Writing Responsa: A Personal Journey

us to place more emphasis on education and personal involvement and less on lineage.

In matters of ritual in the synagogue or the turning points of life(birth, marriage, death) congregational independence has led to diversity which can often be justified through the endless variety of minhagim of the past, yet I have tried to help mold a consensus and not provide a menu of choices.

In these as well as other areas, I feel that generalizations will come after enough individual cases have been decided. It is wiser not to debate a general philosophical or theological approach in the abstract but to begin with specific situations that may lead to a broader policy.

Some Concluding Thoughts and Another Path

The fascination of responsa lies in many areas. For example, the questions reveal what is in the mind of our people, especially as larger numbers of questions come from congregants. These inquiries, perhaps more than questionnaires and surveys, provide an insight into the religious development of the Reform community. Clearly there is a rising interest in seeking a halakhic grounding.

For whom are we writing? This question faces all Jewish groups. Reform, Orthodox, and Conservative respondists write for those in their community who are committed. None write for their entire community. Certainly those in each group who ask the questions are likely to follow the path demanded and I have written for them. Our problem is less with Orthodox and Conservative co­religionists and more with secular Jews and who stand at the periphery of the halakhah. In our long history we have faced this problem before and have taken the attitude that we will eventually persuade the community to follow us. As I am generally optimistic, rather than lament, I prefer the path of Pirkei Avot :“It is not incumbent upon us to complete the work, but neither are we free to desist from it.”