Shavuot: The Forgotten Holiday

Today, we celebrate Shavuot, marking the anniversary of the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai. It has been called the forgotten holiday by some, as it gets far less attention than other holidays such as Pesach, Yom Kippur, or Hanukkah. But it should get more attention than it does and I believe is one of those holidays that can take on new meaning and importance in contemporary Judaism.

Shavuot was originally an agricultural holiday, marking the ripening of the fruits on trees seven weeks after the ripening of the wheat in the fields. This takes place in early June. After the biblical period, our sages realized that the giving of the Torah at Sinai happened seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt and so tied together this revelation with the agricultural celebation into the hybrid-holiday of Shavuot. To me there is special meaning to this composite celebration, as it is the descendents of slaves who are giving gratitude to God in prayer for the bounty of the land they now posess. And these slaves got their freedom and learned how to live and govern themselves with the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. It is the concepts first developed in the Torah that formed much of the framework for our own republican form of government here in the United States. So Shavuot serves as a reminder of the very freedoms we are blessed with today here in America and our duty to assist in spreading these concepts of liberty throughout the world.

Today, many synagogues mark Shavuot with Confirmation services where adolescents, who have studied for three years following their Bar, or Bat Mitzvah, pledge to devote their lives to Torah. It is also a time of recognizing converts, who have personally experienced the choice of personally accepting the Torah, as did the ancient Israelites at Sinai. The Book of Ruth is one of the featured scriptural readings of Shavuot, whose heroine is herself a convert to Judaism. There is a legend that one rabbi called Shavuot the "holiday of youth, truth and Ruth." I think this summarizes the holiday very nicely.

Another custom gaining popularity today first originated with medieval Jewish mystics, who would stay up all night, or at least until midnight, reading the Torah in it's entirety (or at least sections from each of the five books). It is said that on Shavuot, one can look up at the heavens at midnight and see God. There is a story of a five year old girl, who pleaded with her parents to allow her to stay up and see God. The objected, but tried to compromise by telling her that she was too young now, but could stay up when she was ten. She refused saying that she wouldn't believe it anymore by then. I really like this story, as it is faith and belief that really brings the magic to many Jewish holidays and customs. We should strive for the faith and innocence of children who in many ways have a deeper belief in the affairs of God than us adults.

Outside of Israel, many Jews celebrate Shavout for two days. This goes back to a time when communication wasn't so quick as it is today and Jews outside of the Holy Land couldn't be sure of the exact time of sunset in Israel. Not wanting to celebrate on the wrong day, they marked the occasion of Shavuot on the day and the day after as a precautionary measure.

Like many, I overlooked and wasn't so familiar with Shavuot. Much of my introduction to this holiday came from the book, "To Life," by Rabbi Harold Kushner. But it is gaining in importance and personal meaning for me, as it relates to many areas in my current life.

1) Although raised Jewish, my mother never formally converted and I've been lately considering going through the conversion process with my wife, who was raised Irish-Catholic, as a means of expanding my devotion to my faith and bringing my family closer together in a shared experience. We are already raising my two year old son as a Jew and are both learning in the process. Thus, the tie in of Shavuot with conversion and Confirmation are important aspects of Shavuot for me.

2) I am also a very big proponent of liberty and personal responsibility, which are emphasized aspects of Shavuot.

3) The concept of showing gratitude to God for the ripening of the first fruits is also very appealing to me. One thing that I appreciate about Judaism is it's seemingly unique ability to tie nature and civilization together in compromise and harmony.

I would ask that you consider the relevance of Shavuout in your own personal life and help me to promote it to a more prominant holiday on the Jewish calendar. It really deserves our attention and can enrich our lives.

Until next time....

Shmuel

Sanctifying Shabbat: Shabbat Naturally

On this Friday afternoon, I want to continue our exploration of Shabbat, as it is said to have been the one thing that has defined and sustained the Jewish people through many hardships and is the only observance specifically mentioned in the Ten Commandments given at Sinai.

Many think of Shabbat as a day primarily devoted to prayer like the Christian Sunday, or the Muslim Friday. But it is not in fact just a day reserved for prayer at all, but one set aside for rest. We are not talking about simply physical rest, but a greater spiritual kind of rest. The Jewish scholar, Erich Fromm, describes rest as "any interference by people, be it constructive or destructive, with the physical world. Rest is a state of peace between people and nature." It is, in essence, a 24-hour tuning in and living in harmony with the natural environment around you and a turning away from humanity's normal manipulation of their environment, as practiced the other six days of the week. God placed us here as co-creators and stewards of our world. We serve this purpose when we stop, observe and become sensitized to the Divine Presence that surrounds us.

The Kabbalist, Bahya Ibn Yusuf, declared obervation of the natural world as the first step of spiritual ascent and growth. I was reminded of this yesterday when I saw an article in the magazine, Homeschooling Today, that suggested students keep a nature journal as a way of learning science. I was instantly struck with the idea that this is a great family activity to practice during the Shabbat. Depending on how strict you want to follow the Talmudic definitions of work, you may want to actually write down your observations at sunset and the end of Shabbat, or make notes as you proceed. But either way, it is a great way to learn, teach our children and make that first step in our own spiritual journey back to Eden.

Now that we are aware of the environmental aspects of Shabbat, it is also appropriate to include discussions of humanity's role in the world and our impact on the environment. I'm not talking about just accepting and repeating talking points such as that of global warming advocates, or opponents, but doing our own research and presentation of findings, pro or con, like the rabbis of the Talmudic age. For example, did you know that over 500 of the world's leading meteorologists and climatologists called global warming hype and inaccurate at a global warming conference held this past December? Or did you think it was just settled fact. As Jews, we have a strong history of analysis and debate and can bring this type of discussion to the forefront in an environmentalism that is based on scientific analysis and not someone's political agenda. Spiritually, we will know that we are serving as proper stewards over nature and have begun to recover some of the hauntingly, faint memories of our enlightened consciousness from our Edenic past.

In coming posts, I'll be exploring more of the mysteries of Shabbat, as a part of my current spiritual journey and a sharing of thoughts with you. It's all part of a planned series I'm calling Sanctifying Shabbat. I hope you enjoy and will share your thoughts as well.

Happy Shabbat!

Until next time....

Shmuel

Sanctifying Moments

I want to talk about what I believe is at the heart of Judaism...the practice of making ordinary moments holy. It helps to explain what may seem like legalistic details to many such as dietary laws and Sabbath restrictions. Without proper context, it all seems unnecessary and lacking spiritual vitality. But when properly understood, these same rituals lead to a deeply spiritual faith with meaning and purpose.

So does God really care if we eat a ham and cheese sandwich, or turn on the lights on Shabbat? Probably not. But it is not for divine approval that we have these limits. Rather, it is a reminder of our true spiritual purpose and a way of sanctifying our otherwise daily, mundane lives. From previous posts, you'll remember that we are each unique aspects of the Divine Presence and co-creators of our world. Our role is to redeem creation and to bring about "heaven on earth" by raising the divine sparks concealed everywhere to spiritual consciousness through our individual choices. In Jewish teachings, this is known as Tikkun. It is our task to provide the remaining element of goodness and mercy necessary to sustain and perfect the universe.

Prayer and rituals such as the previously mentioned dietary laws are the daily means of raising our spiritual awareness above our mundane existence and to help us, as Jews, become the "holy nation of priests" mentioned in the book of Exodus. Each moment is an opportunity to raise another spark and to perfect our being and the world around us. This is supercharged in the weekly celebration of Shabbat which is meant to be a 24-hour period of meditation and rest. It is a chance to tune in to the natural cycles and rhythms of the universe rather than trying to fight and shape it according to the needs of our usually limited perspective. I haven't always understood this, but now that I do find it interesting that the same people that protest and rebel against the legalisms of Judaism will gladly accept and follow the detailed and foreign rituals of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism in order to find spiritual growth. I think the movie, Karate Kid best illustrates how seemingly ordinary events, like the washing of a car, can with the right focus be a chance to find spiritual enlightenment. This focus, or intention, is known as Kavannah in Jewish belief. But let's look at the concept of Shabbat a little further.

Since we were children, each of us has been taught that Shabbat, or the seventh day, is holy as God rested on the seventh day following the work of creation and also as a reminder that we were once slaves in Egypt and should appreciate our current freedoms. On the surface, it seems like a nice set of concepts, but hardly spiritual. But this is because many of us don't proplerly understand the concept of rest being spoken about. In Hebrew, the word for rest, nafash, comes from the same root as that for soul, nefesh. Shabbat is not just about physical rest, but also spiritual elevation to a Edenic state of consciousness where we are in harmony with the world around us. The prayers, music and seemingly restrictive rituals are meant to help foster an environment where this soul-consciousness can emerge.

So do we have to follow all of the rituals and restrictions laid out by the rabbi's and Talmudic Judaism? Not being Orthodox myself, I believe the answer is no. We are each individual aspects of divinity like the "raindrop in the sea," (Rabbi Dov Baer, disciple of the Baal Shem Tov) and each of us has a unique path and purpose to fulfill. We should focus on those rituals that best enable us to reach spiritual enlightenment, or what the rabbis refer to as the additional soul of Shabbat. In his book, "To Life," Rabbi Harold Kushner says that Judaism offers a buffet of choices and we are each free to choose what we like and to leave behind what we don't like. I would combine this with the thoughts of another famous Jewish scholar, Franz Rosenzweig, who when asked if he followed certain Jewish practices said not yet. It is all about individual spiritual growth and we each move at our own pace.

The practice of sanctifying the ordinary moments of life is something that definitely reveals Judaism's origins as an Eastern religion. It's closest comparison would be with Zen Buddhist rituals. But the extent of this concept as encompassing all aspects of our daily lives is, I believe, unique to Judaism among the world's major religions and shows just how advanced and refined Jewish spiritual thought has become.

We will explore Shabbat rituals and meaning further as part of a series of posts that I'm tentatively calling "Sanctifying Shabbat" that will start soon. I want to look into the mystical concepts of Shabbat and how it fits in with modern themes of spiritual enlightenment and environmental awareness. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Until next time....

Shmuel

Daily Meditation

One of the more prominant aspects of the current Jewish Renewal movement is the rediscovery of Judaism's rich heritage of meditative and contemplative practices. They were seen as superstitious by those who favored a more rational Judaism in the 1800's and so minimized in much of Western Europe. Knowledge of these techniques were preserved primarily among Hasidic communities in Eastern Europe and among Sephardic communities throughout North Africa and the Middle East, but were almost lost forever as millions of teachers and practitioners were murdered during the Holocaust.

Feeling their Jewish faith sterile of personal methods of spiritual enlightenment many American Jews sought such knowledge elsewhere and formed as much as 60-70% of those flocking to Buddhist monks and monasteries. With new insights, many of these "JuBu's" have returned to the faith of their father's and have found in translating ancient manuscripts a deep legacy of meditation in Judaism's past. One of the original pioneer's in these efforts was the late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, whose book "Meditation and the Bible" (and other works) has decoded and revealed this rich heritage of meditation used by Judaism's greatest rabbis and prophets and has inspired many, including myself, to study and present this knowledge to the world. One of his translations is of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's book Hishtap'khuth HaNefesh, or Outpouring of the Soul.

The primary Hebrew word for meditation is Hithbodeduth. Although described by many for thousands of years, this term is most closely associated with Rabbi Nachman (1772-1810). He calls for a practice of daily meditation and says this:

One must be very worthy in order to be able to meditate for a given time each day and regret what he must.

Not everyone can be worthy of doing this. The days pass and are gone, and one finds that his life is over and he never once had the time to think about the meaning of his life.

One must therefore make sure to set aside a specific time each day to review his life calmly. He should consider what he is doing, and ponder whether it is something worthy of one's devotion. (Sichoth HaRan 47)

Rabbi Nachman's teachings (as translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan and others) have played a large part in my spiritual return to Judaism after a period of doubt and wandering. Like others, I thought Judaism was a system of laws and ethics without any meaningful path to direct experience and knowledge of the Divine. Teachings such as the one above showed the error of my thinking and inspired me to learn and teach it to others. We'll continue to explore this forgotten legacy and how it can produce a more meaningful Judaism for the 21st century.

Until next time....

Shmuel

Becoming Spiritual And Rich

Many of us have tried to reconcile seeming differences between our desire for earthly fame and fortune and that of spiritual growth. Judaism teaches that one should follow one's passion and purpose in life and that success will follow. Martin Buber tells a story of Rabbi Dov Baer, the Maggid of Mezerich, who teaches a man how to find true spiritual wealth. Here's that tale:

In the days of the great Maggid, a well-to-do merchant, who refused to have anything to do with Hasidic teachings, lived in Mezerich. His wife to care of the shop. He himself only spent two hours a day in it. The rest of the time, he sat over his books in the House of Study. One Friday morning, he saw two young men there, whom he did not know. He asked them where they were from and why they had come, and was told they'd come a long distance to see and hear the Great Maggid. Then he decided that for once he too would go to his house. He didn't want to sacrifice any study time and so did not go into the shop on that day.

The Maggid's radiant face affected him so strongly that from then on he went more and more frequently and ended up attaching himself to him altogether. From this time on, he had one business failure after another until he was quite poor. He complained to the Maggid that this had happened to him after he'd become his disciple. The Maggid answered: "You know what our sages say: 'He who wants to grow wise, let him go south; He who wants to grow rich, let him go north.' Now what shall one do that wants to grow both rich and wise?" The man did not know what to reply. The Maggid continued: 'He who thinks nothing at all of himself, and makes himself nothing, grows spiritual, and spirit does not occupy space. He can be both north and south at the same time."

These words moved the merchants heart and he cried out: "Then my fate is sealed!"

"No, No," said the Maggid. "You have already begun."

With just a glance, one's first reaction would be to think that the Maggid was teaching that one should concede earthly success in favor of the spiritual. But a closer look reveals a deeper, hidden truth. For what the Maggid is really stating is a paraphrasing of the tenth commandment; Thou shall not covet. Through faith we realize that each of us is an aspect of God through creation, or emanation as Kabbalah teaches. The Maggid also said that one should "think of your soul as a part of the Divine Presence like the raindrop in the sea." My personal comparison is the analogy of the photon of light which is both wave and particle, or a note of music. From one perspective, each seems defined and limited, but a larger view reveals that they are part of something greater. Such is the case with the human soul and even the body, which is seen by Jewish mystics as nefesh, or spirit at rest. This is an even closer analogy to the photon of light mentioned above.

So, we shouldn't covet, as we are part of the Divine Presence here on earth and as such already have everything we could desire. God is beyond definition, or boundaries. There are no limits in reality, just limits in your belief in yourself and your faith in God. You truly can be whatever you believe yourself capable of and are willing to work towards as a personal goal.

What is interesting, is that today most people consider the Hasidim as among the ultra-Orthodox of Judaism. But in the days of the Great Maggid, the "Orthodox" authorities of that day were like the merchant in our story, who looked down on them. They were thought of as ignorant heathens and excommunicated by these rabbis. In truth though, the Hasidim simply cut through the red-tape of Talmudic legalism and taught the spiritual core of Jewish belief. It is my belief that a Neo-Hasidic path is what is needed today to revitalize the Jewish faith and build it's future purpose and legacy. Some aspects of this are being taught within the Jewish Renewal movement. It is a good start, but just the beginning of our journey. We need to grow our faith by sharing it with others as was the universal mission of the Biblical prophets. By considering what we'd tell others about Judaism, we can find deeper meaning in Judaism for ourselves.

Until next time....

Shmuel

Learning From A Child And A Thief

It is taught that Rabbi Dov Baer, the Maggid of Mezeritch, is said to have told a disciple that in the service of God there are three things that one should learn from a child and seven things one should learn from a thief.

From a child one should learn:

1) Always to be happy
2) Never to sit idle
3) To cry for everything one wants

From a thief one should learn:

1) To work at night
2) If one cannot gain what one wants in one night to try again the next night
3) To love one's co-workers just as thieves love each other
4) To be willing to risk one's life even for a little thing
5) Not to attach too much value to things, even though one has risked one's life for them, just as
a thief will resell a stolen article at a fraction of it's real value
6) To withstand all kinds of beatings and tortures but to remain what you are
7) To believe that your work is worthwhile and not be willing to change it

I've always been impressed and inspired by these kinds of Hasidic teachings. They always seem to find a simple and unique way of sharing comprehensive messages of wisdom that the average person can relate to and understand. Here, for example, is the analogy of a thief and a child being equally able to teach us bits of wisdom that can lead to a more meaningful life. Normally, one would think of a child as a gift, while loathing a thief. But true to the teachings of Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism, Rabbi Dov Baer portrays them both as having the same divine potential. We must just learn to see the sparks of light hidden beneath the physical husks of evil. Once revealed, it is our task to heal and reunite these sparks to their Divine Source in an effort of Tikkun.

I've pulled this passage about Rabbi Dov Baer from the book "Teachings of the Jewish Mystics," by Perle Besserman. The translation of the Maggid's original words is by Alan Unterman.

It's food for thought. Have a great weekend and early Shabbat Shalom to you!

Until next time....

Shmuel