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Letters to the Editor

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This collection of letters to the editor responds to a special issue of *Conservative Judaism* examining potential new aggadah for the Conservative movement. The primary methodological approach involves critical analysis of theological discourse and practical solutions to institutional challenges. Dr. Susan Hershberg Adelman addresses the movement's declining membership, arguing that theoretical discussions of aggadah will not reverse numerical decline. She proposes reframing Conservative Judaism as "The Home for Jews with Questions," utilizing a common law approach to halakhic modification analogous to Anglo-American legal systems. Rabbi Joel S. Wasser challenges the underlying premise that Conservative Judaism is exclusively halakhic, citing historical figures including Mordecai Kaplan, Ira Eisenstein, and Louis Ginzberg who advocated for elasticity and revolutionary approaches to Jewish law. Wasser critiques the omission of significant scholarly works, particularly Richard Elliot Friedman's emphasis on Torah's narrative centrality and Abraham Joshua Heschel's *Torat Min Hashamayim*, which advocates for parity between halakhah and aggadah. The letters conclude that while theoretical aggadic formulations have merit, the Conservative movement requires practical outreach strategies and recognition of its historically balanced approach to law and lore to address contemporary institutional challenges.

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    Published 2006

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