How Inclusive can Judaism Be?

What kinds of ways do you think our current society is promoting or discouraging the expression of personal identity?

Inclusion is a Jewish Imperative (Commenting on Exodus 19)
By Rabbi Ben Greenberg
"The Torah in introducing the moment of Sinai emphasizes that all the people were present for the episode of the great theophany...
...Rashi, the great medieval commentator, offers the insight quoting the early midrashic work Mekhilta, that the people were as “one person with one heart.” The exceedingly large, disparate and diverse group of Jews encamped in the desert wilderness became unified in heart and soul. Each person valued intrinsically every other person in the community. No one person saw another person as an instrument towards a greater goal or, the reverse, as an impediment towards a desired outcome. Every member of the community was valued. Every member of the community was welcome. Every member of the community was powerfully present...
...However, the Sinai moment cannot be recreated, the mountain cannot be gathered around and God cannot be heard unless every member of the community is present just as they were at the first Sinai moment in the desert wilderness. The religious life of every Jew and the religious life of the entire community is deficient when not everyone is able to be present. That is why it is so fundamentally important that historically marginalized groups are treated with dignity, respect and honor just like anyone else in the community. When the barriers towards inclusion and access are removed and every member of our community — not just those who already have a seat at the table — are fully present then we will have restored the community to a point ready to encounter Sinai.
Those who see the work of inclusion as a concession to political correctness or some outside values that do not stem from the Torah would do well to hearken to the story of revelation. The story of how a diverse and large group of former slaves found a way to stand next to a mountain with respect and dignity for all paved the way for the chasm between heaven and earth to have been bridged and the Torah, the book that lit the world with Divine meaning and purpose, to be revealed is not just a narrative to be revered but an imperative to strive towards achieving that level of inclusion in our modern communities today."

Finding Redemption in the Passover Story
Rabbi Dr. Burton Visotsky
"We are reminded we were slaves, strangers in the land of Egypt, so that we might not oppress the stranger. The Talmud (b. Baba Metsia 59b) counts that we are commanded not to oppress the stranger no fewer than thirty-six times in the Torah. God commands us to be vigilant. Do not oppress the stranger for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Do not be xenophobic, for you once were the outsider. Welcome the immigrant for you were once immigrants, oppressed by the whip."

Loving the Stranger
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
"[What] the sages noted was the repeated emphasis on the stranger in biblical law. According to Rabbi Eliezer in the Talmud (Baba Metsia 59b) the Torah “warns against the wronging of a ger in thirty-six places; other say, in forty-six places.”
Whatever the precise number, the repetition throughout the Mosaic books is remarkable. Sometimes the stranger is mentioned along with the poor; at others, with the widow and orphan. On several occasions the Torah specifies: “You shall have the same law for the stranger as for the native-born.” Not only must the stranger not be wronged; he or she must be included in the positive welfare provisions of Israelite/Jewish society. But the law goes beyond this: the stranger must be loved:"

Universalism and Particularism: Jewish Teachings on Jewish Obligation
Rabbi David Ellenson
"It is instructive to note that within Judaism there have always been Universalistic and Particularistic dimensions, and this dual approach to the world finds expression in the concept of covenant (brit) that appears at the very beginning of the Bible. This notion maintains that God stands in relationship with all people. To be sure, the Bible tells of the unique covenant God made with Abraham and the Jewish people in Genesis 15. There the Torah states that God established the “brit bein ha-betarim – the covenant between the pieces” with Abraham and his descendants. This particularistic covenant was carried forth over the generations and confirmed by the Jewish people as a whole at Sinai. This covenant assigns the people Israel a special relationship with God.
However, in Genesis 9 the concept of covenant appears in relation to Noah and his progeny. There the Torah states that God established a covenant with Noah and his descendants after the Flood and designated the rainbow as the sign of that eternal brit. Noah, of course, was not Jewish. Thus, in Sanhedrin 56 the rabbis teach that God established a universal covenant with all humanity through Noah even before a covenant was instituted with the people Israel! The notion of a dual covenant – a covenant between God and all humanity as well as a covenant between God and the Jewish people – serves as a cardinal foundation for Jewish religious beliefs and values...
...[Hillel says in] Pirkei Avot 1:14, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”
However, Hillel then immediately says, “But if I am only for myself alone, what am I?” The universalism inherent in Jewish teachings on covenant requires Jews to apply the foundational Jewish values of justice and mercy to all humanity. Thus, in Hilchot Melachim (Laws of Kings) 10:12, Maimonides writes, “One ought to treat the resident stranger (non-Jew) with derekh eretz (civility and humanity) and hesed (mercy and kindness) just as one does a Jew, for we are commanded to support them.” All persons are created in the divine image, and Jews must care for and respect all people. Consequently, in that same passage Maimonides states that Jews are required to “bury [Gentile] dead along with the dead of Israel, and support [Gentile] poor among the poor of Israel.” He then justifies this obligation by citing Psalms 145:9, which states, “God is good to all and His mercy is on all His works.” Our commitments as Jews extend to all humanity.
For Jews to behave with kindness and justice toward gentiles constitutes an act of Kiddush Hashem, the sanctification of the divine name in the universe. As Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “The ultimate standards of living, according to Jewish teaching, are Kiddush Hashem and Hillul Hashem. The one means that everything within one’s power should be done to glorify the Name of God before the world, the other that everything should be avoided to reflect dishonor upon the religion and thereby desecrate the Name of God.” Indeed, the Jerusalem Talmud, in Baba Metzia 4:5, explicitly links acts of righteousness and kindness by Jews toward gentiles with the concept of Kiddush Hashem. God is exalted when our community displays concern for all those in need. As the late Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Rabbi Hayyim David Halevi, phrased it in ‘Aseh I’kha rav 7:71, “The Jewish people possesses an obligation to conduct itself towards those who are strangers in its midst with integrity and fairness. In so doing, we will sanctify the Name of Heaven and the name of Israel in the world.”
In his Orot Hakodesh, Rav Kook wrote, “The love for Israel (ahavat Yisrael) entails a love for all humankind (kol ha’adam).” According to this great sage, Jews must display concern for Jews and gentiles. By allowing this imperative to direct us, the Jewish people, to cite Rav Kook once again, succeed in expanding the Jewish “soul” and the Jewish “song beyond the limits of Israel.” In this way, our people “sing the song of humanity” that Judaism requires."

1. What can we say about the limits of Jewish inclusivity?
2. What was one thing you learned about inclusivity in Judaism that you didn't realize before?
3. Do you think it is necessary that Jewishness navigates the tension between particularism and universalism? Can Judaism remain sustainable without this tension?
4. What troubles you about this? What kind of Othering do you think could be happening here?