Judaism Reimagined Is Judaism Abandoned There is a growing trend to speak of “reimagining Judaism,” and more recently, of “reimagining religious Zionism.” The language sounds thoughtful, even intellectual. It suggests refinement, development, perhaps even depth. But beneath the phrasing lies something far more serious: the abandonment of Judaism itself. Judaism is not an evolving concept subject to reinvention. It is תורה (Torah), a Divine transmission. It is מסורה (mesorah, tradition), faithfully handed down. It is not ours to reshape. The moment one speaks of “reimagining” it, one has already stepped outside of it. The idea that Judaism must be adapted to align with contemporary values is not new. It has appeared in different forms across history, always with the same outcome: dilution, distortion, and ultimately disappearance. What is now described as “Progressive Judaism” is simply the latest iteration of this pattern. It is not a stream within Judaism—it is a departure from it. When Torah is no longer treated as the binding word of G-D, but as a human document to be revised, Judaism ceases to exist in any meaningful sense. What replaces it is a framework where the individual decides what is true, what is moral, and what is binding. That is not Judaism. That is self-worship. This is why such an approach falls into the category of עבודה זרה (avodah zarah, idolatry). Not because it bows to statues, but because it elevates human judgement above Divine command. It replaces G-D with the self. And once that substitution is made, the foundation is gone. Religious Zionism, in its authentic form, is inseparable from Torah. The connection to Eretz Yisrael is not political, cultural, or emotional—it is covenantal. It is rooted in mitzvot, in obligation, and in a relationship with G-D that defines both land and people. To “reimagine” Zionism through a framework that denies or weakens that foundation is to sever it from its source. What remains is not Zionism—it is something else entirely. There is also a deeper issue. The language of “inclusion” and “reimagining” often presents itself as compassionate, as though it expands Judaism to embrace more people. But in truth, it removes the very structure that gives Judaism its meaning. Without הלכה (halachah, Jewish law), without boundaries, without obligation, there is nothing left to include anyone into. A Judaism without גבולות (gevulot, boundaries) is not broader—it is empty. The claim that this is a legitimate expression of Judaism exists only within its own framework. It is self-defined and self-validated. But Judaism is not defined by those who wish to reshape it. It is defined by Torah. The Jewish people have endured because they did not bend their identity to the spirit of the age. They held firm to what was given, even when it was difficult, even when it was unpopular. That continuity is not accidental—it is the result of fidelity. A Judaism that must be “reimagined” to survive is already gone. Judaism reimagined is Judaism abandoned. RAM רם בן זאב עובד השם