Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam The Greatest Rabbi Of All Time? With Jenna Weissman Joselit
Mar 25, 2026
Jenna Weissman Joselit, Professor of Judaic Studies and biographer of Mordecai M. Kaplan, brings scholarly insight and family warmth. She traces Kaplan’s immigrant roots, his shift from halakha to peoplehood, and his practical, sometimes controversial, reforms. The conversation highlights Kaplan’s evolving theology, cultural innovations like the bat mitzvah, and his lasting imprint on American Jewish life.
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Peoplehood Over Law Shaped Kaplan's Vision
- Mordecai Kaplan prioritized Jewish peoplehood and community over halakha as the organizing center of Jewish life.
- Jenna Weissman Joselit describes Kaplan's 1908 speech at JTS that reframed Torah as serving the people and won him a faculty position under Solomon Schechter.
A Risky Speech That Landed Him A Faculty Post
- Kaplan's 1908 speech at JTS unexpectedly launched his academic career when Solomon Schechter invited him to join the faculty.
- Jenna recounts Kaplan feared being fired for prioritizing peoplehood, yet the speech's reception won him a scholarly position.
Ritual Should Have A Vote Not A Veto
- Kaplan argued ritual and tradition should be flexible tools that support Jewish vitality rather than absolute vetoes.
- Jenna cites his famous line that ritual should 'have a vote, not a veto' and his practical stance of 'if you can't keep the whole thing, keep some of it.'
