January 20, 2010
From: Messianic Jewish Musings

“A Jew at Home; A Man on the Streets.”

That line was used to describe Moses Mendelssohn at a lecture a few of
us attended as part of a series called “Five Centuries of Modern Jewish
Thought.”

A lot of people could be described that way: “A Messianic Jew at home,
incognito on the streets” or “A Christian at home, perfectly blended
into invisibility at the cafe.”

Mendelssohn (1729-1786, grandfather of the famous composer) was not a
particularly sharp philosopher nor a great theologian, but he was very
influential in the emancipation of the Jewish people, breaking into
mainstream academic life in Europe at a time when Jews were shut out. It
was once said of him by a famous playwright, “If all Jews were like
Mendelssohn, Jews would not be so bad.” Yeah, he was kind of that
pioneering figure gaining acceptance at the cost of mild compromise and
a willingness to smile when patronized. He also came back with some
sharp observations and intelligent discourse to make his generation
think.

In Mendelssohn’s day, the state and church were bedfellows. Your
religious status was a key to your status with government, with
universities, and in business.

Mendelssohn represents the enlightenment coming of age amongst the Jews
of Europe. It seems to me there is both good and bad in this, freedom
and compromise.

The phenomenon of hiding our faith to fit in is not something I would
have to encourage to see more if it. (So I was just being sarcastic with
the title!)

Our nearness to God, our sense of connection to him, can be and for many
has become a sort of part-time job. How do the words, ideas, values, and
practices of the synagogue or church carry over into our public lives?
Religion is a choice, an occupation for certain times and occasions. It
would be an improvement if religion became a fraternity or sorority for
some people as even friendships and relationships are not significantly
shaped by faith.

The lecture stimulated me to think about this all in a more
philosophical and sociological way.

While we benefit from freedom of religion, freedom from religious
tyranny, and freedom from discrimination, we are harmed by the
separation of faith into our private life.

Wouldn’t it be better to have it said of us, “Jew at home and everywhere
he/she goes”?

P.S. Note Mendelssohn’s beard. You might think at first he doesn’t have
one. He trimmed his beard to be thin and noticeable only up close. This
represents his compromise: faithful to a Jewish ideal (men do not shave
their beards) but hiding it as much as possible.