Judaism is about an upheaval in the soul and the need to break with all sorts of idols. It is about living with spiritual trepidation in which man realizes that he was created from dust but has the ability to reach Heaven. Whether or not man succeeds will depend on his willingness to stand in awe.
ืืืืืืช ืืืืคืืื ืฉื ืืขื ืืืืืื ืืืืืจ ืขื ืื ืืืืืื โ ืืืืฆืจืื ืืขื ืืืืื ืื, ืืจืืืืื ืืืคืจืกืื... ืืขื ืื ืืฆืื โ ืืืืื ืขืฉืืื ืืืืืช ืชืืฆืื ืฉื ืืืชื ืืชืขืจืืืช ืืืคื ืืช ืงืื ื. ืืืขืฉื ืืืจื ืืื ืฉื ืืืช, ืืื ืืื ืืืฆืจ ื ืฆื.
To attend synagogue is an art. People must come with a sincere urge to discover their Jewishness, to reconnect with their inner being and with the Jewish people. To enter the synagogue is to hope for a metamorphosis in oneโs soul and a transformation of oneโs personality.
There is little doubt that secular Jews, consciously or unconsciously, keep a large number of commandments. Many of them may not be in the form of rituals, but there is massive evidence pointing to secular Jewsโ commitment to keeping interpersonal mitzvot. Beneath the divisiveness of traditional commitment lie underpinnings of religion such as compassion, humility, awe, and even faith.
Would you convert?
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Parashat HaShavua and Parashat Yitro
Yitro confronts us for the first time with a new phenomenon: to be a Jew by choice. He presents all Jews with a major challenge: how to become a Jew by choice even when one has been born into the fold.
ืืขืงืืืช ืืฆืืืื ืืืกืืืืช ืฉื ืชืขืฉืืืช ืืืฉืจ, ืื ืืืืืื ื ืืืืช ื ืฉืืืืช ืืื ืืื, ืืืชืืืืก ืืืขืื ืืืื ืืฆืืจื ืืืื ืืช, ืืคื ืฉืืืืื ืืืืืืืช ืืืจืฉืช, ืืคื ืืืืจ ืืืชืจ ืืืืชืจ ืงืฉื, ืื ืื ืืืืชื ืืคืฉืจื. ืืืืืช ืฉืืืื ืืฆืขืจ ืืขืื ืืืื ืืืื ื ืืงืืืืืช ืืืืืืืช ืฉืืืื ืืฉืจ ืืคืจืงืื, ืื ืืชืขืฉืืื ืืขื ืงืืช ืฉืืฉ ืื ื ืืืื, ืื ืืืืงืื ืืืื ืืื ื ืืืืืื ืืืืฉืืจ. ืืื ืื ืจืืื ืืืฃ ืจืฆืื ืืืฆื ืขื ืืื ืื ืฉืืื, ืฉืืืืืื ืืชืืื ืืืคืื ืืฆืืืื ืืื?
How can we understand the self-delusion of the Jews who complained against Moshe for taking them out of Egypt? Obviously, the Israelites were well aware that their life in Egypt was not one of tranquility while sitting by pots of meat! I would suggest that they did not intend to deny the past, but that they wanted to deny the future. Not that it did not happen, but that it would not happen again!
What was Mosheโs secret that enabled him to continue to fight for his goals, in spite of everything, and succeed where so many others would have failed? The answer is simple: he knew how to lose. He knew that his failures were in fact the building blocks for his future successes.
A Warning to Our Rabbis
How much might Judaism have benefited from people like Jesus, Elisha Ben Avuyah and Spinoza, had they not been rejected and had they contributed to the tradition in which they were raised?
In Contemporary Issues, Converting to Judaism and Jewish Thought and Philosophy
Today, Israel has many thousands of immigrants who are of Jewish descent, yet not halachically Jewish. Should we convert them even though we know that they will not live a fully committed Jewish life? Or should we abandon them, basically ignoring and excluding them as we do now? I believe there is a third way, a way of reconciling these difficulties.
Some Jews should not be Jews and some non-Jews should be Jews. Authenticity, after all, cannot be inherited; it can only be nurtured. Ideally, only those who consciously take on the Jewish mission, and live accordingly, should be considered Jews. If not for the need for a Jewish people, it would have been better to have a Jewish faith community where people can come and go depending on their willingness to commit to the Jewish religious way and its mission โ similar to how other religions conduct themselves.
By E.S.
Spiritual experiences may represent our yearning for the โinfiniteโ, but this yearning can only find expression in seeking to improve ourselves to the best of our ability and seeking to relate with love to the people and the world around us, while at the same time coming to an acceptance of our finiteness and separateness, overcoming the grief and outrage we feel at not being everything. Yearning for the infinite is really a way of learning how to be finite.