Reinterpreted Civilization: Mordecai M. Kaplan and Judaism

Year 2020, Volume: 22 Issue: 41, 29 - 56, 15.06.2020

Yunus Kaymaz

https://doi.org/10.17335/sakaifd.668906

Abstract

Mordecai M. Kaplan born in Lithuania in 1881. His family immigrated to the United States when he was a child, so completed his education there largely. Although Kaplan was attend some of the congregations of the American Orthodox Jewish sect occasionally, he grew up mostly in the Conservative community and worked as an educator in the institutions affiliated with this community for many years. Unlike the traditional definition, Kaplan's description of Judaism as a civilization and his idea of this civilization must be reinterpreted in every age constituted the core of his ideas. This basic presupposition shaped Kaplan's many ideas from Jewish identity to the idea of God, from Halaka to his ideas about Torah. Kaplan's association of Jewish identity with the civilization determined his positive attitude towards the modern State of Israel, likewise, in contrast to Rabbani Judaism's understanding of transcendental God, Kaplan believe in God as a force that provided salvation. Jewish heritage is the memory of civilization, but it must be reconstructed according to the current period and made meaningful to the people of that age. In this research, we will examine these ideas of Kaplan and then we will look at how these radical ideas turned into a sect called Recontructionist Judaism. [You may find an extended abstract of this article after the bibliography.]

Keywords

Mordecai M. Kaplan, Reconstructionist Judaism, Jewish Civilization, American Jews, History of Religions

Yeniden Yorumlanan Medeniyet: Mordecai M. Kaplan ve Yahudilik

Abstract

1881’de Litvanya’da dünyaya gelen Mordecai M. Kaplan ailesi henüz o çocukken Amerika’ya göç ettiğinden eğitimini büyük oranda burada tamamlamıştır. Zaman zaman Amerika’daki Ortodoks Yahudi mezhebine bağlı bazı cemaatlerde bulunmuşsa da büyük oranda Muhafazakâr cemaat içerisinde yetişmiş ve uzun yıllar bu cemaate bağlı kurumlarda eğiticilik yapmıştır. Kaplan’ın, Yahudiliği, geleneksel tanımdan farklı olarak her çağda yeniden yorumlanması gereken bir medeniyet biçiminde tasvir etmesi onun düşüncelerinin temel çekirdeğini oluşturmuştur. Bu temel ön kabul, Kaplan’ın Yahudi kimliğinden Tanrı düşüncesine, Halaka’dan Torah hakkındaki fikirlerine kadar birçok düşüncesini şekillendirmiştir. Kaplan’ın Yahudi kimliğini medeniyet olgusu ile ilişkilendirmesi onun modern İsrail Devleti’ne karşı müspet tavrını belirlediği gibi, Rabbani Yahudiliğin aşkın Tanrı anlayışının aksine Tanrıyı kurtuluşu temin eden ve ancak etkileriyle anlaşılabilen bir güç biçiminde düşünmesine de sebep olmuştur. Yahudi mirası, medeniyetin hafızası olduğu için çok değerli olsa da bu miras mevcut döneme göre yeniden inşa edilmeli ve o çağın insanına anlamlı kılınmalıdır. Biz bu araştırmamızda Kaplan’ın bu düşüncelerini irdeleyecek ardından bu radikal fikirlerin, Yeniden Yapılanmacılık adındaki mezhebe nasıl dönüştüğü hususuna bakacağız.

Keywords

Mordecai M. Kaplan, Yeniden Yapılanmacı Yahudilik, Yahudi Medeniyeti, Amerika Yahudileri, Dinler Tarihi

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