Blog Post #3: My Thoughts on Modern Orthodoxy

I really enjoyed listening to Mrs. Krause speak. I know what the Chareidi view is, but it was interesting to hear what they think of Modern Orthodox Jews. Mrs. Krause is definitely more open to the secular world than most Chareidim, but compared to Modern Orthodox Jews her guard is still up pretty high. After her speech I began to think if maybe she is the ideal Modern Orthodox Jew. Maybe we involve ourselves in too much of the secular world and she has found the perfect balance. The conclusion that I came to is that perhaps the ideal Modern Orthodox Jew is equally involved in the Jewish and secular worlds. This would be a Jew who is as involved in the Jewish world as Mrs. Krause, but more involved in the secular world than she is. Maybe it is ok to be as involved in the secular world as we are, but to make sure that we can still differentiate right from wrong. We need to be able to say that that is how they act, but we are different. What may be considered ok in the secular world is different than what is considered ok in the world of Torah. As long as we can make this differentiation there is no reason not to be involved in the secular world. Ultimately, I agree with Mrs. Krause that we are not involved enough in the Jewish world and it often takes a back seat to the secular world. Although, I disagree that we need to put up such a big wall towards the secular world. I think that there is so much more good than bad in the secular world that it is worth the “risk.”