Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, or Reb Zalman, as he is often
called, is one of the most remarkable spiritual personalities of
the 20th century. Born in Poland in 1924, and growing
up in Vienna, Reb Zalman was raised in a household in which the
traditional practices of Hasidism were combined with modern
Western ways and ideas.
Fleeing from the Nazi invasion of Europe in 1939, Reb Zalman
immigrated to New York, and spent the next ten years studying at
the Lubavitch Yeshiva in Brooklyn. Eventually, he not only
received his rabbinic ordination from Lubavitch, but also, a
Masters in Psychology of Religion from Boston University, and a
Doctorate in Jewish Studies from Hebrew Union College. From 1956
to 1975, Reb Zalman served as Professor of Religion and Head of
the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at the
University of Manitoba.
It was in Winnipeg that Reb Zalman first developed the
foundational principles of Jewish Renewal Judaism. What are
those principles? Basically, Reb Zalman holds that there have
been several significant “paradigm shifts” over the course of
Jewish history.
A “paradigm shift” is a dramatic re-orientation of the way we
interpret reality. In each period of Jewish history, people
experienced the pressure of various cataclysmic changes. These
mega-historical events forced dramatic re-orderings of the
concepts and technologies, which defined Judaism for those
generations.
In our own era, we have experienced Auschwitz, Hiroshima, and
men on the moon. According to Reb Zalman, these modern
cataclysms have also demanded dramatic changes in the way we
view the world, and how we behave in it. Unfortunately, the
response of religion to the “brave new world” has been woefully
inadequate.
Our
religious “reality maps” haven’t kept pace with the advances in
science and technology that are the hallmarks of this modern
era. Therefore, people have tended to take one of two extreme
paths: a reactionary Orthodoxy that ignores the present by
recreating an illusory past; or throwing out the baby of our
Jewish faith treasures, along with the bathwater of worn out
concepts and technologies of the past.
According to Reb Zalman, by “renewing” our religious reality
maps, Judaism can help address issues raised by the events of
this tumultuous era – issues like feminism, eco-Kashrut, the
Buddhist encounter, and the desire to develop a personal,
meaningful spirituality. Powerful, effective Jewish tools with
which we can engage in this work are available in the rich
tradition bequeathed by our ancestors to us – their descendants.
To hear more about these tools, and how they can be used to
dramatically change the way we relate to each other and our
world – particularly, our Jewish world – you’ll want to meet Reb
Zalman when he comes to Shaarey Zedek as Scholar-in-Residence,
Thursday evening, December 2nd through Sunday,
December 5th. It’s been nearly 30 years since he last
taught in Winnipeg. This may be the last time he ever teaches in
Winnipeg again. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
It could change your life forever.
