Dear Lizzy,



Daat Emet objects to religion and to Charedim as the representatives of religion, those who follow its instructions to the letter. I do not understand how one can separate those who follow Halacha from Halacha itself. What is this like? Like one who says that he is against settlers and settlements but is not against the idea of a Greater Israel.

Moreover, the Charedim many times break with Halacha and adapt themselves to the times. Thus, for example, the status of women is better today in the Charedi world than is called for in the religious laws. You must oppose religion more than you do Charedim.

As to your claim that there are good things in Judaism, you are invited to raise them here, along with sources and confirmations from Chazal literature.

As for your words, “In the final analysis we have survived thanks to religion,” you are correct that without the fulfillment of commandments throughout the generations the Jewish people in the diaspora would have assimilated, but you must look at the change which came over the Jewish people. In the modern age most Jews have shaken off the fulfillment of commandments and champion enlightened values, and from the spirit of your letter it seems you have also accepted the secular values and are not religious. Therefore I do not understand what conclusion you want to draw from the fact that we survived the diaspora due to the fulfillment of commandments.



Sincerely,



Daat Emet

Dear David,



Your question is a little confused. I will discuss the end of what you said, from which it appears you mean that thanks to the fulfillment of commandments the Jewish people exists and did not disappear during the modern era.

This issue of the preservation of the Jewish people is an interesting topic, worthy of research. It is very difficult to know what would happen “if” there were no commandment fulfilling Jews.

The secular public, which on the one hand rejects the racist and discriminatory halachot of the Jewish people and on the other hand feels a connection to the Jewish people, must clearly and strongly define how it sees Judaism and the Jewish religion.

This is a clear reproach to the secular community which has not been wise enough to completely detach itself from religion and create a Jewish culture which matches its enlightened values.

The first step is to separate the state from religion, to eliminate the institutions of the rabbinate which represent the filthy religion, to cancel the budgets for religious institutions which do not follow the principles of enlightened values, and at the same time create a Jewish religion without dependence on people of religion.



Sincerely,



Daat Emet