Rabbi Josh Yuter Profile picture
Aug 13, 2019 9 tweets 2 min read Read on X
1. Because it's being discussed again, I'll repeat my theory that the reason why we see more people questioning "Jewishness" is because of the larger unfortunate trend of conflating identity with validity or truth.
2. When one's identity is explicitly invoked as a basis (if not *the* basis) for one's argument, it should not be surprising to find one's identity questioned, particularly if the boundaries for identity is disputed.
3. This even holds true for those who have invested so much in correlating an identity with a position that they will challenge the identities of dissenters, even if those dissenters do not invoke their identities (e.g. uncle tom, gender traitors, self-hating Jew, etc).
4. There are literal rule books for what makes someone Jewish. Certain details are up for dispute depending on situations, but others are not. People who meet these criteria are Jewish, full stop.
5. At the same time, simply being Jewish does not bestow the authority to speak for Judaism. As I detail below, the status of one's Jewish identity doesn't even guarantee inclusion in a Jewish community.
joshyuter.com/2018/09/16/spe…
6. And as I argued here, the decoupling of identity and truth even applies to the *professional* identity of "Rabbi" in that the title alone does not convey automatic legitimacy.
joshyuter.com/2019/06/24/jud…
7. So Rabbis who explicitly expect/demand recognition of their expertise, authority, or even legitimacy on the basis of their title (as in reminders of , "I'm a rabbi!!!") should not be surprised if the identity/title is questioned.
8. My own opinion is that both of these are true:

1. People should not question another's identity
2. People should not conflate identity for truth or legitimacy.
9. As Maimonides taught, "accept the truth from whom you hear it." Or as we learn in Avot 4:20, "Do not look at the vessel, but rather what is inside of it."

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More from @JYuter

Jul 7
1. I'm skimming these articles and I'm convinced writers for @newrepublic have no sense of irony or self-awareness.

I'm not going to defend Trump. At the same time, these arguments are absurd.
2. First, here's Jason Stanley on "The End of Civic Compassion." Setting aside the laughability of the Before Time being an era of hand-holding, we've got a kicker of a paragraph in the next tweet
newrepublic.com/article/181274…
Image
3. Painting all of your political opponents as communists is fascist. Painting all your political opponents as fascists is not (and let's not even start with white-supremacy) Image
Read 9 tweets
Oct 19, 2023
1. Time for a Twitter class / shiur!

Today's topic: "A Jew is a Jew"

Special focus: Does a Jew's beliefs or actions make someone not Jewish?
2. The following is a modified version of my Sacred Slogans version entry on "A Jew is a Jew."

Usual disclaimers apply that this is neither comprehensive nor definitive.
joshyuter.com/2018/09/16/spe…
3. Periodically, one will find people making statements along the lines of, "People who believe/do X" aren't really Jewish.

For one recent example, former Ambassador @DavidM_Friedman Tweeted the following

Image
Read 24 tweets
Oct 12, 2023
For those insisting on differentiating between Hamas and the Palestinian people as a whole, as recently as March 2023, 58% of those polled by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research supported armed confrontations.
pcpsr.org/en/node/938
Image
And from June 2022, "59% view armed attacks against Israelis inside Israel as serving the national interest in ending the occupation and 56% support these attacks"
pcpsr.org/en/node/912
Image
The pertinent question is not if Palestinians support the specific parties of Hamas or Fatah, but if they support murdering Jews.
Read 6 tweets
Aug 21, 2023
1. Time for a Twitter Shiur!

Today's topic: Religious Coercion in Torah
2. This is an updated version of my earlier shiur from 2012:

I'm revisiting in light of a recent podcast ft @JewishCoffeeH and @RStomel re the current situation in Israel.
joshyuter.com/2012/01/15/pod…
3. The usual disclaimers apply: This isn't intended to be either comprehensive or authoritative and shouldn't be taken as either psak or policy.
Read 30 tweets
Jul 11, 2023
1. I've made several comments about the debate over judicial reform in Israel. Due to Twitter being Twitter, criticizing one argument from one side is taken as an endorsement of the other.

For anyone who cares, here's my actual opinion 🧵
2. Checks and balances are not just a slogan, but in theory, ought to curb the potential excesses of any branch of government. The main problem is that any institution of power is susceptible to corruption.

This includes the checks and balances.
3. Rhetorical appeals to things like "will of the people", "democracy", "justice", and the like are typically empty references/appeals to vague concepts that just so coincidentally happen to correlate with one's preferences.

As such, I'll try avoiding such terms.
Read 12 tweets
Feb 26, 2023
1. Time for a Twitter shiur / class!

Today's topic: Blaming Tragedies and Suffering on Sin
2. When bad things happen in the world, e.g. natural disasters, it's not uncommon to find religious figures attributing these disasters and associated suffering to God rendering punishment for sin.
3. For one recent example, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzefat Israel, compared the devastating earthquakes in Turkey to God punishing the Egyptians in the Red Sea immediately after the exodus.
timesofisrael.com/top-national-r…
Read 23 tweets

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