What is Judaism?

I hate to start this blog by critiqueing Chabad since I like the movement and think it does very good work. However, last month, Chabad's spokesman in Israel made an unbelievably stupid and ignorant remark which I must comment on. To explain why mainstrean Chabad would not participate in an anti-disengagment rally organized by the Messianist part of Chabad, Brod stated, "[Chabad's] mission is to bring every single Jew closer to his own Judaism, to teach and to assist in the performing of mitzvot. That is Chabad's job."

I'll leave aside the issue of him advocating "bring[ing] every single Jew closer to his own Judaism," a statement that one would expect to come out of the mouth of a Reform rabbi, not a Chabad one. Rather, I want to focus on his notion that protesting the government's retreat from Gaza doesn't fall under the purview of Judaism.

Judasim encompasses all of life. Judasim simply isn't Christianity. Christians have the notion that one should "render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto G-d the things which are G-d's." Judasim does not. The economy, politics, married life, eating habits, war etc. etc. etc. are all areas that Judaism has a viewpoint on. Now, discovering what Judaism has to say on each of these issues is not easy since the Torah sometimes lends itself to different interpretations. However, nonetheless, such an opinion is there. Judaism doesn't just concern itself with performing mitzvos. It also deals with ideas, concepts, and worldviews.

Therefore, whether Israel should withdraw from Gaza is a Jewish issue that Rabbi Brod (and Chabad) should be concerned with. He either should've supported the rally because he thinks Judaism views a withdrawal from Gaza to be harmful, not supported the rally because he thinks Judaism views a withdrawal from Gaza to be beneficial, or remained neutral becasue he isn't sure what Judaism thinks of the withdrawal from Gaza. His statement, however, which implies that the withdrawal from Gaza has nothing to do with Chabad's mission of bringing Jew's closer to Judaism is false, misleading, and harmful.