Towards an Authentic Jewish Spirituality

by 

Yoel Qeren

(reposted with permission from http://machonshilo.org/en/eng/component/content/article/34-featured/611-towards-an-authentic-jewish-spirituality)

What is Jewish spirituality? As with all Torah concepts, exile has clouded our ideas of what spirituality is and what purpose it serves. True spirituality is a personal experience of the ethereal universe and ultimately, of God Himself. In its highest form, Jewish spirituality is prophecy, and prophecy in its highest form will bring about the resurrection of the dead. Our sages tell us that this is the true goal of authentic Jewish spirituality. They called us "B'nei Nevi'im", the sons, or spiritual heirs of prophets. That is who we are meant to be.

Prophecy was once the driving force behind the nation of Israel, its leaders and its military. That was its purpose, to guide the nation according to the will of Hashem. Needless to say, we are a far cry from this lofty ideal today. However, it is our duty, as a nation reconstituted on its ancient homeland, to begin moving back toward this original spirituality, back toward the prophetic ideal.

To begin moving in this direction, we must take small steps. First and foremost is the study of Tanakh. This in and of itself is a great spiritual endeavor. Its pages are a window into the world of the prophets. We can see how they prayed, how they spoke, and the message they brought to Israel. From them we learn of the profound spiritual effects of music and that in addition to communal prayer, one must make time to speak directly to our Father in heaven. The importance of these concepts was recognized throughout history by such luminaries as R' Nahman of Breslov, who brilliantly expounded on the spiritual benefits of music and meditation, and taught his disciples to engage in free, unscripted conversation with God every day.

Next, we must immerse ourselves in the words of our sages, who imparted to us their knowledge of prophecy and its purpose. From them we learn that the prophetic experience exists on many levels. Our sages tell us that every dream is one sixtieth of prophecy. Stop and think about that for a moment. Something as mundane and routine as a dream is actually a small taste of the loftiest spiritual state attainable by man. Even though actual prophecy may seem out of our reach, we must know that it is always with us. And if we train ourselves to think, act and pray in a manner consistent with the way of the prophets, we may gain small glimpses, small flashes of light and clarity that can change us for the better.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly is the necessity of having a continual connection with the land of Israel. Prophecy is intimately connected with this land, and eretz Yisrael is the only aspect of Jewish spirituality that is tangible. The land itself is holy and unlike other aspects of qedusha, it can be touched, smelled, tasted. When you touch the land of Israel, you touch and experience holiness. The physical and spiritual planes are united here like nowhere else on earth. Yet they are united in a way that is simply and easily experienced.

Do not confuse this with the awe of creation that one might experience upon seeing a beautiful mountain or river. This is also a profound spiritual experience, but it can be found anywhere. The land of Israel is different. It is overflowing, not only with natural beauty, but also with an overpowering sense of history and purpose.

When one drinks from the same springs as prophets and kings, when one climbs to the caves his ancestors lived and even died in, he begins to feel a sense of continuity and connection with those who came before him. It is almost as if they are standing beside him. Their words come alive, echoing through the hills and valleys. The lines between past and present, between physical and spiritual, begin to blur.

It is at this point that a Jew begins to grasp who he truly is. He begins to understand his relationship with his maker and his people. He attains a clearer vision of his purpose in this world and where he should be headed. These are small yet vital steps toward the ultimate goal of restoring prophecy.

Immersion in Tanakh and Hazal, connecting with eretz Yisrael and engaging in honest, heartfelt prayer; this is the way of our fathers. It will do for us what no red string or swinging chicken can. This is authentic Jewish spirituality and like a fiery chariot, it waits to carry our nation to new heights.

Excerpts from "The First Tithe"  Israel Eldad

"Thirteen years have passed since the appearance of the first edition of the First Tithe.  The name and content of that book imply a second tithe; but there is none, not yet, at least not in any coherent way.  Most of my spiritual energy has been invested in twelve volumes of Sulam L'Malkhuth Yisrael (The Ladder towards a Sovereign Israel); which was established together with my friends, carriers of the soul of Lehi, carriers of the idea of complete Israeli liberation, of buttressing the concept of Jerusalem in the face of opposing concepts, in the face of empty concepts.

Unlike the years of the first tithe, these years have been without actual combat and without an official organization.  And while this is not a positive development, still, we do not wish to be numbered among those who believe that what we do is important rather than what we say.   We are descendants of a people who have at the beginning of their Bible and in the depths of their soul the declaration," And God said, let there be light and there was light," and we believe man was created in the image of God and we believe – we know – from the experience of man and Israel and this generation, the great strength of words spoken truthfully and their power to induce deeds; for only light itself was created by God out of nothing, while since then man carries the light and flame, the light of clear thought that clarifies; and the flame of a burning soul that ignites, the eternal flame.  The flame of necessity of bodies who want redemption will come even if it is delayed, even if it has fallen with us into the coastal plain and the valley.

On this side of the mountains, of the Mountain, in the middle of the journey, it has fallen into the material.  It may have fallen because of shortness of breath, or damned up soul, or weariness, or bounty - the body's satisfaction with its bounty, or the soul's satisfaction with what has been achieved so far – or perhaps because of the natural limitations of the achiever.  It has fallen under various and sundry kinds of inaction and non-fulfillment, of dropping of the initiative, and even of an honestly felt and easily adopted attitude towards the State of Israel.

This state is an achievement only if it is viewed as a stage, meaning as a bridgehead toward Malkhuth Yisrael, the Sovereign Kingdom of Israel, with all this entails in terms of strengthening its political position, especially in light of the hatred surrounding it and the dark treason and plotting within, even among former Fighters for the Freedom of Israel, and with all this implies for the importance of maintaining the spiritual tension that desires the great things which are to come, things necessary and beautiful, which means raising high the idea of Malkhuth.

We have come to the threshold of this Malkhuth for which we are destined.  That this is true can be seen in everything that surrounds us, from the confusion and continued desert and ruins in the geopolitical region waiting for Hebrew mastery, to our continuing social and spiritual oppression and servitude to both external and internal slavery – including the spiritual confusion within Israel on questions of Judah vs. Israel, Judaism vs. Israeli-ness, all of which are a sign that the process has come to a halt at its very beginning, a sign that the revolution is in its twilight and awaits renewal.  The Almighty is signaling – with lights and with shadows, with all the colors and in all the directions of the historical and political and ideal traffic lights – what must come next in the process of redemption, and without which what has already been attained will not last, and will become a modern version of Betar instead of a modern version of Modi'in.  And the fault lies not in the length of our arms, nor any inability, but in the fat that surrounds our heart and the fog in our brain. 

For today, our arms are not short, and great is the physical power in the hands of the Jewish people in Israel and in the Exile.  This was not the case in those days that are the subject of this book.  This is not the case of the Jewish people who were for the most part in cages and crematoria, slaughtered and shocked and shoveled  and burned, and only a few took their expansive souls in their little hands and set out to act, to begin the redeeming act.  And though the deed was great and holy, this book will tell of the constant gap between the idea and the song of the great Kingdom with their powerful desires and readiness, and the arms' inability to carry through, such that breath came up short and the soul turned asthmatic and the cannon, when it was forged, was given to those of little faith.

And so we have come this far, to the physical power of two million in this little parcel of land, who are equal in ability and science and organization to all the surrounding states, whoa are equal in meaning and purpose to ten million Jews in Exile.  In the land, we have the tremendous potential to manage our national and physical and spiritual powers in a wide expanse, yet we also see so many brains and hearts reduced to a lack of vision, or even an openly professed and exhibited anti-Vision of the type now expressed in what is called literature and art; a culture of content of which is abandon and which, in boredom and plenitude, mimics the wild and disturbed West which is actualizing the anthem of the East:  No god, no king, no heroes.

Therefore let this second edition of The First Tithe come not only to meet the need of a first edition that long ago sold out, but also to fill the need to return to the great days of desire and action and action –which-flows-from-desire.

The Lehi movement published more material than other movements in the 1940s, and its publications have even been collected in two large volumes.  This book does not purport to be the history of Lehi.  It is a personal memoir.  And if a baker may praise his own wares, let it be said that it speaks well of a book of this sort that after thirteen years, its author has nothing to change in its text,  excepting minor consequential corrections.  And though the words originally came close upon the organizational demise of Lehi, and though they came from the heart, a heat which is often burning and shaken, the author can sign off today on all the judgments and evaluations inside, which he judged the events, the movements and the people then and which – not this or that detail – are the stuff of this book.

From the perspective of thirteen years, from the permanency now attached to and the calm, for better or worse, attained regarding the past events, nothing stands out that obligates the author to say:  I erred in assessing it.  And the author is only able to take this view because he looks out from the Sulam, the Ladder.  As he is neither prophet nor son of a prophet, and is able to ascertain the end of things from the beginning, still he is able to see the beginning and what followed upon that beginning, the beginning of the ladder, the ladder towards which events moved, on which they climbed, even if they did not mount it; but all their value, and the means of judging them, is on this ladder, at the top of this ladder.  From this ladder the relative importance of what happened – and what may yet happen is judged, and this is done so that it may happen again on the coming rungs, and this is my wish for those who continue to climb the ladder."

-         Israel Eldad, 5723 (1963), Introduction to the Second Edition, The First Tithe.

To Vote or Not To Vote; Is that Really the Question

“By Not Voting, One is Voting for the Left.” That’s what all the big banners in the settlements state. Yet, to my mind, if one votes, no matter whom one votes for, one is also “Choosing the Left.” There is no qualitative difference between the so-called Left and Right of Israeli politics. Even “Katzaleh” will recommend to Peres that Netanyahu should be the Prime Minister. So a vote for the National Union, or any other party on the “right,” is a vote for Binyamin Netanyahu.

I don’t want to choose Netanyahu to be my leader. He isn’t any different from Sharon, Barak, Livni, or Yossi Sarid. He differs only in style. None of those leaders understood what it means to lead a Jewish nation. Frankly none of the candidates for Prime Minister, past or present want to be the leader of a Jewish nation. In fact, such a concept scares them, and is an anathema to their lives.

"Oh,” you’ll say, “We need to work with what has a real chance. We need to make the best of a ‘less than ideal’ situation.” Many people fear that a “left wing” politician will make political concessions that a “right wing” politician won’t. History proves otherwise. The reality might be that only a hawkish politician would have the clout to make real concessions. That’s what happened with stalwart “hawks” like Begin, Rabin, Netanyahu and Sharon. Netanyahu’s only saving grace might be that he is not considered hawkish enough to give away our national inheritance. He’s already used his clout when he gave away most of the hills surrounding Hebron. However, given his values, I’m sure he’ll find a way to “make a deal,” clout or no.

"Yes but, what about hishtdadlut?” the religious apologetic will intone. “Aren’t we obligated to make an effort in this world?” “Hishtadlut,” the battle cry of the religious movers and shakers seems to stop all other arguments in their tracks. For every red blooded Jew who dons a kipah or wears a skirt knows that we are obligated, actually religiously mandated, to make an effort in this world. “Act as if it all depends upon you, while recognizing that it is all in His hands.”

Yet, this true Torah concept, when not bandied about as a slogan, is the religious man’s pitfall. For true “hishtadlut” is only mandated when it is in consonance with the goal, and does not conflict with HaShem’s Will. Any effort that violates His Will, or even skews our achievement of the goal, would be, at best, misdirected energy - wasted seed. At worst, it would be akin to serving false idols.

The effort does not bring the goal. To suggest otherwise would be a blasphemy. We are required to strive, but the results are not a direct result of our efforts. We do not flip a switch, turn a dial and get the result that we seek. I can make every effort, strive with all my strength, and still not achieve the desired results if He does not Will it, even if the reality of the situation would suggest otherwise. At the same time, I can make minimal effort, or strive through non-corporeal means, and if He Wills, then the results will come. That is the essence of Faith. Our actions do have an effect, but their effect is in and on the Heavenly Court. Results, or more precisely the perceived results of our actions, are purely His domain.

Therefore, it is very important that my efforts are in consonance with Torah values. I need to conform my will to His Will. The more successful I am in doing so, the greater the chance will be that HaShem will bring about a realization of the goal.

And what is the goal, when we are talking about establishing political leadership?

As a Torah observant Jew, the goal is not a quasi-democratic judicial oligarchy that is ambiguous at best, and hostile at worst (more often than not), to Jewish values.

The goal is a realization of HaShem’s Will for His People as stated in the Torah. While it’s possible that the details of such a realization are open to form and function, it minimally consists of society that promotes its own realization as a Jewish Nation, and not merely a nation, whose majority is Jewish. The goal is a leadership whose decisions and legislation is consistent with Torah values, and certainly not antagonistic to those values. It is not a state of “all of her citizens,” unless of course, all of her citizens are Jewish.

So, in answer to the question, “Are you voting?” my answer is, “yes.” I’m voting for HaShem, for the realization of His Will. I am actively not participating in the State Israel’s national elections. Not out of despair, or lack of concern, but as a purposeful act of faith, and demand, of the Heavenly Court. May my efforts be a ballot cast in favor of true leadership who will redeem our People.