One People, Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues That Divide Them

Rating:
Summary: Two voices, zero ears
Review: I am afraid that I have to disagree with the majority of reviews on this site. I do not think that this book does anything for dialogue (limited as it is) between "secular"/progressive denominations such as Reform and (Ultra)-Orthodoxy.

As I read I felt as if the two Rabbi's were talking at each other, and not to one another. Worse, neither of them seemed capable of directly addressing the comments, concerns or criticisms of their fellow participant. Instead they obfuscated, and used rhetoric in place of solid logic (Talmudic or otherwise). The issues I had hoped the authors would choose speak to were the fundemental assumptions upon which their understanding of Judaism was based. Instead they seemed more interested in parables/stories (which I recognize for its Yiddishekit, but it lacks substance for this dialogue)which seemed to have minimal relevance.

I do not know what book to suggest in its stead, but I personally did not find it useful as a Jew trying to sort out their religious/spiritual position, nor as an academic.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I am your typical Jewish guy from New Jersey with the typical Sunday school education. I Moved out to Memphis with my girlfriend to get away from the inner city traffic. I always considered myself Reform since it is the least radical form of Judaism. So, my girlfriend's mother sends us this book that seemingly has everyone including countless newspapers debating titled, "One People Two Worlds". For no reason other then boredom, I became deeply engaged. At first, I found myself consistently agreeing with Rabbi Hirsh. I thought the other Rabbi [Reinman] was just a right wing fundamentalist with outdated logic and beliefs. At some point while I was reading the book and yelling obscenities directed towards Rabbi Reinman as to why he thinks he knows it all, my girlfriend challenged me saying, that I was being intellectually dishonest by always agreeing with the side that was more inline with my beliefs. She suggested that I play devils advocate and should try to establish a case for the Orthodox point of view. To my amazement, not only did my arguments sound reasonable, I started questioning Rabbi Hirsh's points. To make a long story short, after reading the majority of this book at least six times, we both agreed that we would like to learn more about orthodox Judaism. So, after researching this endeavor, we decided to go study at Aish Hatorah in Israel and discover the real meaning of Judaism. The one thing that really irked me is how Rabbi Hirsh can use one or two examples of the Talmud to strengthen his argument for the Reform point of view while at the same time rejecting the rest of the Talmud. I found this book intellectually challenging and if read with an open mind, It can really take you places (I can save you a spot next to me at Aish). Thank You Rabbi Reinman for the gift of life.

Rating:
Summary: This is a book for everyone.
Review: I do think that this was an accurate and balanced book. I found the Reform author to be completely typical and representative of Reform Jews I have known, and the same for the Orthodox author. The Reform points were presented completely, and the authors addressed most of the main differences between the groups today. As an Orthodox Jew, I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know about Reform Judaism, because Orthodox Judaism regularly addresses these issues. I think this book has the most to offer in adding to Reform or unaffiliated Jews' understanding of their Orthodox brothers and sisters, and correcting any misunderstandings.

Rating:
Summary: All the other reviewers are correct
Review: I have to agree with Ian and the other reviewers who were, like me, disappointed in this book. The authors talk past each other, neither taking up the other's challenges. Hirsch does not seem up to the task, in terms of writing or scholarship, and ultimately Reinman wipes the floor with him. (There must have been someone who could make a more spirited case from the Reform perspective ... ?) The smug putdowns, especially voiced by Reinman in regard to Reform, grew tedious very early, and I finally gave up on page 152 -- and this was during a 9-hour international flight in which I was desperate for something to read! (I would have liked to hang in there to learn how they became friends, as the book jacket and reviews indicate, but I couldn't take it anymore.) For anyone interested in the topic, I would instead recommend "What Shall I Do with This People?: Jews and the Fractious Politics of Judaism"
by Milton Viorst.

Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: This book was apparently supposed to be a debate between an Orthodox rabbi and a Reform rabbi. Although this book was certainly easy to read, it didn't quite live up to its promise, and here's why: only one side was debating the most important issues. The Orthodox rabbi (Reinman) was simply a better debater, because rather than being enmeshed in trivia, he consistently focused on the most important theological issues separating Orthodox from Reform, such as the divine authorship (or lack thereof) of the Torah and the divine role in post-Biblical Jewish law.

By contrast, the Reform rabbi (Hirsch) gave these issues short shrift, focusing to a much greater extent on the intracacies of Israeli politics and other matters that I (and Reinman) consider relatively trivial. For example, after Reinman spent six pages trying to debunk the idea that the Torah was written by multiple authors, Hirsch responds in a paragraph or two (p. 245). Reinman wrote the perfect response to Hirsch's discussion of the obnoxious behavior of some of Israel's Orthodox politicians: "I do not know much about what goes on in Israeli politics, nor do I care to find out. Spare me." ((p. 300).

It as almost as if Hirsch and Reinman were trying to prove entirely separate points: while Reinman tries to persuade us that we should all be Orthodox, Hirsch tries to persuade us that some Orthodox Jews don't live up to their ideals and others aren't particularly good citizens. As one or two other reviewers indicated, someone who read this book with minimal knowledge would certainly be swayed towards the Orthodox point of view, precisely because Reinman focuses on the key theological issues and Hirsch doesn't.

Does this mean Reinman is right? No, only that he was virtually unopposed on some issues. I dare say that the right opponent could have given Reinman a much more difficult time. (I am not knowledgeable enough to express an opinion as to who "the right opponent" would be).

A side point: on non-theological, non-halachic issues, Reinman's position should not be considered "THE Orthodox position." For example, many Orthodox Jews are far more supportive of Israel and of Zionism than is Reinman (who seems to believe that a somewhat secular Israel is only slightly, if at all, better than no Israel at all).

Rating:
Summary: A good start
Review: This is a good start towards unraveling the debate between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. Special clarity is given to many of the fundamental aspects of both. For instance from the beginning we see these two men, one in his traditional attire and the other in his modern dress. Most important and interesting is the variety of subjects touched upon and the many citations from the Talmud and Maimonadies among others. This is an interesting read dealing a with a rarely addressed issue, namely the major disputation betweens to two extremes of Judaism. The reform position vis-à-vis womens status and rationalizing the refusal to adhere to some old traditions is explicated here. Evident here is also the very scholarly nature of orthodox Judaism, and it is a shame the Reform Rabbi was not better versed because he is clearly demolished in many of the arguments and appears to shy away from directly confronting Reinmans points.

The great failing here is that it is not entirely topical, the reading gets bogged down in places and there is little to interest the reader and keep the reader involved. Its interesting that the entire text is presented in letter form, but this also leaves much to be desired. The men were not overly fastidious in their organization and theirfore the book begins to break down. A good start and a good idea but the book needs some work. Really whats needed is a book written by both a reform, conservative and orthodox rabbi explaining the key differences in their practices and adherences.

Rating:
Summary: A good start
Review: This is a good start towards unraveling the debate between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. Special clarity is given to many of the fundamental aspects of both. For instance from the beginning we see these two men, one in his traditional attire and the other in his modern dress. Most important and interesting is the variety of subjects touched upon and the many citations from the Talmud and Maimonadies among others. This is an interesting read dealing a with a rarely addressed issue, namely the major disputation betweens to two extremes of Judaism. The reform position vis-à-vis womens status and rationalizing the refusal to adhere to some old traditions is explicated here. Evident here is also the very scholarly nature of orthodox Judaism, and it is a shame the Reform Rabbi was not better versed because he is clearly demolished in many of the arguments and appears to shy away from directly confronting Reinmans points.

The great failing here is that it is not entirely topical, the reading gets bogged down in places and there is little to interest the reader and keep the reader involved. Its interesting that the entire text is presented in letter form, but this also leaves much to be desired. The men were not overly fastidious in their organization and theirfore the book begins to break down. A good start and a good idea but the book needs some work. Really whats needed is a book written by both a reform, conservative and orthodox rabbi explaining the key differences in their practices and adherences.

Rating:
Summary: Why Secular Judaism doesn't make sense
Review: This is a great book. It explores the differences between Classical (Orthodox) Judaism and Secular (Reform) Judaism in a clear and straightforward way. Classical Rabbi Yosef Reinman engages in a dialog with Secular Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. The dialog shows that Reinman's points are always better than the Hirsch's ones, but I don't think that it is because Reinman is a better spokesman than Hirsch, but because Hirsch has the impossible mission of rationalize the secularization of Judaism. Hirsch lives in a relativistic world where majority decides what is true or right; Raiman lives in a world where G-d tells what is true or right through Torah. A wonderful reading!

Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading in all yeshivos
Review: This is book is a masterpiece. I found the Reform perspective interesting but Rabbi Reinman's positions to be entirely convincing. The book has given me an understanding of Orthodox Judaism that 20 years of yeshiva education failed to accomplish. Orthodoxy is foolish to believe that the writings are anything to be afraid of.