In order to make clear the thought and practice of North American Reform Judaism, the rabbinate has passed several comprehensive statements. These statements or platforms, issued in 1885, 1937, and 1976, were in response to the changing climate of society in general and the Reform Jewish experience in particular. Since 1976 much has changed, including the impact of women in the rabbinate, the increase in mixed marriages, the desire for more serious Jewish learning, the religious practices of many Reform Jews and the way that Reform Jews view Israel. For this reason it was believed that, on the eve of the millennial shift, a new statement of principles was needed that would address these changes and more.
The result was the 1999 Statement of Principles of Reform Judaism, also known as the Pittsburgh Principles. This document examines contemporary Reform Judaism through the lens of the central tenets of Judaism—God, Torah and Israel. The book A Vision of Holiness, written by the central architect of the Principles, Rabbi Richard N. Levy, explores the entire text through explanation and example.
This book was created for those who are interested in modern Liberal Judaism. Though written in a somewhat scholarly style, A Vision of Holiness will appeal to all who are searching to identify their own religious place. As Rabbi Levy said, “my hope is that [the book’s] pages will challenge all of its Jewish readers, Reform or not, to reflect on the nature of their religious lives and deepen their relationships with God, their absorption in Torah, and their critical commitment to the destiny of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.” By reading and discussing this book, we will further our growth as North American Jews.
About the Author
Rabbi Richard Levy is the director of the School of Rabbinic Studies of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles. After receiving his rabbinic ordination from HUC-JIR in 1964, Rabbi Levy served various congregations and university Hillels as their spiritual leader. He also served as the executive director of the Los Angeles Hillel Council. He has been a member of the Editorial Committee for both of the Reform Movement’s most recent prayer books, Gates of Prayer and Mishkan T’filah. In 1998 he began a two-year term as president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). During this time he became aware of the need for a revised statement that would guide Reform Jews into the next century. This became the Pittsburgh Principles, which was overwhelmingly approved by CCAR members. The book A Vision of Holiness: The Future of Reform Judaism reflects his expanded understanding of that platform and develops his vision of what Reform Judaism will look like for many years to come.
Preamble:
The Pittsburgh Statement of Principles was developed because there was a sense that Reform Judaism had changed since 1976. These changes, including the acceptance of patrilineal descent, the greater influence of women in the Movement as professional and lay leaders, the increase in the use of Hebrew in worship, and the adoption of additional ritual practices by congregations and individuals, are described on pages 4 and 5. How have these changes affected your own expression of Reform Judaism and those of your congregation?
Although the platform was overwhelmingly endorsed by the CCAR, there were disputed issues. Rabbis Lance Sussman, Robert Seltzer and Howard Greenstein expressed some of those concerns in the Winter 1998 issue of Reform Judaism magazine as well as on pages 9-12 of Visions of Holiness. How did the Principles address these criticisms? Do you agree or disagree with the criticisms and the way that Rabbi Levy answers them?
The Reform Jew in Dialogue with God
The section on God is the longest in the entire statement. Why do you think this is so? Perhaps, at this moment in time we Reform Jews are more connected with God than before, or perhaps we are struggling more with God.
Rabbi Levy writes, “The true issue in dialogue, Reform Judaism suggests, is not so much whether—and how—God responds to us, but how we respond to God” (page 33). How do you respond to God as an individual and as a member of a congregation and community?
There are a number of avenues through which we can be in dialogue with God— engaging in prayer, interacting with and taking care of nature, seeing God’s presence in other human beings, doing acts of g’milut chasadim (loving- kindness). Do you speak to God? How? In what other ways would you hope to continue your growth as a Jew?
An addition to this most recent platform is a discussion of the word “mitzvah,” sacred obligations that have the power to “make our lives holy.” Are the mitzvot, as Rabbi Levy asks, “commandments (given from without) or obligations (accepted from within)?” (page 50). Levy states that Reform Jews should be involved in informed choice with regards to doing mitzvot. Thus “are we committing a transgression when we fail to perform the mitzvot that we have not heard God ask us to do?” (page 61).
That the Reform Jewish experience of prayer changes with the times is indicated not only by the various platforms but also by the publication of various prayer books (page 56). How has your personal experience of prayer changed?
There has been a definite increase in the popularity of adult Torah study. Rabbi Levy suggests that this is “leading to a growing number of Reform Jews affirm[ing] the ancient belief that their study not only puts them in closer touch with God in life, but also contributes to the eternality of the soul and its return to God, the source of Torah, after death” (page 81). Do you agree? How has adult study impacted your life?
Rabbi Levy begins this section with an important question: “Is it possible for a human being to be in dialogue with God?” (page 17). How do you feel he answered the question? How would you answer it? In the conclusion of this section, Rabbi Levy states: “The final paragraph in the Pittsburgh Principles section on God discusses the few years we spend on earth in the context of an eternity spent in the presence of God. Our souls were one with God before they were breathed into us at birth, and the dialogue we carry on with God in the flesh can be seen as but a segment of a conversation that will continue for eternity” (page 87). How do you feel about that statement? How do you dialogue with God?
The Reform Jew in Dialogue with Torah
The Principles tell us that Torah is the foundation of our lives. How do you see Torah’s role in your life?
Rabbi Levy raises two questions: “Why [should] the Torah be accepted as an authority if it is but a pastiche of human writings?” and “Why [were] its contents handed down in their particular order and style?” (page 94). Do these questions speak to you as a Reform Jew? How would you answer them?
One of the hallmarks of Reform Judaism has been its understanding of the changing, on-going revelatory nature of Torah. This has been one of the major rationales that help us to deal with “difficult” Torah passages, those that do not seem to speak to our understandings today. The Principles of 1999, through its defining of Torah as a dialogue between God and our people, asks us to deal with these passages by saying: “What the Torah says may have been the will of God in the past; our experience leads us to believe that God’s will has enlarged, or that our growing experience is enabling us to understand a new dimension of God’s will” (page 99). How do you respond to this statement? How does it fit with your belief of God, Torah and your relationships with them?
By including twenty words and phrases in Hebrew, many more than in any other platform, the Principles indicates a revival of the importance of the Hebrew language within Reform Judaism. Is this the case in your own congregation? What impact would you hope to see through the greater use of Hebrew?
On pages 115-123, Rabbi Levy shows a progression of additional traditional observance as an essential part of Reform Judaism. Have you or your congregation experienced a similar process? What reasons can you offer for observing or not observing various mitzvot that have become a part of Reform Jewish practice?
“The Pittsburgh Principles asserts that each Reform Jew has the right, indeed the obligation, to enter into dialogue with the mitzvot …it is the right of every Reform Jew to emerge from that dialogue affirming a mitzvah, declaring one is not ready yet to accept it, or even rejecting it. But the dialogue must precede the decision, or it is not really a decision” (page 123). How do you understand the concept of “choice” and “dialogue” in Reform Judaism? What mitzvot have you examined and what decisions have you made that have had an impact on your Jewish life?
While ritual mitzvot including celebrating holidays are important, ethical mitzvot including acts of tikkun olam, or social justice, have been the mainstays of Reform Judaism. The Principles tell us that integrating the two is imperative. How have you and your congregation achieved this? What are the ways that Torah and mitzvot give meaning and purpose to your life?
The Reform Jew in Dialogue with the Jewish People
The Pittsburgh Principles speaks of ahavat Yisrael, a love and commitment to the people Israel. Especially with the background in Reform Judaism of a strong belief in universalism, what does it mean to love the Jewish people? Does this mean to love all Jews, regardless of the denomination to which they belong? How can we show and express this love personally and as a Movement?
How can Reform Judaism retain our stands on issues such as patrilineal descent and gays and lesbians in the rabbinate, for example, while remaining committed to the concept of k’lal Yisrael, the entire community of Israel?
Many Biennial initiatives of the Union for Reform Judaism address the issues found in this section of the Pittsburgh Principles.
How has your congregation responded to these issues and initiatives? Which would you like your congregation to address as a priority?
The Principles speak of the synagogue as the center of Jewish life: “It [the synagogue] needs to present Jewish ideas and model Jewish practice in a forceful, compelling way, teaching its members to articulate Jewish concepts and judge their society by them, leading its members to the kind of Jewish practice that will inform their lives with service to God…” (page 227). How has your congregation achieved these goals? How can it strengthen its role as the center of Jewish life?
The Principles state: “We are Israel, a people aspiring to holiness, singled out through our ancient covenant and our unique history among the nations to be witnesses to God’s presence.” How can we fulfill this mission? How has Israel, both the people and the nation, given meaning and purpose to your life?
A Closing Prayer
1. How can the words of the Pittsburgh Principles of 1999 and the words of A Vision of Holiness help guide you and your congregation to understand and fulfill the mission of Reform Judaism?
Suggested Readings
Borowitz, Eugene B., Liberal Judaism (1984), URJ Press.
Goldstein, Niles Elliot & Knobel, Peter S., editors, Duties of the Soul: The Role of Commandments in Liberal Judaism (1999), URJ Press.
Kaplan, Dana Evan, American Reform Judaism: An Introduction (2003), RutgersUniversityPress.
Meyer, Michael A., Response to Modernity: A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism (Studies in Jewish History), (1988), OxfordUniversityPress.
Meyer, Michael A. & Plaut, W. Gunther, editors, The Reform Judaism Reader: North American Documents (2000), URJ Press.
Schindler, Alexander M., Merians, Melvin & Maslin, Simeon J., What We Believe...What We Do: a Pocket Guide for Reform Jews (1998), URJ Press
Sonsino, Rifat and Syme, Daniel B., Finding God: Selected Responses (2002), URJ Press.
Syme, Daniel B., The Jewish Home: A Guide for Jewish Living (2003) URJ Press.
Umansky, Ellen & Kaplan, Dana Evan, Platforms and Prayer Books: Theological and Liturgical Perspectives on Reform Judaism (2002), Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
A Vision of Holiness: The Future of Reform Judaism 
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