Outdated or Timeless? Rethinking Torah in the Modern World

I came prepared for this week’s class. I teach a weekly Torah portion class for retirees, and they enjoy hearing the reasoning behind the commandments from different perspectives.

This week’s portion, Parashat Tazria, focuses on laws that feel far removed from everyday life. It discusses ritual purity and impurity, tzaraat, and offerings brought after childbirth. I reviewed the commentators, organized their explanations, and arrived ready to teach.

Or so I thought.

The Question I Didn’t Expect

One of the regular participants had just recovered from COVID and brought his son along to help him. The son, young and full of energy, sat in the front row.

Before I could finish explaining the themes of the portion, he interrupted:

“Really? All these laws, impurity after childbirth, counting days, sending birds away, none of this fits the 21st century. Not the laws and not the explanations. Just move on. It doesn’t fit today.”

I had not prepared for that question.

So I paused and asked myself: what is really behind this argument? What does it mean to say something “doesn’t fit”? And who decides that?

What Does “Doesn’t Fit” Really Mean?

This familiar claim sounds simple, but it carries a deeper message.

It says that even if something is logical, well explained, and supported by wise voices, it can still be dismissed simply because it does not match current cultural expectations.

But why should that be enough?

There are cultural norms that exist without being questioned. They are not based on logic or careful thinking. The demand to do only what “fits” today is really a demand to follow the crowd. Do not think differently. Do not challenge what is accepted.

If something falls outside those boundaries, even if it is meaningful and well grounded, it is quickly labeled outdated and pushed aside.

A Claim That Repeats in Every Generation

What is striking is that this argument is not new. It returns in every generation, just with different language.

Even Avraham Avinu was told by Nimrod that his beliefs did not “fit” the world around him. Rejecting idolatry was seen as strange and unacceptable.

Later, during the time of the Tannaim, the sages faced pressure from Roman culture. They too were told that their way of life did not align with the enlightened spirit of their time.

In every era, the same argument appears. And in every era, it fades away.

Following Truth, Not the Crowd

As the descendants of Avraham Avinu, we are not meant to follow the crowd blindly. Avraham stood on one side, while the entire world stood on the other.

We do not shape our values based on what is popular at the moment. Phrases like “it doesn’t fit today” or “it’s outdated” are not arguments. They are expressions of discomfort with thinking independently.

There is a place where keeping up with the times makes sense. In technology, we want better tools, faster systems, and more efficient solutions.

But when it comes to morality and values, progress is far less clear.

Has the World Really Changed?

Even today, we see that human behavior has not fundamentally improved. Nations still fight. Wars still break out, driven by greed and power, not by justice or morality.

We have no reason to assume that whatever is accepted today is automatically better or more correct.

Instead, we must be willing to question the culture around us when necessary.

Living by the Torah

The Torah is not meant to “fit” the times. It is meant to guide them.

We believe that the laws of the Torah sustain the world. They are the reason the Jewish people have endured for thousands of years, longer than any other nation.

And that leads to a powerful conclusion.

We do not reshape the Torah to fit our lives.

We shape our lives to fit the Torah.