Ritual Policies

In preparing to make decisions that affect our Jewish communal life, rituals or practice, like other Reconstructionist synagogues, we engage in a values-based decision-making process. This process involves studying carefully the matter at hand, including exploring Jewish law, tradition and history, our own preconceptions, Jewish values, and contemporary social and scientific data. It is from this informed place that our values become clarified and decisions get made. This process supports both Jewish tradition and its evolution. This process is used to help us make decisions that ultimately best serve our community.
In an article written by Rabbi David Teutsch entitled "Values-Based Decision-Making" he advocates this process as a way of deliberating and expressing our commitments, enabling us to create links between halakha (Jewish law) and contemporary society. Below is an outline of steps taken in using VBDM to create policy:
1.      Determine the issue.
2.      Examine our intellectual, emotional, and moral preconceptions to understand how our experiences would impact this decision that we are making in community.
3.      Examine our communal and Jewish values in relation to the issue, including community norms.
4.      Examine Jewish law and teachings about the issue, including how the teachings/laws were derived and upon what values they were based. Consider the historical and contemporary context, including the history and rationales of Jewish practice.
5.      Examine relevant scientific and social scientific data pertaining the issue.
6.      Assemble, compare, and weigh the conclusions from the examination of self (attitudes and beliefs), context (communal norms and values), Judaism (tradition and history), and data.
7.      Consider possible decision options and their potential outcomes, excluding options that contradict essential values and/or norms.
8.      Seek agreement in the group.
9.      Make the decision.
The rabbi's role in the process is a critical role in (1) facilitation that creates safety for open inquiry and respectful exchanges of views; (2) teaching about Jewish sources and providing other insights; and (3) stating personal values, reasoning, and conclusions.