In a recent book entitled The Myth of the Cultural Jew, Roberta Rosenthal Kwall argues that Jewish law throughout the ages has been informed by Jewish culture, and thus the two cannot be seen as wholly distinct. She then tries to demonstrate that those who consider themselves “cultural” Jews are participating in something deeply informed by Jewish law. Jay Lefkowitz dissents:
[If] Kwall is accurate in her conclusion that Jewish law depends on Jewish culture, it does not necessarily follow that the opposite is true—that cultural Jews are “inevitably molded and shaped by the Jewish tradition, which includes Jewish law.” To support [the latter contention], Kwall observes that “a strong concern for social justice is deeply embedded in the text of the Torah.” And she cites, as an example of [cultural Jews’ allegedly] halakhic connection to the concept of tikkun olam (“repairing the world”), the biblical injunction to preserve portions of the harvest and vineyards for strangers, orphans, and widows.
But there is nothing uniquely Jewish about wanting to do good deeds and good works, or to pursue justice and be charitable. Baptists and Methodists and secular humanists and other religious groups pursue these same ideals. And while it is nice that Jews are able to point to a biblical text that endorses such behavior, there is no basis for maintaining that the overwhelming majority of Jews, who do not define their Jewish identity primarily by the practice of religion, are committed to social justice because of Jewish law.
Read more on Commentary: https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/bagels-laws/