Mordecai Kaplan’ın Yahudi dinî hayatında yaptığı yenilikler
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Date
2019-12-16
Authors
Salihoğlu, Mahmut
Bedir, Şefaat
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Publisher
Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi
Abstract
Yeniden Yapılanmacı hareketin kurucusu olan Mordecai Kaplan, fikirleri ve eserleri ile Amerikan Yahudi toplumu üzerinde oldukça etkili olmuştur. Kaplan, modernizmin Yahudi yaşamında bir parçalanma meydana getirdiğini gözlemlemiş ve Yahudiliği yeniden yapılandırarak bu dini, modern müntesipleri için daha anlamlı bir hale getirmeye çalışmıştır. Bu amaçla kaleme aldığı Judaism as a Civilization adlı kitabında, Amerikan Yahudi yaşamını canlandırmak için kapsamlı bir yeniden yapılanma programı önermekle kalmamış, aynı zamanda yeni nesil Yahudilerin karşılaştığı zorlukların etkileyici bir analizini de sunmuştur. Bu kitabında Kaplan, Yahudiliği gelişen bir medeniyet olarak yeniden tanımlamış ve Yahudilik içerisinde farklı bir din yorumu geliştirmiştir. Bu anlayış çerçevesinde bir merkeze dönüştürdüğü sinagog, bat mitzva töreni gibi birçok kavram, Amerikan Yahudilerinin büyük bir çoğunluğu tarafından kabul edilmiştir. Kaplan, ayrıca Yeniden Yapılanmacı hareket aracılığıyla Amerikan Yahudi toplumu içerisinde kadın haklarına ve cinsiyet eşitliğine yönelik pek çok yeniliğe de öncülük etmiştir.
Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of the Reconstructionist movement, has been highly influential on American Jewish society with his ideas and works. Kaplan observed that modernism caused a fragmentation in Jewish life and endeavored to make Judaism more meaningful for modern Jews by reconstructing it. To this end, in his book called Judaism as a Civilization, Kaplan not only offered a comprehensive reconstructing program to revive American Jewish life, but also provided an impressive analysis of the challenges which the new generation of Jews were facing. In this book, Kaplan redefined Judaism as an evolving civilization and developed a different interpretation of religion within Judaism. Many concepts of Kaplan such as synagogue center and bat mitzvah ceremony, have been accepted by the majority of American Jews. Kaplan has also pioneered many innovations within the American Jewish community that will take place towards women’s rights and gender equality, through the Restructuring movement.
Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of the Reconstructionist movement, has been highly influential on American Jewish society with his ideas and works. Kaplan observed that modernism caused a fragmentation in Jewish life and endeavored to make Judaism more meaningful for modern Jews by reconstructing it. To this end, in his book called Judaism as a Civilization, Kaplan not only offered a comprehensive reconstructing program to revive American Jewish life, but also provided an impressive analysis of the challenges which the new generation of Jews were facing. In this book, Kaplan redefined Judaism as an evolving civilization and developed a different interpretation of religion within Judaism. Many concepts of Kaplan such as synagogue center and bat mitzvah ceremony, have been accepted by the majority of American Jews. Kaplan has also pioneered many innovations within the American Jewish community that will take place towards women’s rights and gender equality, through the Restructuring movement.
Description
Mordecai Kaplan, 20. yüzyıl Amerikan Yahudiliği üzerinde oldukça etkili ve bir o kadar da tartışmalı bir figür olmuştur. Litvanya doğumlu Kaplan, genç yaşta ailesi ile beraber Amerika’ya göç etmiş ve burada hem dinî hem de seküler bir eğitim görmüştür. Meslek hayatına New York’ta bulunan bir Ortodoks sinagogunda rabbi olarak başlayan Kaplan, daha sonra buradan ayrılarak Muhafazakâr hareketin rabbinik fakültesi olan Jewish Theological Seminary’de* görev yapmaya başlamıştır. Bu süreçte, yeni jenerasyon Yahudilerin pek çoğunun geleneksel inanç ve uygulamalardan uzaklaşmaya başladığını gözlemleyen Kaplan, kendi entelektüel mücadeleleri sonucunda, Yahudiliğin mevcut versiyonlarının bu probleme çözüm sunma konusunda başarısız olduğu neticesine varmıştır. Kaplan, bu amaca yönelik olarak “Yeniden Yapılanma” adını verdiği yeni bir program oluşturmuş ve bu programı hayata geçirmek için 1922 yılında Society for Advancement of Judaism’i ** kurmuştur. Kaplan 1934 yılında Yeniden Yapılanma programını detaylı bir şekilde ortaya koyduğu Judaism as a Civilization adlı kitabını yayımlamıştır. Bu kitapta Yahudilik yalnızca bir din değil, tarih, kültür, sanat, edebiyat, dil, estetik değerler gibi pek çok unsurun toplamından oluşan ve sürekli gelişen bir medeniyet olarak yeniden tanımlanmıştır. Doğaüstü ve kişisel bir Tanrı anlayışını reddeden Kaplan, Tanrı’yı bireyin içinde ve evrende bulunan, kurtuluşa ulaşmayı mümkün kılan güçlerin toplamı olarak nitelendirmiştir. Tora’nın Yahudi halkının Tanrı arayışındaki en eski kaydının ve tarihsel deneyiminin bir ürünü olduğunu belirten Kaplan, onun içerdiği emirlerin ise, Yahudi halkının gelenek ve folkloru olduğunu dolayısıyla bir zorunluluk taşımadığını savunmuştur. Kaplan, İsrail’in, Yahudi halkının anavatanı ve Yahudi yaşamının merkezi olduğunu onaylamakla beraber, Yahudiliğin en yüksek noktasına ulaşması için İsrail ile Diasporanın sürekli etkileşim halinde olması gerektiği konusunda ısrar etmiştir. Kaplan ayrıca seçilmişlik doktrinini reddetmiş ve bu doktrini Yahudilerin geçmişte yaşadığı baskılara karşı geliştirmiş olduğu bir savunma yöntemi olarak değerlendirmiştir. Kaplan’ın Yeniden Yapılanma felsefesi, ilk olarak Muhafazakâr Yahudiliğin içerisinde bir düşünce okulu olarak ortaya çıkmış, 1960’ların sonlarına doğru Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’ın kurulmasıyla bağımsız bir hareket haline gelmiştir. Uzun yıllar JTS’de ders veren Kaplan, fikirleri ile yalnızca kendi öğrencilerini değil, Amerikan Yahudi toplumunun büyük çoğunluğunu da etkilemiştir. Yahudiliğin modern çağda hayatta kalabilmesi için Yahudi geleneğinin sesine kulak vermekle beraber Amerika’nın demokratik ve iradi ruhunun benimsenmesi gerektiğine inanan Kaplan, bu anlayış çerçevesinde geleneksel Yahudi inanç ve uygulamalarında birçok yenilikçi değişiklik yapmış ve Amerikan Yahudi yaşamının şekillenmesinde öncü bir rol oynamıştır. Makale üç ana konudan oluşmaktadır. İlk olarak, Kaplan ve yakın dostları tarafından gerçekleştirilen liturjik yenilikler ele alınmıştır. Kaplan, yakın dostlarıyla beraber 1941’den itibaren New Haggadah (1941), Sabbath Prayer Book (1945) ve High Holidays Prayer Book (1948) olmak üzere bir dizi dua kitabı yayınlamıştır. Bu dua kitaplarında Kaplan’ın ideolojisine uygun olarak doğaüstü Tanrı, seçilmişlik, kişisel Mesih, Kızıl Deniz’in ayrılması, mabet kurban kültünün restorasyonu gibi doktrinlere yapılan atıflar ortadan kaldırılmıştır. Bu bölümde ayrıca en güncel Yeniden Yapılanmacı dua kitabı olan A Guide to Jewish Practice ile ilgili bilgilere de yer verilmiştir. Makalede ikinci olarak, Kaplan’ın sinagog yaşamına dair yapmış olduğu yenilikler üzerinde durulmuştur. Kaplan’a göre Yahudilik yalnızca bir din değil, bir medeniyet olduğu için sinagog gibi toplumsal bir Yahudi kurumu da ibadet ve çalışma mekânından daha fazlasını temsil etmelidir. Bu sebeple Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization adlı kitabında sinagogların sadece bir ibadet yeri olarak değil, aynı zamanda din dışı etkinliklerin de yapıldığı bir Yahudi toplum merkezi olarak hizmet etmesi gerektiğini vurgulamış ve 1915 yılında ilk Yahudi merkezi olan Jewish Center’ın kurulmasına öncülük etmiştir. Kaplan’ın sinagog için kullanmış olduğu toplum merkezi kavramı bugün Amerikan sinagoglarının en temel özelliklerinden birisini oluşturmaktadır. Son olarak, Kaplan ve onun izinde Yeniden Yapılanmacı hareket tarafından kadın haklarına yönelik yapılan yenilikler ortaya konmuştur. SAJ’ın kuruluşundan sadece birkaç ay sonra Kaplan, en büyük kızı Judith için Amerikan Yahudi tarihindeki ilk bat mitzva törenini gerçekleştirmiştir. Bu tören bugün neredeyse tüm Amerikan sinagogları tarafından yaygın olarak icra edilmektedir. Kaplan’ın önderliğinde Yeniden Yapılanmacı hareket ise rabbinik atama, evlilik ve boşanma gibi konularda kadınların haklarını korumaya yönelik bir çok yeniliğe ve değişikliğe imza atmıştır.
Mordecai Kaplan was a highly influential and controversial figure on American Judaism in the 20th century. Kaplan was born in Lithuania and immigrated with his family at a young age to the United States where he received both religious and secular education. Kaplan began his career as a rabbi in an Orthodox synagogue in New York and later moved to work at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the rabbinic faculty of the Conservative movement. In this process, Kaplan observed that many of the new generation Jews began to alienate from traditional beliefs and practices. As a result of his intellectual struggles, he came to the conclusion that the current interpretations of Judaism failed to provide solutions to the problems of new generation of Jews. For this purpose, Kaplan created a new program called “Reconstruction” and established Society for Advancement of Judaism in 1922 to implement this program. In 1934, he published Judaism as a Civilization, in which he detailed his program of reconstruction. In this book, Kaplan redefined Judaism not only as a religion, but as a constantly evolving civilization that consists of many elements such as history, culture, art, literature, language, aesthetic values. Rejecting a supernatural and personal conception of God, Kaplan described God as the sum of the forces within the individual and in the universe that make possible to attain salvation. Stating that Torah is the product of the oldest record and historical experience of the Jewish people in search of God, Kaplan argued that its commandments are the traditions and folkways of the Jewish people and therefore doesn’t have any binding authority in modern world. Kaplan affirmed that Israel was the homeland of the Jewish people and the center of Jewish life, but insisted that Israel and the Diaspora must be in constant interaction to reach the highest point of Judaism. Kaplan also rejected the doctrine of election and considered it as a defense method developed by Jews against the oppressions they faced in the past. Kaplan’s philosophy of reconstruction first emerged as a school of thought within the Conservative Judaism and became an independent movement in the late 1960s with the establishment of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. With the ideas of Kaplan, who taught at JTS for many years, he influenced not only his students but also the vast majority of American Jewish society. Believing that in order to survive in the modern age it is necessary to adopt democratic and voluntary spirit of America while listening to the voice of Jewish tradition, Kaplan made many innovative changes in traditional Jewish beliefs and practices and played a leading role in shaping American Jewish life. This article focuses on three main topics. Firstly, the liturgical innovations introduced by Kaplan are discussed. Collaborating with his close friends, Kaplan published a series of prayer books, including New Haggadah (1941), Sabbath Prayer Book (1945) and High Holidays Prayer Book (1948). In accordence with Kaplan’s interpretation of Judaism, references to doctrines such as supernatural God, election of Israel, personal Messiah, separation of the Red Sea, restoration of the sacred cult of sacrificies were removed from these prayer books. This chapter also includes information on the most recent Reconstructionist prayer book, A Guide to Jewish Practice. In the second part of the article, Kaplan’s innovations about the synagogue life are emphasized. According to Kaplan, since Judaism was not only a religion but a civilization, a social Jewish institution such as the synagogue should have represented more than a place of worship and work. For this reason, Kaplan emphasized in his book Judaism as a Civilization that synagogues should serve not only as a place of worship but also as a Jewish community center where non-religious activities were held and in 1915 he led the establishment of the first Jewish Center. Kaplan’s synagogue center concept is one of the most basic features of American synagogues today. In the last section of the article, innovations made by Kaplan and the Reconstructionist movement on women’s rights were introduced. Only a few months after the establishment of SAJ, Kaplan held the first bat mitzvah ceremony in American Jewish history for his eldest daughter Judith. The bat mitzvah ceremony is widely practiced today by almost all American synagogues. Under the leadership of Kaplan, the Reconstructionist movement has undertaken many innovations and changes aimed at protecting women’s rights in matters such as rabbinical appointment, marriage and divorce.
Mordecai Kaplan was a highly influential and controversial figure on American Judaism in the 20th century. Kaplan was born in Lithuania and immigrated with his family at a young age to the United States where he received both religious and secular education. Kaplan began his career as a rabbi in an Orthodox synagogue in New York and later moved to work at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the rabbinic faculty of the Conservative movement. In this process, Kaplan observed that many of the new generation Jews began to alienate from traditional beliefs and practices. As a result of his intellectual struggles, he came to the conclusion that the current interpretations of Judaism failed to provide solutions to the problems of new generation of Jews. For this purpose, Kaplan created a new program called “Reconstruction” and established Society for Advancement of Judaism in 1922 to implement this program. In 1934, he published Judaism as a Civilization, in which he detailed his program of reconstruction. In this book, Kaplan redefined Judaism not only as a religion, but as a constantly evolving civilization that consists of many elements such as history, culture, art, literature, language, aesthetic values. Rejecting a supernatural and personal conception of God, Kaplan described God as the sum of the forces within the individual and in the universe that make possible to attain salvation. Stating that Torah is the product of the oldest record and historical experience of the Jewish people in search of God, Kaplan argued that its commandments are the traditions and folkways of the Jewish people and therefore doesn’t have any binding authority in modern world. Kaplan affirmed that Israel was the homeland of the Jewish people and the center of Jewish life, but insisted that Israel and the Diaspora must be in constant interaction to reach the highest point of Judaism. Kaplan also rejected the doctrine of election and considered it as a defense method developed by Jews against the oppressions they faced in the past. Kaplan’s philosophy of reconstruction first emerged as a school of thought within the Conservative Judaism and became an independent movement in the late 1960s with the establishment of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. With the ideas of Kaplan, who taught at JTS for many years, he influenced not only his students but also the vast majority of American Jewish society. Believing that in order to survive in the modern age it is necessary to adopt democratic and voluntary spirit of America while listening to the voice of Jewish tradition, Kaplan made many innovative changes in traditional Jewish beliefs and practices and played a leading role in shaping American Jewish life. This article focuses on three main topics. Firstly, the liturgical innovations introduced by Kaplan are discussed. Collaborating with his close friends, Kaplan published a series of prayer books, including New Haggadah (1941), Sabbath Prayer Book (1945) and High Holidays Prayer Book (1948). In accordence with Kaplan’s interpretation of Judaism, references to doctrines such as supernatural God, election of Israel, personal Messiah, separation of the Red Sea, restoration of the sacred cult of sacrificies were removed from these prayer books. This chapter also includes information on the most recent Reconstructionist prayer book, A Guide to Jewish Practice. In the second part of the article, Kaplan’s innovations about the synagogue life are emphasized. According to Kaplan, since Judaism was not only a religion but a civilization, a social Jewish institution such as the synagogue should have represented more than a place of worship and work. For this reason, Kaplan emphasized in his book Judaism as a Civilization that synagogues should serve not only as a place of worship but also as a Jewish community center where non-religious activities were held and in 1915 he led the establishment of the first Jewish Center. Kaplan’s synagogue center concept is one of the most basic features of American synagogues today. In the last section of the article, innovations made by Kaplan and the Reconstructionist movement on women’s rights were introduced. Only a few months after the establishment of SAJ, Kaplan held the first bat mitzvah ceremony in American Jewish history for his eldest daughter Judith. The bat mitzvah ceremony is widely practiced today by almost all American synagogues. Under the leadership of Kaplan, the Reconstructionist movement has undertaken many innovations and changes aimed at protecting women’s rights in matters such as rabbinical appointment, marriage and divorce.
Keywords
Mordecai Kaplan, Yeniden yapılanmacı Yahudilik, Medeniyet, Bat mitzva, Amerikan Yahudi toplumu, Reconstructionist Judaism, Civilization, Bat mitzvah, American Jewish society
Citation
Salihoğlu, M. ve Bedir Ş. (2019). “Mordecai Kaplan’ın Yahudi dinî hayatında yaptığı yenilikler”. Oksident: Yahudilik, Hıristiyanlık ve Batı Araştırmaları Dergisi, 1(2), 171-192.