I wrote this before but I found more Jews into Judaism because they could read the words but didn't have a clue what they were reading. There were Jews that dealt with"tradition" more than the shikihah glory of G!D, the love and mercy and the words right there in the Tanakh they swiftly ignore and or shun, and I wonder if any listen to the hymns, so beautiful the cantor of such an ancient love of God speaking in an ancient tongue some say was given to Moses during his meeting with G!D at Mt Sinai( to me if I closed my eyes and just listened, it WAS beautiful but alas I fear I never felt G!D in that place, just tangents of evil and deviations from their GOD!)
Yes we had/ (I left so it's probably now even better!) a great Torah study that was mainly conservative in nature and an off campus/shul Talmidic studies with varied people involved and lecturing in Gramatica, Numerology, Kabbalism, but each with a twist, one might adhere to Hinduism, many didn't believe in any god at all, some actually FOUND the mad Imam and used to sup with them and argue points. I was on the security team but the fools would not listen to me when I asked them, begged them to have cameras watching camera( waay outside the perimeter)an always armed secuity man on the roof and two or three "false bottoms " in the shul" just in case."
The word was I was nuts, crazy and no, no, no, noone will come for them because everyone loves us. I retorted with no you are living in a bubble of some sixties hippie love-peace and it's all false. I finally quit when they started in on transgender groups and "Understanding the Quran" and I left and said, screw this, they do not want security, they have some bubble headed dreams they will never be attacked( though vandalism happened on Wiccan holy days, on or around Hitlers B-Day, Yom Kippur and ,dates, dates, and more dates and open doors) but alas, there is a remnant of reformists that are really trying to carry on the Word handed through ages and try to abide by the laws and such withing it but you hit the nail on the head, many don't practice.
Many, no a few do not really like the "J Street' Code Pink/ Obama is a god BS and they have more converted Gentiles( bless them) than Jews, and oh yeah it's Sephardic and one last day I tried I got a Helen Thomas like Lesbian B**** telling me I was Ashkanaze, not a real Jew, go back to the Ukraine or where ever your family ran from; you're not wanted her. It's then I bought a book from a good man who wrote it"The Jews of Khazaria," even tried loaning her a copy but I wore out my welcome with my "war mongering( I would always carry throwing knives, a small 25 cal a 22, and a 40 cal or my grams old WWII Colt 45 ) and walked the perimeters most services.
Maybe I'm nuts but that shul is a death trap in sketchy knowledge, weird in their security( some MIGHT be waking up) weird in their need for tradition but have never shunned this idol worshiping they picked up from Code Pink, Wiccans, Hindus, name it, and I just got tired of angry gays and Lesbos calling me names. I sort of hope reform Judaism or at least that shul gets a wake up call but I wonder what good it'll do; Obama is not the messiah and MSM is not gospel truth and whether the gods of the Hindi, the evil of black magic, or the wiles of cultural relativism is their god, I see lip service besides a remnant, and it's sad the way they twist the Torah or say," it was only for back then,' Well if it was" for back then" then they better start reading the New testament and quickly because they've already pulled a Hezekiah and showed the Babylonian Imam's the pot of gold and the whole of the interior and I do NOT like that man, he is the most evil of all.
Thank you for the kindness of your comment. One thing that must be understood, and I am coming from a Sephardic, Torah Observant viewpoint. I am currently studying to become a Rabbi.
Kabbalah is greatly misunderstood by the mainstream. Many have abused the term and its teachings. Kabbalah means “ to receive knowledge” It is the center most layer of the 72 layers of understanding in the Torah. It is the mystical /esoteric center of Judaism. ( Go to Chabad.org for more info), and every Torah Observant/Orthodox Jew “immerses” themselves within it.
That being said, Judaic studies do not stop with one’s becoming a Bar or Bat/Bas Mitzvah. Torah study is a way of life, and part of the process into understanding and developing the Neshama in a sacred bonding with HaShem. I am saddened by the Reformed groups because they simply don’t know what they are missing.
And so, they miss the many exquisitely brilliant teachings of the many, many great Rabbinic sages and scholars throughout Jewish history that would lead their hearts to a better understanding of life, human nature, and thus, politics.
Tradition is very important, as it is a vehicle, a method of teaching the Jewish path to HaShem. It has been the glue that helps hold our people together throughout our long exile. But, it all comes back to Torah. And, we are finding that sooner or later, our ancient traditions function as a tugging at the heart of the Reformed, calling them back to Torah observance, and doing T’Shuva.
It can be said that even when we sit in darkness, HaShem will always send Light so we can open our eyes. :))