Sunday, March 7, 2010

Jewish Spirituality In A Nutshell (Part 2)

The great stumbling block in achieving Devekut reflects upon the understanding of exile, a kind of existential loneliness. Ever since the Israelite captivity in Babylonia, some three thousand years ago, exile came to be identified with distancing oneself or an entire nation from God. Today, our estrangement from God is defined by our attachment to external influences—material possessions and much of our self-centered behaviors. Jewish historical records go on to trace the hardships that had befallen the Jewish people for their disobedience to God’s commandments. The shame of the golden calf incident became the symbol of our ultimate exile; when enraged by that sinful deed, God threatened the total annihilation of the Israelites. Where are we today? How distant from God have we become? To answer that, you may just need to look around and perceive all the suffering, destruction and pain that we’re exposed to daily.

The return trip from exile is a process we call T’shuvah (from the Hebrew verb “to return”) is at the heart of Jewish spirituality. It is thought of as a process; it is not instantaneous, it takes place over time. T’shuvah, does not, as commonly believed, mean to refrain from consciously hurtful actions. The motivation for such actions lies rooted deeply in our subconscious; they are out of our conscious control. T’shuvah is the complete about-face from our present behavior patterns to one guided by Divine wisdom, the result of clinging to God. The process of T’shuvah is inaugurated at Rosh HaShanah, but the effort of turning towards God is meant to continue all year long. Through self-awareness exercises, which helps us to see ourselves more objectively, the process of turning inward is initiated.

Are contemporary synagogues capable of fostering spirituality? Despite much grumbling that synagogue services are often lifeless and uninspiring, they still offer us an environment in which to grow spiritually. Synagogues provide us with a community whose mere presence provides the means for strength and support for our prayers. Prayer, the leading Jewish spiritual practice arouses our hearts in praise of God; it inflames our innate aspect of love. Synagogues also provide us with rabbis and teachers under whose guidance we can receive deeper insight into the mitzvot and the teachings of the Torah.

Mitzvot and Torah are prayers of a different order. Any religious obligation that helps direct our attention to God is prayer. Rabbi Abraham Heshel’s statement comes to mind as he marched for civil rights from Selma to Montgomery and declared, “I’m praying with my feet”. Mitzvot, the Divine commandments require action by the physical body, like the holidays and Shabbat; while Torah narrative engages the mind on how God functions in the world. By integrating all three modalities prayer (emotions), mitzvot (action) and Torah (mind) we’re brought to a deeper understanding of the workings of spirit, and ultimately to union with the Divine Source. Yet, with this in mind, one urgent ingredient is still missing. We must learn to pay careful attention to everything our mind, body and emotions communicate to us. The kind of focusing—kavannah, in Hebrew— in prayer and in deeds momentarily nullifies our sense of self, and opens our perception to Divinity. It’s like a meditation on becoming aware of ourselves.

Spirituality requires a certain behavior pattern expected of people pursuing a spiritual path. As Jews seeking access to the spiritual realm, we must behave in a manner conducive to Jewish expectations. Even before opening a holy text, we must learn to act with humility, with compassion, with kindness, with trust, with generosity, with all the characteristics that define us as “b’tselim elohim”, created in the image of God. Jewish spirituality depends upon each individual’s penetrating, inner-directed exploration; it is more than merely the practice of Jewish customs. Spirituality is striving to integrate our body and mind with the spiritual dimension in order to align ourselves with the Source of Creation.
The End