Preservation And Change:Solomon Schechter’s Thought Of Conservative Judaism

Solomon Schechter,pioneer of the American Conservative Judaism,learned from German historical school and came up with a reforming project to cope with the challenges of the modern world--a balance of tradition and reform.The 19th and 20th century witnessed great challenges for Jews:on one hand,Jews should make a choice between tradition and modernization;on the other,they should balance nationality and universality well.Under this background,Schechter proposed that Jews should adhere to the basic principles of Judaism:eternal spirit and Catholic Israel,and at the same time,combine tradition and modernization,universality and nationality,a unique reforming theory combining tradition and change,solving the problem of Judaism in the face of modernization.The first chapter introduces Rabbinic theology from the perspective of the conceptions of God and law.God always keeps a certain distance with people,neither to getting lost in the world,and not too close with people,and Israel as God’s chosen people,is the eldest son in the Kingdom of God,the law is the gift of God to Israel and Israel through the practice of the law to be close to God.God is the Lord of all nations.He places the law in an open place and gives it to those who need it.This shows that both God and the law in rabbinic theology have universal characteristics,which is the basis of the formation of tradition and change of Schechter.The second chapter introduces the specific content of Schechter’s thought of tradition and change and the proposition of facing specific problems.Firstly,Schechter went back to the divine source of Jewish tradition,and to the history of the traditions,attaching great importance to Jewish tradition.Secondly,to legalize his change,he looked for support from three famous Jewish leaders in the Eastern Europe,namely,Israel Baalshem,Nachman Krochml and Elijah Wilna,All in all,tradition and change was tightly related.In Schechter opinion,Jewish tradition did not only mean oral law,and also the changing process in coping with the challenges of the time.Moreover,the further development of Judaism should not move away from the principle of Catholic Jews.Hence,Schechter put all the controversies into his changing project,namely,God and Israelites,the divine and the world,the past,present and the future.Finally,facing with concrete problems,Schechter full interprets the idea of tradition and change,and responds to Judaism in modernization under the collision problem such as language,nationalism,and women’s rights in religion.Tradition and change of Schechter is to adhere to the unity of Judaism nationality,religion and history.The third chapter introduces that Schechter’s ideas of the unity of tradition and change have great importance to Conservative Judaism and Judaism in the United States.He reorganizes the seminary,establishes a United Synagogue,and spreads his traditions and revolutionary ideas to the Jewish congregation.Schechter unites eastern European immigrants,joins in the Zionist movement and barriers for the assimilation of the Jews,unites the reformist,orthodox Jews,promotes Reform Judaism returning to traditional,Orthodox Judaism facing the modernization,opening field of vision,and unites American Judaism.Schechtert,as a modern excellent Jewish elite,injects vitality into American Judaism.Schechter unifies universality and nationality,tradition and modernity and at the same time,which embodies the inconsistency of characteristics to cope with the challenge of modern Judaism continuously inject vitality.Therefore,Conservative Judaism could better cope with the challenges of the modern world.