Samech Vov: 100 Years Later

— Samach-Vav Part 1 —

This year many people have been celebrating the 100^th anniversary (1905-2005) of Albert Einstein’s far-reaching theories in physics that have fundamentally altered the way we understand the universe.

Others are preparing to honor the 100^th birthday of the enigmatic Greta Garbo (1906-2006), considered by many to be the most mesmerizing presence ever to strike the big screen.

100 years ago – this week – another less known event took place, that perhaps had a more radical impact on the world than Einstein’s theories and even… Garbo’s influence.

Rosh Hashana 1905, in the Hebrew year 5666, a mystic and Rebbe of the highest order, began a fundamental treatise that would change the course of modern thought, though it has yet to be recognized as such due to limitations of language and access.

In Chassidic lingo this treatise is called “Hemshech Yom Tov Shel Rosh Hashana Tof Reish Samech Vov,” or more informally and intimately: plain “Samech Vov.” Samech vov is the number 66, short for the year 5666. Hemshech means a “continuation” or “sequence,” referring to the dissertation that began on Rosh Hashana 5666 and extended for 3 years, consisting of a total of 61 individual Maamorim (discourses), which were written and then publicly delivered by Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn (1860-1920), known by his acronym as the Rebbe RaSHaB, the fifth Chabad Rebbe, in direct line from Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.

Living in a time inundated by all types of “experts” and self proclaimed Kabbalists, it is important to tangentially note that Kabbala, as indicated by its name implies “to receive” – that it is wisdom and experience that is passed on and received from teacher to student, in an unbroken chain, generation after generation. This is vital to ensure that the integrity of the message is maintained and not compromised. As such the Rebbe Rashab is one of those rare individuals that has the lineage to support his ability to be a bona fide Kabbalist, mystic and Chassidic Rebbe. As mentioned, he is the fifth in a direct line going back to Rabbi Schneur Zalman, who himself is seventh in a direct line going back to the Maharal of Prague, who is a direct descendant of King David. Documentation exists that spells out the exact unbroken lineage! These are the people we want to receive from…

Samech Vov in particular is considered to be the most fundamental work ever composed laying out in comprehensive detail the dynamics of existence. It thoroughly dissects the anatomy of the cosmos and the psyche, and presents us with a psycho-spiritual blueprint on life. Yet because of its language (Hebrew) and foreign frame of reference, Samech Vov remains mostly obscure.

To commemorate the centennial of “samech vov”, this column will offer throughout the year ongoing renditions of some of the major themes addressed in Samech vov, with particular focus on its relevance to our lives today.

Bear in mind that Samech Vov is a complex and comprehensive discourse and to appreciate its depth it would help to define certain axiomatic principles.

To honor the opening of this fascinating magnum opus treatise, we will begin this week with the theme of the opening discourse — which fittingly to Rosh Hashana, the birthday of the universe, addresses the purpose of existence.

“Why are we here?” is the first and biggest question of all time.

This of course is based on the axiom that everything has a purpose. If this is true about every detail, surely it is so about existence as a whole.

But Samech Vov goes a step further: To understand why we are here we first have to define what “here” is.

The basic point of departure is that the essence of existence is non-conscious and intangible. Existence as we know it is merely an artificial, external dimension. But reality actually plays itself out in forces that lie beneath the surface. That inner dimension is where everything originates. In effect, all of existence can be seen as two-dimensional – comprising of a body and soul – an outside and an inside, an outer package containing a power within.

This vital principle is the springboard to understanding all of life: Existence originates within not without. All problems in existence and in life are a result of the dichotomy between the inner and the outer.

Now the question is: Why and how that inner reality manifests itself on the outer level, and finally: By what process do we integrate the inner and outer and experience them as one seamless whole?

These three basic issues concern Samech Vov. In sum the entire Samech Vov breaks down the anatomy of existence into three dimensions: The inner force of existence. The force that transcends existence. The force that transcends both existence and non-existence, which has the power to integrate existence with transcendence.

This week we will begin, as Samech Vov begins, with the “why?” Why are we here? What is the purpose of our tangible, material existence?

Samech Vov first cites the Etz Chaim (Arizal) which states that existence is in order to realize and “express the fullness of His faculties and abilities.” In the words of the Zohar, “in order that He be known.” The inner reality realizes its own potential by expressing itself on the outer level. Think of it as the unconscious manifesting itself on the conscious level, which reveals the fullness of the unconscious state. Had the unconscious remained in its own original state it would remain a latent force. Existence as we know it is the expression and realization of this internal force.

However the Rebbe Rashab explains that this cannot be the ultimate reason for conscious existence for two reasons:

1)     Divine potentiality contains within itself the virtues of actuality.

2)     Divine recognition and the realization of “His faculties” are much more keenly felt on higher levels of consciousness than on our material plane.

The mere fact that our existence is one in which we do not fully experience unconscious spirituality, and on the contrary, spirituality is shrouded in our universe, tells us that the ultimate purpose of our dark existence is not solely to realize and know the Divine, which is more readily achieved on higher planes.

The ultimate purpose of our existence, which can only be fulfilled in a corporeal world, is to transform the material level to be a “home” for the Divine.

Samech Vov goes on to explain that this purpose (the transformation of matter) is driven by a Divine “desire,” one that transcends logic; it touches the Essence itself, and goes far beyond the expression of Divine potential.

The question remains: What is truly achieved by transforming matter into spirit when it was all once spirit in the first place? In the language of Kabbalah: At first, before existence as we know it came into being, the Divine light/energy of the En-Sof (infinite) filled all of reality. Then came a great Tzimtzum that concealed the light and created “space” for existence to emerge. The purpose of our work is to draw down the light/energy into our “space” of existence. The question therefore is: What innovation is actually achieved by drawing down the light, when the light was there in the first place prior to the Tzimtzum?

The Rebbe Rashab, in his inimitable thoroughness, posits two answers:

1)     Before the Tzimtzum the Infinite light left no “space” for existence. Afterwards, once the “space” emerged, existence can begin to contain even the light that preceded the tzimtzum. Like a student who would initially be overwhelmed if his teacher would not conceal his brilliance; but once he does allow “space” for the student’s mind, the student can begin to contain the ideas of the teacher and slowly acclimate himself to comprehend even the brilliance that would have earlier flustered him.

2)     By transforming the material world into a home for the Divine, we draw down new unprecedented energy, “there will be a revelation of light that is greater than the light that was there before… And these lights are of the innermost aspect and essence of the Infinite Light, which are even higher than the light that filled the “space” before the tzimtzum.

Click here for a rough translation of the full text of this section in Samech Vov.

This may all sound very esoteric. However here are a few practical, far reaching and powerful applications based on this opening discourse.

Firstly, on a cosmic level, Samech Vov tells us that we are here to metamorphose our corner of the universe. Not only should we not fear materialism and existential loneliness, but we have the power and responsibility to transform the material world.

Furthermore, our actions change everything. We have the power to introduce new dimensions of energy that do not exist even on the unconscious pre-tzimtzum levels.

This is the ultimate potency of a mitzvah: By taking a narcissistic piece of matter and channeling it toward sublime goals – say, giving your money to charity – you fundamentally change the earth and heaven. Your act ripples through all the cosmos and generates new energy that did not exist ever before.

Secondly, on a personal psychological level, this opening Samech Vov discourse answers some of the most fundamental questions regarding the role of the human being and the nature of our ambitions. What is the ultimate purpose – and drive – behind human achievement? What should be our ultimate aspiration and the source of our greatest fulfillment?

Is your ultimate purpose self-actualization, the need to express yourself and be “recognized” by others, or is there something more to life?

This question has many implications. One example is in business: I remember reading in the Small Business Bible that business people often loathe investing and partnering with artists. Reason: Artists are fulfilled by expressing their creativity. They place most of their energy in the creation itself, and once they have released their energy and passion in their creations, they often don’t concern themselves or value the distribution of the product. This single-minded focus can undermine the business minded individuals focus that the product should reach the widest audiences possible.

This was a revelation for me. I always thought that creative people are the selfless ones – selflessly dedicated to creating a product of the highest quality, while business people are the selfish ones – greedily interested only in the sale and profit of the product.

The truth is quite the opposite. The creative artist is only concerned with his own personal expression. Even if only one person appreciates his work of art, he is satisfied. Whereas the businessperson is interested and invested that the product reach the widest possible audience.

We find a similar dilemma in personal relationships. There are people who love deeply. They know how to give and care for another in profound ways. Is this ultimate love? The answer is that this is one dimension of love. But true love goes a step, a quantitative giant step, further. Love is not merely an expression of your ability to give, but also includes the wisdom and sensitivity that your beloved can receive and contain your love.

[In Kabbalistic language: The root of the containers is higher than the root of the transmitted energy].

Samech Vov tells us that the ultimate nature of accomplishment is not just to give but to be received; not just to reveal but to transform; not just to be understood but to be contained; not just to shine but to serve.

We were sent to Earth not just to pass through, but to build a home. A home for your soul, a home for the Divine – a home where the Essence is revealed and completely comfortable.

How to build this home is the theme of Samech Vov — which we will address in the next installments of this series.

***

If you are interested in further, in-depth study of the fascinating Samech Vov discourse or in giving a course in this discourse, we have available resource and supporting materials. We are also in the process of creating a special website section that will offer translations, commentary, recorded classes and bibliographical support to honor Samech Vov’s centennial. Please contact us if you are want to receive this information or if would like to contribute to this resource pool.

The Dawn of the 21^st Century

You rule the pride of the sea; when its waves surge you calm them – Selichot prayer

Five years into the 21^st century and we are beginning to get a taste of a new world.

As the year winds down and we begin the supplication prayers (selichot) this Saturday night in preparation for Rosh Hashana, we feel windy tremors around us shaking one end of the globe to the other.

On the American side of the world, as New Orleans and Biloxi begin digging out of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, Texas and Louisiana are bracing themselves to face the fury of the new Hurricane (named) Rita. This following a devastating Tsunami last December in yet another part of the globe.

On the other side of the world – in the cradle of civilization, in lands with ancient roots saturated with spiritual history – Iraq is in turmoil, Israel is in crisis, Muslim fundamentalism threatens and the sinister unknown is the only thing we can rely on.

Back in the Western world, Middle Eastern agitation is being exported globally as it no longer is contained in boundaries. With the attack of September 11^th and then the recent assault on London, terrorism has now become an imminent global threat.

This is the snapshot of our world universe at the dawn of the 21^st century. Obviously, much more is happening in the world, with many very positive developments. But to understand our world and define future trends we must be aware of the earthshaking events that affect us all.

What will this new century bring? Are current events a foreboding sign of what lies ahead, G-d forbid?

The dawn of centuries tend to give us a glimpse of events to come. Eerily, at the turn of the 20^th century, Galveston, Texas was destroyed by a hurricane. The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 humbled and reminded people not to get haughty as a result of the advancements of the industrial revolution. Then of course came the Russian Revolution, World War I and World War II – major events that changed the entire world. Who could have imagined in 1905 what would be coming?

We too stand now at the turn of a century. By studying the forces that shape today’s events, we can anticipate and control our destinies instead of being a victim of circumstances.

Today we have two major advantages over the previous century: The power of retrospect, and the newfound knowledge that we have gained during the last 100 years.

We have witnessed, in tragic detail, the depths to which man can fall despite our cultural and political advances. Never in history – even in so called primitive times – had people shed so much blood as they did during the two World Wars. Never before had a “culturally progressive” nation utilized modern technology for methodical and brutal genocide, priding themselves in their efficiency.

The second and perhaps even more important lesson that we have learned in the past century – not a mere lesson, but a revolutionary revelation – is the convergence of matter and spirit. In medicine, physics and the other sciences we now understand the power of the invisible forces that shape and define all matter and all phenomena.

Though this knowledge of the seamlessness between matter and energy has not yet been fully integrated in our lives, especially in our personal lives, nevertheless it is slowly coming to the fore. Because yet another phenomenon of our times is the resurgence of religion as a potent force in modern life and even politics – a most dramatic and unforeseen development.

It is quite an irony that science today has completely embraced the counterintuitive “laws” of quantum mechanics and recognizes that the essential stuff of all existence is comprised of intangible subatomic particles, microscopic DNA and supra-nano cellular structures. And that we live in a dynamic universe, which is integrally connected by an underlying unity. Yet, when it comes to science itself, the debate rages on whether it should be integrated with our personal moral choices. The search for unity would seem to logically dictate that matter and energy are one not just in a laboratory or in a test tube, but also in our personal lives. Yet, the 19^th century immature debates between religion and science still haunt us today. Whether it is in the public display of the Ten Commandments, the role of G-d in government, the debate between evolution and intelligent design, we are still struggling with the integration of spirit in our lives.

I propose that this will be one of the great challenges of our new century: How to achieve a balanced life, with harmony between body and soul, and synthesis between our physical needs and our transcendental yearnings.

We will have to address the issue of science and enlightenment in context of the Divine. Can the scientific search for truth be complete without a G-d? Many moral issues will be raised with the new breakthroughs in science and technology. Can a person be content without some form of G-d in his/her life (whether it is called by that name or another)? Questions will abound about the very nature of the human being, sanctity of life, personal rights and privacy vs. the greater good, and many other related and unrelated topics.

Many waves are surging today. Waves of the Gulf of Mexico on one end of the spectrum, and perhaps even stronger swells of Muslim fundamentalism on the other. Waves of information flood us on the air and on the Internet. Scientific advancements are making their own waves, and so is the breakdown of the family and home life.

Due to modern communications waves travel today much faster than ever before, only amplifying their rippling effect.

All the events in our times – both positive and catastrophic – can be either ignored or serve as awakeners. As we approach the New Year we are behooved to pay heed to world events, as well as personal ones, and recognize the dissonance that is upsetting the balances of life.

The underlying principle of Torah is that all imbalances – natural or man-made – can be traced back to the imbalance between spirit and matter, between the sublime and the secular, between the sacred and the profane.

One thing for sure is that G-d is not “dead” (as predicted by many). The question is how we will make peace with G-d.

Something to think about as we enter these solemn days.

Google and Microsoft: Lessons from Your Desktop

Are we doomed to be battlers all our lives? What is the inherent nature of the universe – unity or discord? Are we victims of circumstances? These and other vital life issues are answered in one opening verse in this week’s Torah portion; indeed, two words in the verse change our entire perspective on life!

For more insight on this we don’t have to look any farther than our own desktop…

Is the world becoming less or more united? Converging technologies and economies would seem to inevitably bring us all closer. Yet, the opposite is happening. Practically every industry and segment of our society is becoming more entrenched. Racial divisions and religious passions are intensifying – defying all predictions and expectations of the shrinking boundaries of our global village.

If the wise and enlightened ones of previous centuries would see our society, they would never believe that the proliferation of knowledge, unprecedented in all of history, would actually amplify our diversity. They all imagined that the forward march of progress went hand in hand with the assimilation of extremes into one homogenous whole. The information revolution was meant to be the big equalizer. Instead, it is eliciting deeper extremes then ever – both to the left and to right.

This divergence, recently coined as segmentation, certainly has its virtues. It validates our inherent individuality and the unique nature of races and cultures.

Yet, there is also an ugly side to these divisions, as has been just made apparent by Hurricane Katrina. Beyond the direct devastation wreaked by the natural disaster, its aftermath has also exposed the very human disaster of the painful rifts of class and race in this country.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama put it this way last week: “I hope we realize that the people of New Orleans weren’t just abandoned during the hurricane. They were abandoned long ago—to murder and mayhem in the streets, to substandard schools, to dilapidated housing, to inadequate health care, to a pervasive sense of hopelessness.”

Without minimizing the sad dichotomy which has now resurfaced, demonstrating how  parts of the wealthiest nation in the world look like Third World countries, the fact is that the polarization of the wealthy and the impoverished is a global phenomenon. 1 billion people in the world are starving from hunger, while Western (and some Eastern) wastebaskets are brimming with over or underdone steaks. 64% of the population in prosperous countries are overweight (and around 33% obese), while in poorer countries millions of bellies are bloated or emaciated from hunger. Gandhi once said that

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”

Is there any hope? Can we ever expect to mend this split or will human greed always keep us apart? We must acknowledge the charity and compassion of our times. Great strides have been made in modern society’s sense of civil rights and social justice. Yet, we also can’t ignore the undeniable inequality that prevails. Will we always remain selfishly inclined?

A fascinating argument between two giants can ironically illuminate this issue. No, I’m not referring to the great sages Shammai and Hillel, but to non other than our contemporary mega-corporate technology titans, Microsoft and Google.

Perhaps less noticed than other more blatant news, Google and Microsoft are currently embroiled in a fundamental disagreement as to the vision of the future of human endeavor, which manifests itself in two different approaches to search engines.

Microsoft believes that the central point of personal computing is individual productivity. That’s why their desktop search limits itself to probing the user’s hard disk. Microsoft argues that mixing Web-search results with your own information is too confusing. Things go more efficiently, they contend, when your personal data pond is segregated from the ocean of information data located elsewhere in the world.

In contrast, Google Desktop searches bring results from everywhere – your hard drive, your e-mail and billions of Web sites. That’s because the Google mission is organizing and managing all the world’s information, without distinguishing where the information comes from. Though Google-ites acknowledge difficulties in merging the personal with the public, their core belief is that the essence of 21st-century computing springs from the connectivity that allows all human knowledge, from books to instant messages, to be potentially shared. This of course causes Google to increasingly run into issues of privacy, copyright and censorship.

Which vision will prevail?

Thousands of years ago, Isaiah the visionary declared that at the end of days:

“there no longer will be evil and destruction…because the universe will be filled with Divine knowledge as the water cover the sea.”

This statement may have been ignored or dismissed as esoteric poetry. Today, however, these words resonate more than ever.

Isaiah is confirming Google’s idealism that all knowledge will be connected and accessible to all. However with one major caveat: It must be infused with Divine knowledge, the knowledge must be transcendent in nature, lest we remain confined by our individual interests.

Though Google’s approach sounds more idealistic and less selfish (consistent with their famous IPO vow, “Don’t be evil”), I submit that as long as personal gain and commercial profit remain the driving engine of human growth, than both attitudes, even Google’s, are ultimately reinforcing the narcissistic force that separates us all.

Microsoft and Google are both right and both wrong. Success is fueled by individual initiative and productivity (as Microsoft claims). Knowledge is all connected (as Google argues). Both need to be fused; the ultimate goal is to merge individual productivity with universal knowledge, and vice versa. But that is only possible when knowledge itself is not seen as one’s selfish domain, but as part of Divine knowledge – to be shared and accessible by all.

The information revolution – and its brainchild, IT (information technology) – deceptively suggests that abundant information will make us free. The fact us that more often than not the glut of information is swamping and confusing us more than ever (just check out the ratio of spam to vital e-mail in your inbox). We now need experts, information traffic cops, to help us sort and make sense of all the information coming our way; information that makes other information relevant.

The key is not just knowledge, but Divine knowledge – knowledge that has purpose and direction, knowledge that helps us fulfill our higher calling.

The philosophy of the behemoth Microsoft essentially captures the heartbeat of all capitalism: Growth is driven by personal gain. The downside of this is that greed will inevitable create the economic rifts that divide one class from another, and the other schisms of society. Capitalism must have a soul to balance its inherent selfishness and resultant inequality (for a lengthy discussion on this, see the series on Money and Spirituality).

Google is definitely giving us a taste of universal knowledge at your fingertip. But we still have a way to go.

The answer to the question whether we are doomed to endless inequality (with sporadic bouts of compassion to relieve our consciences) really depends on how we see the nature of existence.

The Torah view of life is unequivocal, as stated in this week’s opening verse:

When you go out to wage war upon your enemies, G-d will deliver them in your hands.

The two operative phrases are “go out” and “upon,” seemingly superfluous terms. The Torah is telling us that “war” – all forms of it: physical, psychological, class struggle, racial – is not the natural state of affairs. You “go out” – outside of your inherent nature – to wage battle. And therefore you always remain “upon” – above and more powerful – than “your enemies.”

Self confidence and projection define most if not all life struggles. When you have peace in your inner core and you feel that any battle is “outside” of you, than you may fight your adversary, but you never become defined by it. Even as you wage war you always remain above it.

The innate nature of man is unity – we are all parts of one mosaic (whether we feel it or not). Discord, divisiveness and battles are part of life, but they don’t have to define life.

So as we read more and more about less and less (Oscar Wilde), and many people know the price of everything and the value of nothing (ibid), the wealthy become wealthier and the poor become poorer.

Time has come to introduce and integrate Divine knowledge into our lives. Spiritual consciousness is the only true antidote to the by-products of prosperity and comfort zones.

Days are coming, we are told, when there will “a famine in the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Divine words” (Amos 8:11).

This famine is upon us, but the good news is that abundant nourishment is readily available to all. The only thing required is the will to act and feed our souls.

Our hearts and pocketbooks must always go out to those in need. Today that includes the thousands of misplaced souls in the Gulf Coast, as well as people in dire straits wherever they may be.

But above all, this must not be a commitment for the moment, but a lifetime activity. We are compassionate not because there are people in need; but because we are soulful people — and the soul dictates that we are all integrally bound. Pain in one part of the world does not allow any other part to be complete.

May we always remember this even when there is no apparent crisis.

What We Know and What We Don’t

Dear Rabbi Jacobson,

I have heard some people suggesting that there is link between the recent Israeli evacuation from Gaza with the catastrophic devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast. Citing Biblical statements they are claiming that throughout history nations of the world have been punished for hurting the Jewish people. Since the United States pressured Israel to disengage from Gaza, which is against the will of G-d according to this theory, this country was punished, tit for tat, with the worst natural disaster in the USA that forced the evacuation of millions of people from Southern United States, and continues to be plagued by inept rescue efforts, rendering this mighty nation as helpless as a third world country.

Some are even comparing the recent order to forcibly evacuate the 10,000 remaining residents in New Orleans with the forcible evacuation of approximately the same number of Jewish residents in Gaza.

Here are some links where these issues are discussed.

Messiah Truth Forum

Eight Major “Acts Of God” That Coincided With The Timing of US Pressure On Isr

US pressure Israel, storms

Sultan Knish – Hand of G-d, Flood

Mind you, not all are arguing that this correlation needs to publicized or discussed. Rather they see it as unspeakable concern among the faithful.

I would like to have your opinion on this matter.

Thank you,

[signed]

Dear,

While it’s true that Torah way of thinking see the entire universe as one integral whole and that our actions in one place of the world affects events in another, great care must be taken before drawing any direct parallels between events, especially catastrophes that have taken the lives of many innocent people.

None of us know G-d’s mysterious ways and it is therefore quite presumptuous, if not outright arrogant, to definitively state that any particular catastrophe is a result of any given act, either on or off location.

If we were to take such license, just where do you stop? What about the six million who perished in the Holocaust – is that too a direct result or punishment of some human action?

What would prevent us from “finger pointing” every time a disaster happened, looking to lay blame on sinning scapegoats?

Whether it be a “natural” disaster or one perpetrated by men, the Torah advocates that we cry out to G-d when innocent people die. The entire basis of prayer essentially is stating that we pray for healing the sick and the dying, and do not attempt to “justify” their suffering by attributing it to their or someone else’s sins. If we were to correlate every illness to a direct punishment, we then should not have the right to pray for anyone and try to change the course Divinely destined upon the ill.

You may then ask the question: Isn’t every event in the world controlled by Divine Providence, even a leaf blowing in the wind, definitely a major hurricane that killed and misplaced so many people? And isn’t it true that the concept of Divine reward and punishment is a form of cause and effect (totally unlike the superficial and circumstantial nature of human reward and punishment)? Just as a hand gets burned when placed in fire, so too do our actions bring upon us various consequences.

And what about the words of Maimonides:

“When a calamity strikes the public we must see it as a result of our evil actions. We must cry out, examine our lives and correct our ways. To say that the calamity is merely a natural phenomenon and a chance occurrence is insensitive and cruel (Laws of Fasting 1:2-3)?

Doesn’t it then make sense to conclude that a tragedy like Hurricane Katrina is an effect of our own actions? Why then can’t we say that the Gulf coast disaster was caused by Israel’s disengagement from Gaza?

The answer, my friend, lies in the very words of Maimonides. Maimonides does not say that a calamity should elicit a “witch hunt” to find the wicked culprits that brought the tragedy upon us. He says the exact opposite: Every individual that witnessed, experienced or heard about a calamity must not ignore it, but see it as a personal wake up call for introspection, to “examine our lives and correct our ways.”

So, yes, Hurricane Katrina should not be seen merely as “a natural phenomenon and a chance occurrence;” that would be “insensitive and cruel.” It should serve as a wake up call – to wake ourselves up, not for us to wake up others and clamor for a scapegoat to blame. That would defeat the entire purpose: Instead of focusing on our personal behavior we deflect the entire experience as someone’s else’s problem and caused by another’s sins. That’s the easy way out: Hey, it’s not my problem; it was caused by the Israelis and the American government.

Maimonides is telling us, no! It is your problem. When a calamity strikes, you have to look into your own heart, examine your own behavior and repair your ways. Is there a more sensitive thing we can do for the suffering? The greatest honor we can bestow on those that have tragically died or been misplaced is to become better people because of them…

In conclusion: The Gulf Coast disaster should cause us to privately and discreetly look at our own lives and improve our ways. But it should not become a mud slinging contest looking for whom to blame.

There are things we know and there are things we don’t know. There are events that the Torah specifically tells us happened because of human sins, like the great flood in the times of Noah, or great fire that destroyed the city of Sodom. The Torah has the authority to tell us that. But in all other situations, where we do not have a Divine authority informing us otherwise, we simply do not have enough information or insight to determine the exact cause for any given catastrophe.

And that lack of knowledge should not be seen as a liability. Our sages teach that we are not given a challenge that we cannot face. What we know – and what we don’t know – is exactly what we need in order to fulfill our mission in life. The fact that we do not know the correlation of different events in life means that we don’t need to know that information to achieve our calling.

Hurricane Katrina, perhaps the greatest natural disaster in modern American history, should definitely make us think. I for one cannot say that events in the Gulf Coast are not related to events in the Gaza coast or for that matter anywhere else in the world. But we surely cannot say that it is definitely connected.

What we do need to know is that we must always feel responsible and see that our actions affect the world around us.

“A person must see himself and the world as equally balanced on two ends of the scale; by doing one good deed, he tips the scale and brings for himself and the entire world redemption and salvation” (Maimonides, Laws of Repentance, 3:4). A person is responsible to say that the entire world was created for me; when you save a life you save the universe” (Mishne Sanhedrin 37a).

When a calamity strikes, especially one that affects large numbers of people, we need to know that we must look into our selves and become better people.

Beyond that is G-d’s domain.

See that I am endowing upon you today both a blessing and a curse

 – Opening of this week’s Torah portion (Deuteronomy 11:26)

The boundary has been breached yet again: First the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean last December; now Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Death and devastation were left in the wake of the killer winds. But even worse is the damage done by the secondary effects of the hurricane: The flooding waters breaking through the levees in New Orleans.

Its heart wrenching to see the images of dead bodies, homeless men and women, homes destroyed, the sick in dire need of medical attention – the sheer misery of so many people uprooted.

We have to feel humble. Despite all our technological advancements, we are quite vulnerable to the forces of nature. One deadly blow dealt by a hurricane has changed millions of lives forever.

Like all tragedies this one is bringing out the best and the worst in people, both the blessing and the curse: Remarkable acts of heroism and generous philanthropy on the beautiful side; looting and pillaging on the ugly side.

As it was after the Tsunami, the outpouring of charity and humanitarian aid demonstrates an unprecedented benevolence – unlike anything ever seen in history. Over thousands of years nations have exploited each other, especially in vulnerable times. Today however we find a powerful surge of decency. What has changed?

Yet, we cannot ignore the exposure of many people’s most base elements as they revert to primitive predators when left to their own devices.

Why is it that disorder – the breakdown of conventional structures – causes some of us to shine and others to stink? Is it due to nature, poverty, education, lack thereof or some other factors?

How would you behave with no fear of law enforcement? Would you become a devil or a saint? Would you choose the path of “blessing” or that of “curse”?

These and many other questions come to mind as we choose to look at a major catastrophe of our times. As Maimonides exhorts us:

“When a calamity strikes the public we must cry out, examine our lives and correct our ways. To say that the calamity is merely a natural phenomenon and a chance occurrence is insensitive and cruel”

(Laws of Fasting 1:2-3).

And of course, the big question is about G-d. Why does He give us “both a blessing and a curse” in the first place? The answer, if we can call it an answer, lies in one word in the opening of this week’s Torah chapter: “See that I am endowing upon you today both a blessing and a curse.” The fascinating word used here is “endowing” – as if it’s a “gift” (“noson” in the original Hebrew is the root of “matonoh” (gift). As the Talmud states “All who give, always give with a good eye”). To endow a gift of blessing makes sense, but what does it mean to “endow” us with the “gift” of curse?!

The greatest gift of all is clarity. In an imperfect word like ours it is not realistic to expect that we will only have perfect moments. Life is filled with challenges. Difficult moments come our way as much, if not more than beautiful experiences. The real challenge if life is not to avoid or ignore the harder times, but to know what to do with them. We are endowed with this gift of clarity: to know how to deal with any given situation – whether it be a “blessed” one or a “cursed” one. To be aware of the path not to take is as great a gift as knowing which path to take.

Why life has “curses” – whether they are “natural” disasters or man-made ones – is the great question of the ages. After all the answers that have been offered, sacred silence is the ultimate answer: For the suffering person, no explanation in the universe or beyond, will ever justify or explain trauma. A rational mind cannot speak to a bleeding heart. Academic discussions do not touch the crying soul. The mind is simply too limited.

However, what is equally true is that we have been endowed with all the necessary resources and faculties to face any challenge that comes our way, both the path of “blessing” and the path of “curse.” We may not know why tragedy strikes, but we can know what do about it.

There’s much to say. But also very little to say. We are taught that we are all creatures of one G-d and all part of one grand design. The tragedy of one person is a tragedy for the entire human race. How much more so a collective tragedy that has affected millions of people.

We therefore console each other by expressing our feelings, validating our questions and sharing our experiences. The human experience – whether it be in pain or in joy – is sacred, and our natural reactions – whether it be outrage or resolution – is Divine.

I cannot claim success, but one primary objective of my writing these lines week after week, is to give credence to the human experience of loss and gain. To respect the dignity – yes, that’s the word – dignity. Human dignity, the most Divine of features (malchut in the mystical structure), has been greatly compromised in our times. One of the greatest achievements is to lift people’s spirits and celebrate human dignity.

Amidst the devastation on the Gulf Coast, ultimately the saddest sight to witness is people stooping to bestial behavior, betraying their own dignity and that of others. And the most empowering experience is seeing human dignity honored.

Yes, we always have two paths before us: Blessing and curse. Knowing that is a great gift. How we will choose is up to us.

***

In the spirit of communication, I have written about the effects and lessons we can glean from natural disasters. Instead of plagiarizing and repeating these ideas here, here are the links to the articles: One was about Hurricane Frances last September – Interview with Frances. And another about the December Tsunami and its after effects, A Changed Landscape.

When land is devastated by flooding waters (resulting from a hurricane or a tsunami) one fundamental issue that comes to mind is that of boundaries: The breakdown of the inherent boundary between land and water.

In the Tsunami article I cited at length the psycho-spiritual meaning of the boundary between land and water – the boundary between the conscious and the unconscious, between matter and spirit. This border is necessary for sanity and for individuality. Yet, the ultimate goal is to bridge and integrate both universes, in ways that one does not annihilate the other.

However, in an unbalanced world these boundaries get confused, and occasionally intrude in destructive ways.

Boundaries are one of the challenges of our times. Whether physical, psychological or emotional, boundaries of all sorts have become highly ambiguous today. The same is with the boundaries between our spiritual and material lives, between Church and State, between personal and marketplace ethics and in personal, communal and international relationships – we find it difficult do define where one standard begins and another ends.

In Israel, where everything is amplified, boundaries are a very real issue, and therefore the inevitable so called “occupations” and “evacuations.”

Perhaps that’s why the Torah places much emphasis on “gvulei haaretz” (land boundaries), and all other parameters of life: To ensure a fully integrated life we must respect the boundaries of our diversity.

A fascinating phenomenon today is the fact that as technologies converge communities diverge. It was presumed, as logic would seem to dictate, that as the world became increasingly global (economically and technologically), the borders would thaw between societies, cultures, communities and nationalities. Instead, the exact opposite is happening. Segmentation is intensifying. Why? Because diversity is healthy and inherent. Thus, the globalization of knowledge is empowering individuals and strengthening the uniqueness of communities.

Hurricane Katrina has demonstrated with devastating results the breakdown of the boundary between water and land. As a result the once thriving New Orleans is now mostly submerged in water. (True, the city was built upon below sea level swampland, but in our own self aggrandizing confidence we thought we, the people of land, had conquered the waters).

Physics today understands that we live in an interactive universe. We, humans, are not objective observers of the world in which we live. We affect and are affected by the events around us. It’s as if the atomic particles can sense us. The observer actually changes his/her environment.

This is not to be understood in a simplistic, linear fashion. Rather, we have a complex symbiotic relationship with the universe. Whether we feel it or not, natural phenomena – like hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes – impact and are impacted by us far more than we can ever imagine.

What would the world be like if there were no hurricanes and floods? The tragedy is not the actual storm, but the havoc it wreaks when man stands in its path. Hurricanes and earthquakes at sea, for instance, hurt no one, and are actually a very healthy component of our ecosystem.

Science explains that hurricanes are a necessary part of the atmospheric circulation system, which moves heat from the equatorial region toward the higher latitudes. They may bring much-needed precipitation to otherwise dry regions. An appreciable percentage of Japan’s rainfall is due to typhoons, for instance.

Mystics explain that the winds and rains are part of maintaining cosmic balance. In a fragmented world, one not consciously in touch with its source or mission, gusts blow in winds of change and precipitation moisten our arid lives.

The imbalance “gets out of control” – as in the “breakage of vessels” in the mystical world of Tohu (if you have no idea what that means, read the Tsunami article) – when a hurricane or another powerful event strikes land and inflicts devastating damage.

So, as our hearts go out to the dead and the suffering, the survivors and the displaced, let us remember to keep sacred the boundaries in our own lives.

Let us remember that we always have two paths before us: Blessing and curse. And that we have the power to choose.

Athens Yesterday and Today

Sports consume people. I should know. When I hosted a weekly radio show several years ago, the show was often bumped in honor of a hockey game? Why was the hockey game never bumped because of my show? Hmm. The show was finally terminated because the radio station was bought by… ESPN, and I wasn’t ready to do sports talk (ha ha).

It’s only a game but it arouses more passion than many real life experiences. Ever witness – or participate in – a sports debate, that can go on endlessly, and sometimes reach a peak that can border on violence? Not to mention the hour-long sports talk shows, and the video games that simulate… simulation, the imaginary world of sports! How much money is spent on sports, including gambling on games?

What is it about the sport that has such a hold on us? And if you didn’t notice, you never hear anyone say “sports fanatic” and “religious fan,” though “fan” is short for fanatic.

Sports mania gets only more absurd when you witness how our society has come to worship superstar athletes, simply for their physical prowess – even as sports culture is inundated with drug and other forms of abuse and turns out an O.J. Simpson or Mike Tyson.

Harsher critics argue that sports mania demonstrates the superficiality of people, who replace real life with an escape into illusion. Instead of facing life’s true battles and all its consequences, we live vicariously through sports figures and root for teams playing imaginary battles, with no real consequences.

Others contend that sports are actually a microcosm of life. Spectators see their own lives play themselves out in games: the battle between adversaries, the struggle of two skilled opponents challenged to achieve excellence. People need someone to root for.

On a more innocent note, some see sports as art. The excellence exhibited by athletes as they push the limits serves as models of human potential: How much a person can achieve.

Finally, some feel that sports are merely another form of entertainment, with the added benefit of having the power of lifting people’s spirits. Which is why baseball wasn’t suspended during World War II.

The truth, I guess, is all the above.

But with the Olympics upon us, tracing the roots of modern sports can perhaps illuminate some of the deeper psychological implications of our obsession with sports.

A few Olympics back (in 2004) the New York Times Magazine published a powerful article by Daniel Mendelsohn (What Olympic Ideal?), in which he vividly exposes the myth of linking modern life with the pagan culture of ancient Greece; how life today is distinctly different than the hedonism of the original Olympics in ancient Greece, and therefore, how ludicrous it is to associate Greek history with contemporary culture.

He writes that the ancient Greeks invented the savage, win-at-any-cost athlete, which lies at the heart of the “very engine of the Games: the idea of competition itself.”

“Strangers to Biblical notions of selflessness and neighbor-loving, the Greeks experienced their quadrennial festivals of raw and often vicious competitiveness utterly free of the vague sense of guilt that we feel today when it comes to expressing the primitive desire to utterly crush an opponent… Everything about the ancient Olympics was darker, rougher, more brutal than its modern counterpart — no matter how much more competitive the modern Games have become since their inception, in 1896, as a tribute to the spirit of gentlemanly amateurism. Ancient Games had their origins as somber celebrations of death.”

Mendelsohn goes on to document how the ancient Olympics had their cultic origins either in “commemorations of the deaths of mythic mortals or monsters.” Death, he explains, was a major force in the Greek Games. Though this obsession with death may seem extreme, it was “entirely in keeping with the Greek ethos… The Greeks, for the most part, had no heaven; with some notable exceptions, good and bad all went to the same gray, characterless, drizzly underworld after death, and that was that. In the absence of a post-mortem reward for moral goodness, the one thing you could strive for was immortal fame — doing something so glorious that men would talk of you in years, centuries, millenniums to come… [this was] the motivation for ordinary, real-life inhabitants of the Greek city-states, for whom there was no conceivable earthly achievement higher than an Olympic victory.”

Today the Olympic committee prefers to “celebrate humanity.” But the truth is, the author continues, that “the Greek athlete wanted only to be celebrated himself; it was his one ticket to immortality. It is difficult for us today to conceive of the extent to which a ferocious competitiveness fueled so much of Greek culture, virtually no aspect of which was not somehow organized into a competition; for the inhabitants of a city-state like Athens, civic life was an endless stream of athletic contests, poetry contests, drama contests, beauty contests. For the Greeks, whatever was worth doing was worth competing for — and winning at.”

Mendelsohn concludes that “this all-consuming egotism at the heart of the Greek motivation sits ill at ease with the notion that you must love your neighbor as yourself. But then, the attempt to graft the modern Olympics onto the ancient ones was awkward from the start.” The “spirit of friendship” and “honor” celebrated in the Games “are wholly foreign to the Greek way of thinking, which actually has more in common with the relentless egotism, nationalism, promotion and self-promotion of athletes we associate with professional sports than with any fantasy of the noble Greek spirit.

“A lot of the sentimentality of the modern Olympics — the relentless emphasis on human-interest drama, the uncomfortable efforts to maintain the thin pretense that politics are absent, the ceaseless rhetoric of pure athleticism, even after the all-amateur rules were abandoned — looks, if anything, like the uncomfortable byproduct of our compensatory desire to graft Judeo-Christian values onto the irreducible, very ancient and very ugly business of competitiveness.

“Victory or death. This, in the end, is the grimly pure ethos of the contest… Death was the origin of the ancient athletic contests, and the all-or-nothing logic of death hovered over the ancient Games, where there were no illusions about what victory meant, or could often cost. But the kinds of truth about which the pagan Greeks — who lived in intimate, unsentimental and regular contact with death, violence and warfare — had no illusions are precisely those that we like to play down or bury under sentimental and infantilizing trappings: adorable bears, cutesy eagles, rag-doll gods and goddesses. Every four years we all like to indulge in the sentimental fantasy that we’re communing with the pure and noble spirit of the classical Greek past. But purity comes at a price, and that price is the truth: what is victory, and what is defeat? There is, you suspect, no friendly side of a tiger; nor, really, of an athlete engaged in a test of physical prowess. That’s the truth of competition, at least as far as the Greeks saw it; but then, who wants Death as a mascot?”

It’s quite fascinating to see a New York Times article take up the Biblical cause.

Mendelsohn’s thesis is excellent. Indeed, some have pointed out that the Olympics are a form of idolatry, associated with pagan gods of the Greeks. Perhaps that is the question that needs to be asked to the organizers of modern day Olympics: Why the need to associate with the paganism that modern society – and the spirit of the Games – has rejected?

To take it a step farther, I would add that people – the Greeks of old, as well as members of contemporary society – have always struggled and continue to struggle with the two extremes: To live a life of the moment – of immediate glory and instant gratification, a life of selfish victory, or to live a life in search of spiritual eternity, in search of heaven, and thus the need to love your neighbor as yourself. Will it be life of the body of a life of the soul, a life of hedonism or one of sanctity?

The pagan Greeks, with their superstitions and mythologies, leaned toward the former. With the evolution of religious belief and the rejection of many elements of ancient paganism, much of the Western world has embraced the latter, spiritual standard. In one sense history has progressed: The secular world has become a more refined place, assimilating spiritual values into its fabric.

Yet, the struggle continues. And sports are a perfect manifestation of this struggle. There is nothing wrong per se with athletes demonstrating their skills, competing with each other to achieve excellence. Indeed, witnessing an exceptional athlete is both beautiful and a source of inspiration.

But the question is this: Do we get obsessed with sports to the point where it replaces real life? Do we regress to the all-consuming, self-worshipping egotism of ancient Greece, or do we see sports in context, as another demonstration of human artistry and achievement – an expression of the beauty that can be generated by a human being created in the Divine image?

I’ll never forget the words of slugger Mark McGuire after September 11^th.  Because of the tragedy, baseball was suspended for several days, and he was asked when “will get back to real life and resume playing baseball?” He replied: “That’s our problem. We think that a baseball game is ‘real life’ It’s only a game, with no life and death consequences, and for that matter, no consequences at all. Real life is what happened on 9/11…”

But living in a TV/Hollywood society we compare 9/11 to our media images. How many people witnessing 9/11 footage exclaimed, “Just like a movie…”

It’s time to wake up and see beyond our matrix. Time has come to finally reject entirely the pagan elements (or vestiges thereof) that still pervade our society.

So next time you watch a game, next time you marvel at the extent to which a human being can reach, think about reality and illusion. Think about the moment and eternity.

Do you choose a life of “victory or death” or one of “victory and life”?

You and I have that choice.

Can you be religious and not spiritual? Can you be spiritual and not religious?

Clearly many people feel that the two are not synonymous. As beared out by recent public polls in the United States, which insist that there is a discrepancy between being spiritual and religious. Many more people categorize themselves as spiritual than those that see themselves as religious.

The obvious difference is due to the popular view that religion is about ritual, which does not necessitate one to be spiritual; “ritual” without the “spi” preceding it. A person can be fiercely committed to performing religious rituals to the tee, without feeling any inner spirituality.

Conversely, many people feel that they can aspire to spirituality – defined by an ethereal, transcendent experience – without having to perform any rituals at all.

By no means does this suggest that the two, spirituality and religion, are mutually exclusive. Many people clearly see themselves as both spiritual and religious. However there still remains a strong enough dichotomy between religiosity and spirituality to get our attention.

Is this split a true one? Undoubtedly, based on the contemporary understanding of the meaning of religion and spirituality. If indeed religion is driven by ceremony and ritual, then it need not be spiritual to thrive. All you need are committed individuals dedicated to following – and educating their children to live by – the strictures of their particular religious discipline.

As a matter of fact, there are quite a number of people who practice religion – in dress and in behavior – and they will be the first to insist that they are anything but spiritual. They can even be highly materialistic. Some would add that the discipline of religious behavior (even with no spiritual feeling) is necessary to counter the narcissism of material life.

On the other end of the spectrum, if spirituality is indeed the gravitation toward transcendence, why would one need to have rituals associated with this yearning? Indeed, many free spirits actually shun the shackles of any strict form of ritual.

This may also explain a bizarre phenomenon, which we shall call “religious atheism” and its diametric opposite, “atheistic faith.” There are people who are religious by rote. They were brought up in a religious discipline, but they either don’t think about it too much, or (when push comes to shove) they don’t believe what they practice. I even know a number of so-called religious people who actually despise their own tradition. They mindlessly follow it, out of guilt, programming, fear or plain conformity, but if they had it their way they would have chosen not to be born into it. They therefore are utterly baffled by individuals who choose the religious path. As one fellow incredulously asked a secular friend of mine who turned observant later in life: “Why?!” “You were living the life of a free person, free of religious commitments and obligations, why in heavens name would you choose to constrain your life by taking on religious commitments?”

Then there are those individuals, at the other end of the scale, that are deeply spiritual. Sensitive and introspective; refined people who are committed to work on improving their personalities and relationships. Yet they do not consider themselves to be religious or believers. Some call themselves agnostics or atheists.

What are we to make of this inverted reality? No wonder so many of us remain skeptical about religion and some even treat it with disdain. No surprise that extremism spouts from both ends of the aisle: Religious radicals decrying the profanity of the faithless; and fanatical secularism mocking the faithful. Take the words of Nobel Laureate Herbert A. Hauptman, who unabashedly declared that belief in G-d is not only incompatible with good science, but “ is damaging to the well-being of the human race”!… Richard Dawkins called religion a “disease.”

The conclusion we can draw from the religious/spiritual incongruity is that perhaps we need to revisit our entire definition of the words “religious” and “spiritual.” Furthermore, as we shall see, these words may be ill conceived in the first place.

No where in the Torah, for instance, do you have references to the word “religion” or for that matter “spirituality.” The Torah speaks in matter of fact terms that G-d created heaven and earth, shaped the human being in the Divine Image and charged man and woman with the mission to “serve and protect,” to refine and elevate the universe through a comprehensive system of guidelines (mitzvot). There is no commandment “be religious” or “be spiritual.” Expressions like “sanctify yourself” and “be holy” abound. “Stand in awe,” “be aware,” “know,” “act,” “love,”  “emulate the Divine” these are the principles that the Torah is comprised of.

Why? Because the core issue really comes down to one critical question: What is the true, inherent nature of the human being? What is the meaning of a soul?

If each of us is, as the Bible contends, created in the Divine Image, then any word, “religious” or even “spiritual,” is a distorted adjective. Divine Image is not an adjective but a noun; not what you do but what you are. Your state of being. Being spiritual and religious is part and parcel – and actually the essence – of being human.

Which is why I was always repulsed by the word “religious.” It always smacked of some unnatural prop that is added to being human. There are normal people and there are “religious” people. If I can be human without religion, why do I need religion?

The religious person – religious as an adjective – is an unacceptable oxymoron. If it is a superimposed adjective, describing a certain type of individual, like saying a “happy person” or “yellow apple,” then who needs and why should we be in the least interested in an unnatural, appendage that just places demands on us, as in “G-d commanding us” to do this and not do that. At best, the choice remains optional.

However, if our natural, inherent state is Divine – the Divine Image – then being religious or spiritual is not really a choice, just like being human is not a choice. Yes, we have the choice to act human or not, but that choice is basically whether we choose to be ourselves or defy our own nature.

What then are we to do with words like “religion” and “spirituality?” These words – like all descriptive words (including “secular,” “non-religious,” “scientific”) – are superimposed adjectives that describe a type of person, a choice, an option.

And therein lies its undoing. When selecting a school, a career or a place to vacation – non-inherent human experiences, or choosing from man-made menus, then we have many different adjectives and options to choose from. Being surrounded and inundated by so many such options, we unfortunately apply the same attitude to the spiritual/religious realm.

However the religious/spiritual journey is not an artificial add-on. It is the search for truth – for reality. And reality is not a superimposed state. Being real is not an action but a state of being; not an adjective but a noun.

So though there are numbers of people whose religion is superimposed series of rituals (hence, their puzzlement of someone embracing rituals they did not grow up with), their behavior in no way accurately depicts the spiritual/religious experience.

Equally, the rejection of religion by many progressive thinkers was due to their perception that religion and G-d are superimposed states. As our good friend Marx wrote:

“The more man puts into G-d, the less he retains within himself.”

He sees religion and G-d as outside forces, alien to mans’ individual sense of self. Or in the cynical exchange of another Jewish luminary (Woody Allen): A freethinking skeptic dismissingly asks her devout grandfather, “Grandpa, if you had to choose between G-d and the truth, which would you pick?” Without missing a beat the grandfather answers: “G-d”…

Time to return not to religion, not to spirituality, but to reality – one that has not been hijacked by so called religious people or discarded by so called non-religious people. Spirituality is not a ride on the cloud and religion is not a religious act – both are an expression of our inherent state of being.

The Torah is not talking about some superimposed search, as in, “oh, let’s do a little bible reading today.” It’s about the quintessential search for you own true self. The mitzvot are not rituals, as in mechanical disciplines, but profound instruments meant to help you discover and “connect” to your inner self – to your soul.

What the Torah is all about is that we each have a soul in the “Divine Image”, and that soul is the essence of your being. Every aspect of life is driven by its inner energy. “Not on bread alone that man lives, but by all that comes out of G-d’s mouth.”

So what’s the story: Are religion and spirituality one and the same or not? Depends on how you define these terms. If they are both the human discovery of self than they are synonymous.

Spirituality in other words is not just for the mystically oriented, just as living a Divine life is not just for theologians. It is not only for the so-called “spiritual types.” It is the journey of every soul on earth, and it is experienced through the mitzvot – soulful rituals. The difference between people is how the journey manifests itself. For some it may take on the shape of an overtly mystical/spiritual orientation, for others the soul experience is through the arts. For everyone the soul speaks through love. [The various manifestation of the soul’s journey deserves a column of its own – for a future date].

This is what I meant in last week’s article by a “new religion;” new as in different than the distorted, superimposed, unnatural version, that we have wrongly embraced or rejected.

Perhaps that is the religion of yesterday and that of tomorrow – one that is not an adjective but a noun.

This is the challenge of our times; the challenge facing the so-called battle between science and religion, church and state; the moment of truth facing Zionism and all the other isms as we enter the 21^st century and have a more sophisticated understanding in the nature of reality.

Above all the path to truth and reality has always been through the vehicle called bittul – humility, modesty and selflessness. That is a prerequisite for all people searching for truth, scientist or layman, religious or secular.

I submit that we rename the quest for transcendence. Instead of calling it the religious journey, the spiritual odyssey, the ethereal voyage, let us call it: The search for REALITY. Yes just plain reality.

The polls should add a new question to audiences:

Choose from the following options:

I aspire to be:

Religious.

Spiritual.

Secular.

Real.

Don’t know.

That would sure put things in stark context.

Because reality is one or the other: It’s either real or it’s not.