Ask what the fundamental principle of Judaism is, what is its central “operational marching order”? Hillel’s answer was “what is hateful to you do not do unto others”, all the rest is commentary. Has the spirit of Hillel been preserved in Judaism? Do the principles of peace between man and his fellows stand at the center of the religious worldview today? Allow me to express my derision.
The obsessive attention to trivial details at the expense of the very spirit of Judaism is what characterizes observant Jews today. This practice drains Judaism of meaning and endangers the very existence of the Jewish people.
He uses the analogy of Rommel’s success in North Africa against the British. Rommel gave very general operational marching orders and enabled his junior officers in the field to make their own decisions based on their own judgment in consideration of the conditions and constraints of the particular battles they were in. The British on the other hand gave such detailed centrally directed operational instructions that all adaptation and improvisation not to mention initiative and innovation were stifled.
The British way represents the orthodox way today – details, details, details yet forgetting the central operational marching order of Hillel which in Weil’s mind is furthest from the minds of the vast majority of observant Jews. Indeed the modern Jewish establishment exploits its stress on details to engage in shady practices in regards to the granting of rights to sell and employ – one can get around almost any religious prohibition today with a contribution to the right Rabbi or religious institution.
Weil blames this situation for the fact that more and more Jews are turned off by Judaism as it is practiced and have no desire to delve into its more positive aspects. The detail obsessed Rabbinate becomes the biggest enemy of Judaism.
