Do you have a spiritual bent? Spirituality is good for you; a spiritual attitude to life, can smooth the day’s sharp edges. With a transcendent perspective, you may find it easier to go with the flow, without getting snagged by life’s thorns.
Spirituality, after all, is incorporeal; it’s detached from materiality. So if my world-view is abstract, focusing beyond concrete realities and details, those earthly concerns can’t really keep me down. If the ‘thorns’ don’t really matter, how much can they hurt?
But we need to recognize that, from this perspective, spirituality seems to transcend the limitations of fixed exercises, expectations or equations. Indeed, many spiritual people feel constricted by prescribed protocol and codes of conduct. It’s liberating to let the spirit soar above life’s ‘petty’ details.
By Torah standards, that attitude may be spiritual but it isn’t Holy. The Torah aims for Holiness, and it’s extremely detail-oriented. So I don’t want to only be spiritual; I want to be Holy.
In Torah thought, it’s imperative that our soul-yearning, our transcendental moments, be anchored and manifested in correct conduct. If my spiritual surge is simply that, but not anchored in anything concrete, then it’s just a beautiful flash in the pan. When it finds expression on the ground, in my life’s details, then it is Holiness.
If you truly love someone, you may feel compelled toward artistic expression of that feeling; you may feel the urge to transcend your natural constrictions and shout to the world. That’s beautiful. But the love also needs to find expression in the down-to-earth details of your relationship. If I write poetry for a loved one but carelessly forget to pick up the dry-cleaning, is the love anchored in reality? How true is it? How Holy?
Spirituality feels good. So, in a funny way, spirituality can be a selfish pursuit. But Holiness and selfishness don’t go together. If I’m feeling a transcendental feeling, that’s a wonderful beginning. But until I anchor that feeling in my responsibilities to an ‘other’ (and that ‘other’ might be G-d, my own weaker self, or you), it can’t be Holy.
So the next time you feel a surge of love for someone, think about how to express it – in [Holy] detail.
Mendy wrote...
Then the Torah proceeds to describe the physical structure in extreme detail. It seems incongruous.
The Torah is:
A. Trying to describe a place of extreme Holiness and spirituality.
B. Generally very terse in language, relying on oral tradition to convey details of history, rituals etc.
Yet, when reading this week's Torah portion, one is necessarily struck by the abundance of minutiae.Why would the Torah get so detailed in its description of the physical structure, leaving most of the spiritual dynamic to oral tradition?
Hence this week's Torah thought. When pursuing Holiness, we need to enjoy the warm embrace of spirituality, but also focus on the seemingly boring details. They're more important than they look.
A lesson for life.
Mendy wrote...
I think the analogy is correct.
When we're doing a good thing which we DON'T ENJOY, it's easy to recognize altruism. But if I have a personal benefit, I may find self-interest at the core of my action.
Similar to the analogy: If my child is struggling to find a job and I pull strings to land one for her, I need to ask myself what is truly in her best interest: Having a job or learning the lessons of struggle?
Then I need to ask myself what my true motivation was.
Was it my paternal instinct and empathy? Was it genuine concern for what she really needs?
An honest look may reveal that my assistance to her was actually easing MY pain, at her long-term expense.
We don't do what feels good. We do what we need to do; and we hope it feels good.
Rachel wrote...
marilyn sintes wrote...
Mendy wrote...
In the Torah, we're told of two very spiritual people - Moses' nephews - named Nadav and Avihu.
They made a big mistake, which the Torah describes as "bringing an alien fire" in the service of the Temple.
What is an "alien fire"? Commentaries explain that fire is a metaphor for love, an upward surge of the soul. And their love, the transcendence was "alien", off-target.
A healthy surge, transcendent feeling, is one that is ultimately downward bound. I'm aware that I am physically alive for a purpose, a Holy purpose. So I'm not bent on truly disengaging from the earthly reality. I am just connecting with my soul, my destiny, my G-d, so as to achieve strength and direction in my day.
I am not just hugging a loved one, I'm aware that this needs to translate into real care and sensitivity.
Nadav and Avihu had no need for the shallowness and pain of the human condition. They wanted to be transcendent so as to disengage; it was an upward surge with no wish to subsequently engage the physical world in a meaningful way.
Very spiritual men. But lacking Holiness in that way.
Rachel wrote...
Mendy wrote...
"Holy Transcendence is ultimately downward bound". Counter-intuitive but true to the point.
Your note brings to mind a related point:
The Rebbe's wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Muska, passed twenty years ago. 11 months after her passing, when the Rebbe finished saying kaddish, he spoke about a section of Jewish Law (Maimonides).
The Rebbe derived a spiritual lesson from this law. He basically said that a disembodied soul striving toward greater heights of tranquility, a soul looking for a more sublime connection with the Divine, can best find that elevation through - counter-intuitively - deepening its connection with loved ones left behind in the human condition.
It was as though the Rebbe was speaking to her, and saying: "Your instinct, now that you're free of the pain inherent to the human condition, will be to disengage from us. It doesn't work that way. You've lived a good life and had a very positive impact on the human condition. That's your ticket to greater connectedness with the Divine. The more connected you are to us, the greater heights your soul can achieve."
lkwz wrote...
Charlesunand wrote...
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