Is Modern Orthodox Modern?

The word “modern” in “Modern Orthodoxy” (MO) is different from the use of “modern” in “modern art” or “modern literature” and so on. In the latter cases it refers to a specific period, for example between 1910 and 1945. The painting hanging over most people’s sofas is not modern art; it might not even be art. The “modern” of “Modern Orthodoxy” is a syncategorematic term like “big”. A big ant is not necessarily a big elephant. A Modern Orthodox Jew need not be a modern person.

Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein is one of the most erudite and prominent spokesmen on behalf of Modern Orthodoxy. He is a Harvard Ph.D in English Literature, the head of a major hesder yeshiva on the West Bank, and the son-in-law of the much revered Rabbi Joseph B. Solveitchik z”l, who established much of the ideological foundation for the MO movement. In a long article, I would say over a hundred pages, Rabbi Lichtenstein tries to justify why it is permissible for religious Jews to study, enjoy, and appreciate great works of literature. He twists and he turns, there are proof texts and high-powered moral reasoning and at the end, the Rabbi concludes it is permissible to use one’s time to study, think about and appreciate Dante, Milton, Blake, etc.

I, for one, found the essay a frustrating experience. I was wondering all along what he would say about classical music or painting or dance? If Rabbi Lichtenstein had a Ph.D in ballet would his results have been different? And as I wondered, it occurred to me that even if all these activities were kosher, what about popular music and movies and just hanging out and an occasional game of golf or tennis or scrabble? Is a Modern Orthodox Jew permitted to do all the things that Modern Orthodox Jews actually do? Or is it that even though they engage in all these low culture activities, they are not exactly doing something kosher because they could be utilizing their time in studying Torah?

These questions bring out a big difference between the theory and practice of Modern Orthodoxy. In theory, MO obeys the exact same rules as Ultra-Orthodoxy. In our case, they should be subject to the laws regulating the study of Torah even if such laws are what we might call obsessive compulsive. In practice, it’s really very different. MO Jews tend to have a narrow conception of Halacha. They tend to shy away from open-ended rules, like “Study Torah in ALL your free time.” They prefer rules like “Go to shul Shabbus morning. The rest of the day is yours.” Even if MO has become somewhat blacker in recent years, they still pride themselves on their ability to live “normal American” lives. After all, they think of themselves as modern.

My opinion is this: Any Jew who feels guilty going to the movies or the opera because it wastes time from the study of Torah (‘bitul torah”) isn’t modern in any interesting sense of the word. Part of modernity is that a person owns his life. The belief that your positive, active religious obligations never cease is contrary to the entire spirit of the modern world. If a Jew is constantly subject to the anxiety that he is wasting time in enjoying his life, he may be virtuous or Orthodox, but he certainly isn’t modern.