A Case For Jewish Spirituality

The issue that Judaism is a culture, not a religion has got to be the starting point for
any discussion of a Jewish spiritual life. In fact, there is no word in classical Hebrew for
religion.  A Jewish life centers around all those activities that many of us take to be
archaic-the Mitzvot, the study of Torah and the davvenen, yet these very acts,
co-mingled with the everyday chores were how Jews lived for centuries without any
thought of being religious. The Torah states that we are to be a holy people, a nation of
priests so that we can be a shining example to our neighbors and to the world. How can
we attain such lofty heights if not by transforming ourselves spiritually?
 Today more people, and Jews are no exception, are experiencing loss of
purpose in life, direction, joy, happiness, and health. Realizing this lack we're finding
an embryonic movement towards more spiritual pursuits.
We live under the misconception that by performing mitzvot, engaging in prayer,
studying Torah, etc. we are engaged in something spiritual. We have all been taught
this; only to find that we've been left with an empty shell, devoid of any spiritual value.
It's no wonder what we call Judaism by most has been reduced to Israeli politics,
holocaust studies interfaith relations and fund raising. Spiritual practice proposes that
it's not the doing it that counts, but how its done-with the proper attention, intention and
awareness (kavannah) of every Jewish act. The Jewish spiritual experience is a blend
of standard Jewish practice coupled with Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). One of the
principal models that arises from Kabbalah is the concept of The Four Worlds
representing the four levels of human consciousness-the physical, the emotional, the
mental and the spiritual. Each level also corresponds to one of the letters of the
tetragrammaton, G-ds unutterable name; the festivals, the prayer service, and the study
of Torah. This paradigm also depicts a pathway or ladder upon which one can climb to
spiritual heights.
 In order to make Jewishness more palatable, new forms of ritual practices  are
emerging from the various denominations with a sense of what has worked for
centuries is no longer valid. Somehow we've come to believe that our limited thinking
ability is superior to Divine wisdom. The case for Jewish spirituality should include not
only the traditional practices, but spiritual values as well. We should practice such
concepts as awareness: the ability to pay deliberate attention to each of our senses,
including the emotions; acceptance: the challenge to accept whatever comes our way
without rejecting that which we find objectionable; non-judgment: realizing that within
life there is neither right nor wrong; finally to become mindful of the importance of
consciousness, inner existence, forgiveness, community involvement and healing. All
of these values need to be coordinated with the sanctioned Jewish practices-Torah and
Mitzvot. In the practices of other tradition, Sufis whirl, Hindus chant Hare Krishna and
Jews perform mitzvot, prayer and the study of Torah. This may seem antiquated, in
today's day and age, but they are the tools of  genuine Jewish spirituality.
 Living a spiritual Jewish life, besides observing Jewish principles is not that
difficult. It's simply a practice of learning to become aware or to awaken to the energy
that enters  through your five senses and your emotions. It helps to acquire a teacher,
someone who can guide you through, the learning, the meditations, the exercises and
who is skilled at monitoring your development.
Urge your Rabbi to offer more of this in classes and sermons,  better yet, insist upon it
and they're not responsive, keep reading these articles.