Talmud Class: What, If Anything, Do We Have to Believe to be a Good Jew?

“In this house we believe that…” American lawn signs confidently proclaim that the members of this house all believe the same things: and the sign then lists the tenets that the members of the home all believe. These lawn signs cover a wide gamut of political convictions. All of which made me wonder: what, if anything, do we have to believe to be considered a good Jew? This is particularly vexing because we famously disagree, two Jews, three opinions. And what happens if we don’t believe, or want to believe but can’t believe, or if we are offended at the notion that we are supposed/required/expected/commanded to believe? What if we believe that belief should be organic, intuitive, freely chosen? As the holidays approach, we usually think it is our deeds we need to work on. Do we also need to work on our beliefs, or not? Another way to put it: It is said that Judaism is a religion of deed, not creed. Is this true? Watch as we share the texts and learning of Donniel Hartman’s lecture from the Shalom Hartman Institute community learning program this past summer.