The Radical American Judaism of Mordecai M. Kaplan

by Mel Scult

Mordecai M. Kaplan, founder of the Jewish Reconstructionist movement, is the only rabbi to have been excommunicated by the Orthodox rabbinical establishment in America. Kaplan was indeed a radical, rejecting such fundamental Jewish beliefs as the concept of the chosen people and a supernatural God. Although he valued the Jewish community and was a committed Zionist, his primary concern was the spiritual fulfillment of the individual. Drawing on Kaplan's 27-volume diary, Mel Scult describes the development of Kaplan's radical theology in dialogue with the thinkers and writers who mattered to him most, from Spinoza to Emerson and from Ahad Ha-Am and Matthew Arnold to Felix Adler, John Dewey, and Abraham Joshua Heschel. This gracefully argued book, with its sensitive insights into the beliefs of a revolutionary Jewish thinker, makes a powerful contribution to modern Judaism and to contemporary American religious thought.

Genres: Judaism, Philosophy, Biography

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was a teenager and possessed my current skillset of Jewish knowledge, in my cool attic bedroom I’d probably have a poster of Abraham Geiger and perhaps next to him, Mordecai Kaplan among other unique and very out of the box thinkers of our history (Spinoza, Maimonides, and maybe even Modena). A difference: Kaplan is the most modern of these names and he went on to create a subset of our religion to this day I can’t entirely pin down. “What exactly is Reconstructing Judaism?” is a question I’ve long pondered and my running hypothesis that soundly is put to rest in The Radical American Judaism of Mordecai M. Kaplan was: “kinda like a mishmash of Reform and Conservative”.

I of course was wrong:

“But, in many essential ways, Reconstructionism is far to the left of Reform Judaism.” (page 267, eBook)

We learn a lot about my faulty hypothesis, the man’s incredibly diverse beliefs, and then some in a passion project of an intellectual biography written by someone whom—and it’s no understatement—probably knows more about Mordecai Kaplan than even the rabbi himself. An intellectual biography that in a way is the capstone to spending decades researching and writing is going to be a book that delivers.

And it does.

But now the burning question: just how radical was Mordecai Kaplan? Does my hypothesis hold any water or am I way off the mark?

“Too bad we had only one Spinoza.” —Mordecai M. Kaplan, 1939
(page 7)

That already would dis-invite him from most any Orthodox Bar Mitzvah, but it gets more interesting:

“We rightly blame the “Goyim” [non-Jews] for isolating us and for the resulting degeneration. But if our culture were intrinsically worth anything, it ought to have been able to ward off that degeneration. I can’t forgive our Jewish great men—Maimonides, the Gaon of Wilna, the Besht and others of like repute—for having contributed nothing to make us culturally and spiritually self-sufficient, for having left us on the contrary, bound hand and foot by tradition, so that we have become helpless cripples. Too bad, we had only one Spinoza and that he too preferred [sic] to fight from without instead of from within.” (page 22, direct from a personal diary entry)

Learning the reader such as myself and maybe you too will receive in droves. Some of it may be unique insights, others things we may find fault with. Even me, for example, who leans religiously liberal thinks Kaplan may have gone too far with the above thought—shower one it may be—when in some ways throwing great thinkers like Maimonides under the bus. They went in with the tools at their disposal, as did Kaplan, as do we.

But don’t worry. Radical Judaism actually is an excellent look into the mind of—and yes, even factoring in the previous quote—one of the greatest Jewish leaders and surely one of the most unique rabbis of the 20th century. That we learn he was such a prolific writer (dozens of volumes making up his diary alone!) means that yes, if one’s putting pen to paper so often, sometimes unfortunate things may be etched into time.

In some ways, this book really lives up to its title. Going in, I knew Rabbi Kaplan had some unique views, but I’d still pegged him as a kinda-sorta “Conservative with quirks” kind of guy. The reality is...radical and if that above quote was not enough, we have this:

(In a confrontation Mel Scult, the author of our book had with Rabbi Kaplan)
“’What makes you think that Moses asked Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go? It was a slave revolt. They didn’t ask permission; they just left.’ I couldn’t hold myself back. I was incredulous. ‘What about the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses and the plagues?’ ‘Never happened,’ said Kaplan.” (page 117)

If there is only one potential negative here--and bear with me as it’s minor. In spite of being a very fleshed out academic work, it does at times feel awfully close to being hagiographic. Mel Scult is unabashedly “a follower of Kaplan” (page 117) and thus, the book—again at times!--seems to withhold any major criticisms about his viewpoints. He’s not perfect and it’s OK to critique viewpoints. That Scult has such a close connection to the man may thus be both a blessing and a curse as his insights are nonpareil, but faults he may be unable to see. Moses Mendelssohn and the Religious Enlightenment by David Sorkin, another dive into the thoughts of a unique Jewish philosopher of the 18th century I recently read seemed to be able to provide valuable insights while not feeling as hagiographic.

The big question that became ever more paramount as I neared the end of this book was a simple one: who is it for? For starters, as noted, it’s an intellectual biography, but also one written by someone who sees Kaplan as pretty much saintly. This is not necessarily a red alert as this still is an academic book that comes with notes. On that front, I’d say anyone who read Soloveitchik's Children: Irving Greenberg, David Hartman, Jonathan Sacks, and the Future of Jewish Theology in America by Daniel Ross Goodman (and if you haven’t and love books on Jewish thought, you MUST read it), you’ll be at home here.

Otherwise, anyone who’s like me: simply interested in the various types of Jewish thought. I know a lot more about Reconstructing Judaism now than I did 300 or so pages ago. I know a ton more about Kaplan’s thought processes too. They’re interesting and some of it I may borrow, but there also are times he may have been a touch too radical for my tastes. But again, to each his own. I will not excommunicate him from my mind (like I have that power!) but respect that he had a unique way of ensuring the Jewish people to prosper in the 20th century and beyond. He’s also helped reinforce my own beliefs per (at least Jewish) observation and practice: do what feels intellectually fulfilling and gives you joy. If adhering to the four amos of halakha is about as fulfilling as watching a brick wall in an alleyway, then don’t feel burdened by them. Take the base materials and make it your own, as Rabbi Kaplan would have wanted. Whether you’re Reform or Modox, challenge yourself and pick this up. It’s very much worth a read.

[Mills College Library]

Biog K175s 2013

[Jean Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

a must for anyone who wants to get an in-depth look at Mordecai Kaplan. The author has studied him for years and had access to his voluminous personal diaries.