​As Published in The Jewish Advocate​ (Boston, MA)

Vol. 203 No. 43, October 26, 2012

Judaism is your essence

A Jew can find a lot in life to be passionate about, from art to sports to politics to mystery novels, to anything he/she finds compelling. With myriads of secular interests and opportunities available to today’s Jew, Jewish activities can take a far-back seat to our primary interests.

And why not? Being Jewish doesn’t restrict me to Judaism alone. I can be a Jew in my heart but be far more involved in football or even loftier pursuits. What’s wrong with that? It’s my choice. I’m not defined by Judaism;

I’m so much more. My artwork is my life. Deeper yet, my family is my life. These are compelling arguments and hard to refute, yet these arguments reflect arrogance and a lack of sensitivity toward one’s heritage, a heritage that should never be relegated to the back seat and should be the primary focus of the Jew’s life.

So what’s wrong with art, sports, politics, etc., for its own sake? Nothing. Yet, making Judaism the center of one’s life, in both spiritual and physical terms, can bring so much more meaning to life. Contrary to the argument that Judaism does not define you, Judaism is first and foremost your essence.

What do I mean by the Jew’s essence, and more specifically this essence being expressed as a priority above all else? The question’s only true answer is the personal experience only you can feel by participating in Jewish expression. No words adequately come close to describing this essence-filled feeling of Jewish connectedness, not just in one’s heart but in spirituality and in a ritualized, practical day to day Judaism. How do you accurately articulate the love you have for your spouse? There is no adequate definition. Here, too, words fail me. Before you is an attempt at an explanation, albeit an impossible task.

By no means am I suggesting that a Jew eliminate secular interests to the exclusion of studying Talmud all day. Yet, is there something within one’s interest that can incorporate Judaism? If you love a particular type of art, e.g., surrealism, impressionism, abstract, etc., can you come to appreciate Jewish art within the confines of your artistic interests?

Incorporation of Judaism into politics is an obvious (albeit poor) example. Can you vote for a candidate who upholds Jewish ideals? Yet again, politics and art in and of itself fail to capture an expression of Judaism’s essence. For example, I am a Wisconsinite and avid reader of The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. Before the 2012 elections, the Chronicle has highlighted Jewish pundits from four different political parties, each trying to persuade readers to vote a certain way based on Jewish values. Can they all be right? Politics is not a unification of Judaism, of one’s soul. “Do not place your trust in nobles, nor in mortal man who has not the ability to bring deliverance.” (Psalm 146).

Yet I admit to you a contradiction based on the meaning of life. Yes, I am going to divulge life’s meaning to you. Your task as a Jew is to bring G-dliness – or, if you feel uncomfortable with the word “G-d” – spirituality, Judaism, into every aspect of your physical life. Taking the physical object of coins earned by the sweat of your brow and donating it to the poor (tzedkah) is such an example. For rare individuals, art and politics can be an expression of Jewish essence.

As an illustration, there is a group of Jews known as Chassidim, and different groups within Chassidim itself. One such group is known as Lubavitchers, and at its head was – and even in his physical death continues to be – one of the greatest Jewish leaders of our time, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, simply known as the Rebbe.

The Rebbe’s depth of Jewish knowledge is arguably unmatched, yet within the Rebbe’s office were secular books. When asked why the Rebbe possessed secular books, he commented that it’s all Judaism. In other words, a Rebbe can infuse Judaism’s essence into art and politics, but for you and me this is not easily accomplished.

To further illustrate that one need not eliminate personal interests: If sports, artwork, politics, etc., refresh and energize you – in turn making you a better conduit to carry out Judaism – then said activities can be beneficial. Again, the activities are now not a means unto themselves but a springboard for higher expression.

Unlike art and politics, there are some interests that I personally cannot find how to relate to Judaism whatsoever. Take a person who is enamored by horror movies, for example. If you can think of how horror movies make you a better Jew, then you’re a step above me. I’m not suggesting a person need to stop watching them altogether but that same Jew can come to appreciate Jewish activities in addition to such films. And eventually, the more “Jewishly” involved one becomes, there will be less of an infatuation with horror movies.

That brings us to why involve oneself Jewishly to the exclusion of, or in higher priority to other activities. If I can’t appeal to you from a G-dly, spiritual connection, then maybe an explanation of heritage is in order. You and I are faced with two incontrovertible facts. One, our mothers are Jewish. Two, this truth inextricably links us to a heritage, an inheritance that’s more than 3,800 years old. I ask you, what’s more important: a 3,800-year-old priceless personal family heirloom or an appreciation of art and politics?

In his book, There is One (1989), Rabbi Gutman Locks, a Jerusalem mystic, asks us to consider the following: “Shall we fight to save the whales? Shall we give money to save the sea turtles? Shall we give time and energy to keep the endangered species among the living? Are these important enough to care about? Is it not all the more important for the Jew to survive? Every living Jew, no matter who, is already a survivor. A survivor of the Canaanites. A survivor of the Egyptians. A survivor of the Midianites and the Philistines, of the Amalekites and the Ammonites, the Moabites and the Edomites, of Romans and Arameans and the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Spanish, Goths, Franks, Portuguese, Russians, Poles, Prussians and Germans and Arabs . . . ”

I am personally close to a 70-year-old Jew who does not practice Judaism. He’s unaware when it’s Yom Kippur. He’s reluctant to step into a synagogue. Yet he admitted to me that he is willing to die for Judaism, his heritage. That’s admirable, but more importantly, when will he live for Judaism? When will all of us truly live for Judaism?

Joshua Becker is a freelance writer, Spanish teacher and paralegal. He lives with his wife and son in Wisconsin.