Drunk On The Divine

Is it possible for Jews to have spiritual experiences from Jewish tradition, somewhat like followers of the Eastern religions report? Are such mechanisms built into Judaism? From significant manuscripts like Martin Buber's "Tales of the Hassidim", not only do we know it's possible, but we have documented evidence of such occurrences--"The son of a Rabbi went to worship on the Sabbath in a nearby town. On his return his family asked, "Well did they do anything different from what we do here?" "Yes, of course", said the son. "Than what was the lesson?" "Love thy enemy as thyself."  "So, it's the same as we say. And how is it you learned something else?" They taught me to love the enemy within myself" From the opponents of the hassidim, the mitnagdim, from where most of us originate, the information is cold sober intellectual, cut and dry.

I believe we could distinguish between both extraordinary and ordinary experiences that we believe are spiritually charged. I have often been informed, by people I meet, that they are spiritually moved by such events as a baby's smile, soul-moving music or even sometimes a great meal. Are these events spiritual? Sometimes, but not always.
When you're having a spiritual experience you know it. You really know it. It's not like an accumulation of facts in the head; it's a knowingness that vibrates throughout your entire being. I think all of us experience spirit at one time or another, but don't recognize it as such. It's essential to make a distinction between spiritual as an intellectual pursuit and spiritual as a blessed flash. The cerebral aspect we can talk, read and write about; the experiential part, we can only feel. It's as if I asked you to explain Beethoven's Fifth symphony. I would probably perceive a considerable amount of mental gymnastics and floundering scrutiny to describe it's beauty, its power, its inspiring motifs which always falls short of the felt image.
Judaism implores the continuous search for God in everything we do, to be intoxicated on the Divine, which brings about profound changes in people's makeup and mannerisms. It's not necessarily about being religious or observant. Let me relate an incident. In the course of my years of business travel, evenings were usually spent either with clients or searching out the Jewish scene in that particular city. In Nashville, one evening, I wandered into a synagogue just a short distance from my hotel. I saw no one, but heard a muffled sound of voices coming from behind heavy wooden doors. I stuck my head in and hands quickly gestured, "come on in". The Rabbi was learning a sugya (pearls of wisdom) from the Talmudic tractate, Hullin with his talmidim, and so I joined in for the evening.
About three weeks later I was in San Francisco when a phone message was waiting for me at my hotel. It was my sister-in-law's brother, who lives in Venice, California and was inviting me to come to Los Angeles for the weekend to spend Shabbat together. I returned the call an gladly accepted the offer. That Friday night in the synagogue, I was amazed to run into the rabbi from Nashville, once again, in Venice. Apparently this man, a revered chochem (scholar) was invited for the weekend to perform a marriage ceremony on Sunday. I told him how delighted I was to see him again, but needed to catch up with my host.
About a month later, I was in New York. I customarily spent Shabbat at Lincoln Square synagogue whenever I was in the city.  Who do you think was guest rabbi for the weekend? Yes, you guessed it, the rabbi from Nashville. Once more I approached him after services and reminded him of our recent encounters; this time I was at leisure and had time to chat for a while. What I immediately noticed was that his eyes, were not with me, they darted in all directions and through the crowd, searching for someone to notice him. With all his erudition, he wasn't in the moment, the spiritual space, he was in another world, one that demanded recognition; he missed the mark completely.

We can only know spirit from empirical knowledge. Many people, have these periodic exquisite moments. I led a discussion group, after a workshop, not too long ago, where the group shared their experiences; it was absolutely breathtaking as people recalled events and recognized them for their spiritual nature. I, too, had the chance to relate my own exceptional instances that occurred at times least expected--a closing service on Yom Kippur after a long day's fast, a third meal on Shabbat, an ecstatic Simchat Torah--as examples. It all depends on how we approach the moment. Experiencing spirit is inextricably linked to korbonnot, getting closer to God, and each encounter awakens us to another. It's a drunkenness on the Divine