An Orthodox community is in the midst of a philosophical crisis thats pitting hard-line rationalists against New Age-leaning mystics and the publication of a new book by a well-known rabbi has exposed and intensified the struggle.
In his recently published Alternative Medicine in Halakhah, Lakewood, New Jersey rabbi Rephoel Szmerla gives Jewish legal justifications for a range of New Age therapies like yoga, homeopathy, reiki and crystal healing. Critics of the book say its part of an alarming growth of such practices in Orthodox circles; its proponents say it provides much-needed religious resource on therapies that are already widely used.
Rav Rephoel Szmerla, a dayan from Lakewood, NJ, has presented the Torah world with a groundbreaking, seminal halachic work, Daniel Shapiro wrote in a glowing review on the website Matzav.com.
But to people like Natan Slifkin, an Orthodox Israeli scholar and science writer, the book represents a dangerous turn away from science and towards what we derides as quackery. There is a forthcoming highly significant and very tragic publishing event which relates to the rationalist/anti-rationalist divide in the Jewish community, he warned in a blog post about the book before it came out. If religious Jews begin to eschew the scientific establishment for healers or other therapies, Slifkin wrote, there is a real risk of people neglecting to treat themselves in a way that is actually helpful.
But this a not some simple squabble between authors. Its the latest chapter in what Alan Brill, chair for Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University, calls a clash of two different Orthodox world views.
Judaism, of course, has a strong mystical tradition that dates back centuries. Kabbalah is so popular that the practice has been taken up by non-Jews. And the contemporary Orthodox world has been wrapped up in New Age, Brill said, for decades. The 1970s Baal Teshuva movement, when many nonobservant Jews become more religious, brought an influx of spiritual seekers into Orthodoxy. These newly Orthodox Jews, Brill said, infused the movement with a new openness to experimenting with alternative medicine.
More recently theres been a backlash against such New Age strains.
The Orthodox world is generally divided between Modern Orthodox and Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox. Haredim are then further divided between Hasidim and Yeshivish. This tension between the rationalists and New Agers is being waged in the Yeshivish quarter.
Szmerla does not necessarily advocate for all of the alternative medicine he discusses (shamanism for example, he decides is forbidden) but does frame all such therapies or approaches to healing in language that any Orthodox Jew could understand.
Until now, a great deal of confusion has prevailed regarding the halachic status of energy medicine, promotional material for the book reads. Is hands-on healing a form of avodah zarah[idolatry]? May one consult a kinesiologist? Is homeopathy permitted?
Orthodox Jews are already exploring such options, though not always openly.
On a Yahoo forum dedicated to the subject, one user shared an experiences with using reiki to treat cancer. I wasnt responding well to chemo or to blood transfusions, so my Orthodox Jewish parents looked for holistic ways to cure my leukemia, and Reiki did it, the commenter wrote. By the grace of G-d Ive been in remission for the last 8 years, now I am just treating my anemia.
The practices may already be taking place in Orthodox sectors, but some say that providing Jewish framing for such therapies will lead more Orthodox to take up the practices.
Ben Rothke, writing in the blog Lehrhaus, dismissed Szmerla as an evangelist for so-called energy medicine.
This book reflects disturbing trends in subculture elements of right-wing Orthodoxy to disdain modern science, Rothke wrote, and to engage new age therapies.
For example, Szmerla is reportedly opposed to vaccinations, a topic which is of contention in some Orthodox circles, and critics like Rothke see a connection between eschewing modern science and taking up New Age practices.
The last time this tension reared its head, it was Slifkin, the scientific Orthodox writer, who was at the eye of the storm.
Slifkin, a British-born rabbi who teaches at a university in Israel, made a career for himself by seeking to show that one could accept the sanctity of the biblical scripture and still have a firm rationalist footing in modern science.
He was dubbed the Zoo Rabbi for his expertise on the intersection of Torah and zoology, Tablet Magazine reported. In the early 2000s, he authored a series of books with titles like Mysterious Creatures, The Science of Torah and The Camel, the Hare and the Hyrax.
Natan Slifkin
He got in trouble in 2005, when twenty-three Haredi rabbis signed an open letter denouncing the books for challenging the literal truth of the Bibles creation story.
Slifkin lost speaking engagements. His publisher and distributor dropped the three most controversial books. His own rabbi was pressured to expel him from his congregation, the New York Times reported at the time.
But Orthodoxys rationalist-mystical pendulum has swung again, and Slifkin, once marginalized for his emphasis on science, is sitting in the center, scolding a fellow rabbi for his purportedly mystical leanings.
Now, theres a large number of people, Brill said, who are allergic to anything mystical or magical.
Email Sam Kestenbaum at kestenbaum@forward.com and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum
Go here to read the rest:
Orthodox Jews Divide Over Questions Of Whether Yoga, Crystals, Reiki Are Kosher - Forward
- Ed's Guide to Alternative Therapies - pathguy.com - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide | University ... - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Overview - December 26th, 2016 [December 26th, 2016]
- Alternative Medicine, Holistic Doctors,Naturopathic ... - January 5th, 2017 [January 5th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine Degrees - Excite Education - January 13th, 2017 [January 13th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine | Category | Fox News - January 13th, 2017 [January 13th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine - Disabled World - January 13th, 2017 [January 13th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine Degree, BS - Everglades University - January 23rd, 2017 [January 23rd, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine | Duke University Press - January 23rd, 2017 [January 23rd, 2017]
- Bill to rein in alternative medicine practitioners - Bangalore Mirror - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Peroxide ingestion, promoted by alternative medicine, can be deadly - Science Daily - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Can Peroxide Kill You? Yes, Say Doctors About This Alternative Medicine Favorite - Medical Daily - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Marijuana tension between clinical, alternative medicine ... - Washington Times - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Cannabis providers feel tension between clinical and alternative medicine - The Cannabist - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Happy Healthy YOU - Tillsonburg News - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Health dept cracks down on alternative meds containing sildenafil citrate - NYOOOZ - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine Conferences | Traditional Medicine ... - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- American Institute of Alternative Medicine - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Alternative medicine to treat pain and other ailments on the rise locally - Rockford Register Star - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine Career Information and Education ... - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Why is alternative medicine so popular? - Alternative ... - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Potential dangers and dubious history of alternative medicine are often unknown to its consumers - MinnPost - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- New form of alternative medicine comes to OU - Oaklandpostonline - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- OPENING THE PLAYBOOK ON ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - Dope Magazine - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Ask a Doctor: Is there an alternative medicine treatment for constant pain? - Chattanooga Times Free Press - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Alternative medicine grows in Sugar Land, Missouri City - Community Impact Newspaper - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Medicine with a side of mysticism: Top hospitals promote unproven therapies - STAT - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Abstracts: Obamacare Replacement, Alternative Medicine, and More - Undark Magazine - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- For Prairie Village practitioner, personal experience led to interest in alternative medicine techniques - Shawnee Mission Post - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Financial Planning + Alternative Medicine - March 8, 2017 ... - KHTS Radio - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- Premier U.S. Hospitals Are Selling Unproven Alternative Therapies ... - KQED - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Speakers lay stress on use of alternative medicine - The Nation - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Top U.S. hospitals promote unproven medicine with a side of ... - PBS - PBS NewsHour - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Medical cannabis expert discusses treatment options - Herald-Whig - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- 5 ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES EVERY MAN SHOULD BE AWARE OF - TORO Magazine - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- CID unearths fake 'council of alternative medicines' in Behala - Millennium Post - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Parents who believe in 'alternative nutrition' convicted after baby dies of malnutrition - Telegraph.co.uk - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Times of Malta Alternative medicine - Times of Malta - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Suffering from severe pain? Experts say THIS form of alternative medicine will work just as well as drugs! - Zee News - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- IBAM Indian Board of Alternative Medicine - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Alternative medicine practitioner charged with sexual assault in Burlington - Hamilton Spectator - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Mind, body, spirit: Nurse opens holistic health store to promote overall wellness - Muscatine Journal - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Four of the Most Misused Terms in Alternative Medicine - ATTN: - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- How cupping therapy helps athletes like Michael Phelps as an alternative medicine - Sport360 - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Calimesa Alternative Medicine - Weedmaps - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Homeopathic Health Center | Columbus, OH - (614) 890-2589 - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine | What Is Alternative Medicine? - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Quotes About Alternative Medicine (30 quotes) - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine That Doctors Recommend | Reader's Digest - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine Schools - Excite Education - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Medical journal takes aim at natural remedies - CBC.ca - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Healing through alternative medicine: Winona locals choose acupuncture as a cure - Winona Daily News - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Patrick Noel, DC: Restoring the body's innate ability to heal through chiropractic care - Colorado Springs Gazette - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Back Pain? Try Yoga - New York Times - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- Jerusalem: Alternative healer indicted on rape charges - The Jerusalem Post - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- Does Pink Himalayan Salt Have Any Health Benefits? - TIME - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- Not all wellness is bullshit - Quartz - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- What's happening in your body during acupuncture? - The Verge - July 1st, 2017 [July 1st, 2017]
- Natural and Alternative Medicine against Asthma - Radio Cadena Agramonte - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Alternative Medicine in Halacha: a Review - Yeshiva World News - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- West Bengal's top doctors turn out fakes, arrests blow lid off thriving scam - Hindustan Times - July 5th, 2017 [July 5th, 2017]
- Sudbury woman chooses alternative treatments for stage 4 cancer - CBC.ca - July 6th, 2017 [July 6th, 2017]
- Unbiased reporting can help call time on pseudoscience - EuroScientist - July 6th, 2017 [July 6th, 2017]
- Holistic therapy for pets? Traditional vet care being blended with reiki, acupuncture - Georgia Voice - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- A Memoir of Chronic Fatigue Illustrates the Failures of Medical Research - The New Yorker - July 10th, 2017 [July 10th, 2017]
- Valtrex after expiration - Alternative medicine for herpes simplex 2 - Van Wert independent - July 11th, 2017 [July 11th, 2017]
- Sacred Space, University of Miami partner to educate community on wellness - Miami Herald - July 11th, 2017 [July 11th, 2017]
- One FDA About-Face Doesn't Mean an Orphan-Drug Bonanza - Bloomberg - July 12th, 2017 [July 12th, 2017]
- 'Bridging medicine with nature' - The Torrington Telegram - July 12th, 2017 [July 12th, 2017]
- Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop posted a defense of its jade eggs for vaginas. It's a mess. - Vox - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Acupuncture for pets? Yes, it's a thing - MyDaytonDailyNews - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Create Ministry for traditional, alternative medicine - Association - Graphic Online - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Native American healing class sparks unique health textbook - ABC News - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Rav Elyashiv ZTL On Alternative Medicine By R. Yair Hoffman - Yeshiva World News - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Expedite action on the passage of the alternative medicine bill ... - GhanaWeb - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Is Gwyneth Paltrow's pseudoscience winning? - Vox - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Salt Therapy Gaining Popularity in Alternative Medicine Circles - Newsmax - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Vargas: Weeding out herbal remedies for our pets - News Chief - July 24th, 2017 [July 24th, 2017]
- Patients recognise over-worked GPs as majority agree to see alternative medical professionals - Herald Series - July 25th, 2017 [July 25th, 2017]
- Cancer controversies and traditional medicines - Regina Leader-Post - July 26th, 2017 [July 26th, 2017]