learning. As an Ashkenazic modern Jew growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust, the very idea that Judaism can and should be joyful feels novel and not a natural part of the tradition I grew up with. The idea that, quote, following pleasure in the process of drawing and expressing emotions about Jewish text could be a way of experiencing and deepening my Judaism, or others' Judaism for that matter, feels very novel to me personally. But then it reminds me of the elevating joy I now experience in Jewish song and nigunim, drawn from the Hasidic tradition, and that I know that pursuing joy spiritually is also a core part of our tradition. Another novel element to me is JSP's theological emphasis on God being imminent in all of us versus the much more transcendent God of the Hebrew Bible. The notion of us being creative partners with God in the ongoing creation of the universe seems much more aligned to the Kabbalistic perspective of God and humanity versus the Talmud-focused Rabbinic tradition. Perhaps flowing from this are two other related novel ideas. The ideas that are critical, quote, to do as Jews is not just to inherit Judaism, but to keep on inventing it, and that Judaism is not a spectator sport, flown naturally from one of the most core traditional ideas in the Jewish world today, namely that we have an obligation of tikkun olam, continuing to cure the world one mitzvah at a time. That we cannot simply accept the imperfect, difficult world we live in as is, but must play an ongoing personal role in reinventing it, seems to me both a very novel and one of the most traditional ideas of Judaism at the same time. So in answering my question from above, Ray, the connection between Jewish tradition and Jewish innovation, the survival of the Jewish people for 3,000 years is fundamental proof of both the importance of tradition and innovation in Jewish identity. In many ways, one is the yin to the other's yang. Without them both, we wouldn't still be here today.