Michele Hagen
From the beginning of my approach to Freemasonry I noticed many similarities with Judaism. I thank the organizers for inviting me to this conference and I accepted immediately precisely to extend these feelings of mine to everyone. There are many Jews active in Freemasonry today in Italy and other countries. Israel has approximately 90 Masonic lodges with 5,000 members. Jews had also been involved in the founding of modern Freemasonry in the early 1700s in England. Until then they were not allowed to participate in many activities of daily life.
Enlightenment thought’s concept of the universality of all people led to a society where people’s religious beliefs did not interfere with their rights as citizens. Jews were gradually allowed to exercise their rights as citizens and pursue life as they wished. Judaism as a religion was also influenced by the Enlightenment, with the development of Reform Judaism which teaches continued belief in the fundamental concepts of religion without requiring acquiescence with all the strict rules of observance.
Many Jews saw their entry into Freemasonry as part of their “emancipation” from legal and social exclusions. Modern Freemasonry was as much a product of the Enlightenment as the emancipation of the Jews. Many political leaders were Freemasons and if Jews could join this brotherhood this would be a sign of their acceptance. They could use the opportunities presented by their participation in a social organization with Catholics to prove that their association would prosper. Freemasonry’s philosophy of brotherhood of all people meant that it would also accept Jews as members. There are many common themes and ideals in the rituals, symbols and words of Freemasonry and the Jews.
The basic teaching of Judaism is to believe in a God who created everything in our existence and who gave us laws to follow, and the requirements to act honorably and kindly towards everyone. Faith in God, prayer, immortality of the soul, charity and acting respectfully towards people are essential elements for Freemasonry as well as for Judaism, and clearly for other religions as well. Judaism teaches that God’s law is contained in the Torah which is the Hebrew Bible and the first five books of all Bibles. Jews are taught that the Torah is the eternal law given to us by God who said it is complete, will never be changed even by God, and can never be altered by any mortal.
This may be compared with the statement in the Masonic commandments that it is not within the power of any man to make innovations in the structure of Freemasonry. In either case this may seem overly rigid, but the principle is the same. Freemasonry and Judaism, as well as other religions and affirmations of ethical models, teach us to discipline ourselves and keep our passions under control. We follow rituals in synagogues and Masonic lodges to develop this skill.
There are many other similarities between the best aspects of Freemasonry and Judaism. Some are of a higher level, such as belief in God and ethical behavior towards people, and others as mundane as the tradition of eating after the completion of rites.
Briefly, after birth, Jewish males are circumcised during a family celebration as a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham. Jewish males, upon reaching the age of thirteen, with a rite called “Bar Mitzvah”, become subject to the obligation to observe the commandments, are welcomed into the community as full members and assume religious responsibilities. Similarly, Freemasonry establishes a pact with new initiates, they are raised to a higher level only after learning the rites necessary to join Freemasonry.
Judaism and Freemasonry have great respect for and support individual freedom. Judaism teaches that each of us is capable of doing good or evil, the purpose of its teaching is to help us use our free will to choose the right path. Freemasonry teaches that those who are morally sound can find the “light” in Freemasonry if they desire it spontaneously. The concept of exercising free will to accept the law and make amends for past transgressions is of “Rosh Hashanah” the New Year and “Yom Kippur” the day of atonement for sins. For the Jews, the New Year is a sacred holiday, the first ten days of the new year are used to make amends for past sins and determined to avoid future sins. Similarly, Freemasonry teaches that all men should strive to improve themselves morally and free themselves from all prejudices.
Light is an important symbol for both Freemasonry and Judaism. One of the Jewish holidays is Chanukah, called the Feast of Lights, commemorating the victory of the Jewish people over the Babylonians who had made the practice of the Jewish religion a crime punishable by death around 165 C.E. (C.E. stands for before the Common Era, it is used in the Jewish religion as the equivalent of B.C.).
The Light is also an important symbol for Freemasonry, representing the Divine spirit, religious freedom, and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the spiritual Temple that lies within each of us.
One of the fundamental Masonic symbols is the Temple of Solomon who also appears as a central figure of the Jewish religion. King Solomon, one of the most important figures in Jewish history, is equally important to Masonic rituals, and most of the rituals are based on stories related to the building of Solomon’s Temple.
Both Judaism and Freemasonry also teach upholding authority and the duties of authority towards those over whom that authority is exercised. Jews are taught respect and obedience towards parents and rabbis, just as Freemasonry teaches the authority and duties of those elected to positions of leadership in our brotherhood.
Finally, Judaism and Freemasonry make positive efforts to encourage learning. This has led to large numbers of Jews with brilliant careers in the sciences and other professions, and also explains, in part, why Freemasonry and Judaism have persisted through the centuries. Those who encourage culture ensure the perpetuation of their ideals.
While Judaism and Freemasonry have many common aspects, it must also be recognized that due to centuries of repeated attempts to convert Jews to Christianity, Jews may find it unpleasant to be asked to formulate Christian prayers or otherwise express non-Jewish faith. Some parts of the Masonic rites use prayers from the New Testament, make references to Saints and to the cross as a religious symbol (although it is stated that the cross is used as a religious symbol in general rather than as a Christian religious symbol), and at least one Masonic organization asks the its aspiring members to swear support for the Christian faith. Jews can deal with these references to other religions by remaining calm and not participating in such parts of Freemasonry. However, I do not want to overemphasize these points, since the profound meaning of Freemasonry – the universality of all peoples – certainly has greater weight.
Michele Hagen, fiorentino classe 61, imprenditore.
È in massoneria dal 1996 e dal 2003 è Maestro.
Attuale MV della R.L.. UR all’oriente di Firenze.
È parte attiva della Comunità di Firenze. Esperto di ebraismo e kabbalah.