“I’m willing to join you, to work with you— even though I think you’re wrong”
Of all American values, tolerance is probably the most celebrated, and the least understood.
What is tolerance? The world thinks it means “I let you do, or be, what you want.” That’s why people think Torah Judaism is intolerant — because it delineates clear boundaries for moral behavior. You have to be open-minded, people say. Anything goes.
But when these “open-minded” people are forced to work together with others, they suddenly have zero tolerance for other ways of doing things. I can tolerate anything at a distance. But if I have to work with you, you’d better do things my way.
No. Tolerance doesn’t mean “I’m willing to put up with your existence.” It doesn’t mean “I’ll let you be — at a distance.”
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