There is a talmudic story in Tractate Avodah Zarah in which the Roman authorities arrest Rabbi Eliezer on suspicion of heresy. He is acquitted through a lucky misunderstanding: when the rabbi declares his trust in the “Judge” — meaning God — the judge understands this as a vote of confidence in his own authority.
Nevertheless, Rabbi Eliezer returns home distraught, certain that he has committed some sin that led — supernaturally — to the arrest.
Trying to help his friend, Rabbi Akiva suggests, “Perhaps some statement of heresy came before you, and you found pleasure in it?”
Thus prompted, Rabbi Eliezer remembers an incident in which a student of Jesus offered an interpretation of a biblical verse, and Rabbi Eliezer not only failed to object, but even found pleasure in this teaching.
This story came to mind when I heard about two instances of Jewish organizations pursuing Christian scriptural interpretations of the Bible. Only this time, it was in service not of pleasure, but of an alliance with pro-Trump Evangelicals.
Last month, the Orthodox Union voiced its support for religious exemptions for employers who refuse to provide birth control as part of their health care plan. This decision is not only politically conservative; it also contradicts the explicit allowance in halakha for women to use birth control. In cases of medical necessity, Jewish law may even require birth control, as in the case of a woman whose life would be in danger if she became pregnant, or who takes oral contraceptives for a medical condition.
Thus, in a tragic irony, the OU’s position may result in a Jewish woman being unable to fulfil the Jewish legal obligation to protect her own life.