Machon Ohr Aaron and Betsy Spijer
At the age of 15 when I first experienced observant Judaism, I encountered the anomaly of the observant non-believer. After approaching this person to discuss his views, his perspective enlightened me and accompanies me to this day.
Non-belief does not dictate complete severance from everything that is Jewish and religious – in fact the non-believer has much to gain from Judaism, even as a non-believer!
Approaching the question of the “existence” of God is almost impossible. Western thought and science has successfully analyzed and understood a myriad of aspects of our universe. However, applying these disciplines and proof by empirical evidence when attempting to “prove” anything about the divine proves futile. Were God to be a “thing,” this would not be the case; God is not a “thing.”
Religious experiences can be few and far between. It is essential to translate religious experiences into a significant and lasting realities. All religions are born out of the intense feelings, often panic-filled astonishment, that follow such an experience. Jewish Law is a successful “recipe” for maintaining and incorporating religious experiences into our lives.
Belief in the divine and religiosity most certainly have biological bases, however this does not mean that the biology of the human mind cause belief. The root of religiosity lies outside science and biology, while biology enables us to “tune in” and experience faith.
The bond, a marriage, between the People of Israel and its land stretches far back prior to the Declaration of the State of Israel in 1948. This marriage weathered wars, conquest, and exile – and now more than ever it is our duty to maintain and fortify the relationship of every Jew to the Land of Israel and the Jewish State.
The seder on Pesach night opens with a mysterious practice – dipping a vegetable, “karpas,” in salt water and then eating it. This is done immediately following Kiddush, and just as the recital of the Haggada begins. Why was this practice instituted and what does it teach us about the Exodus? Understanding karpas holds the key to understanding Judaism’s approach to Pesach and the universal significance of the Exodus.
Atheists and agnostics often feel a certain void in their lives, a certain lack of meaning or awareness of something higher, or a different dimension. This is awareness is part of the human condition and is something that offers an opening into the search for meaning.
On beginning the investigation of the “God” concept, one must accept that God cannot be fully grasped: doubt is not merely a “hazard” but an integral and fundamental part of basic belief!
Purim is a festival of tremendous grandeur, splendor… and stupidity! The story of Purim as told in Megillat Esther reveals the arbitrary acts that at once were dangerous and fraught with large risk, and yet concluded as a move of courage and wisdom. Using this unusual strategy can be quite successful in chess…
The Purim story, as depicted in Megillat Esther, is miracle-less. Certainly as the events were unfolding the hand of God is absent, and it is only the keen reader who will identify the divine intervention as the drama that threatened the very existence of the Jewish People unraveled. God’s covert involvement in the world is extremely difficult to ascertain, and yet it surrounds us every moment of every day, and like the Festival of Purim, will be celebrated for all eternity.
The Jewish Calendar is an intricate, complex and complicated system that requires the input of the greatest sages, astronomers and mathematicians in order to have a calendar based on the lunar year yet coincide with the solar calendar and seasons. Seemingly, it would be far simpler to follow either the lunar or solar calendar. The secret of the Jewish calendar is the creation of a constant awareness of God’s presence.
In Amsterdam of my youth there were many – Jews and non-Jews alike – who were in a similar situation to me: we did not perceive ourselves as belonging to any religion. Furthermore, we perceived those who were involved in religious practices as primitive and of inferior intellect. And yet, my family’s social and cultural settings had quite a Jewish (without Judaism) flavor.
COVID-19 has hit all of us – the entire world – quite hard, and is a certain cause for dismay. We are all waiting for the pandemic and everything it has brought with it to end so that we can return to our routines, get on with our lives and be happy once again. However, happiness is not necessarily what or where we perceive it to be. In fact, we can already choose to be happy from today – and on every day and in every situation we find ourselves!
Our lives are filled with multiple events that impact us deeply. Some of these events are negative and have the potential of crushing our hopes and extinguishing the inner flame burning within us that motivates and drives us. And among these events there are circumstances we can change, and others we cannot. The correct perspective regarding the circumstances of our lives is not only the key to surviving but even holds within it the potential for our own growth and touching the lives of others.
The tension between the Law and the near hopelessness of man to live by it, to survive it and simultaneously to obey it with great fervor, is at the very core of Judaism’s complexity.
The divine Word is deadly and causes paralysis. The Word, once descended to man, is unmanageable and causes havoc – it must be tamed and conditioned to allow the human to internalize it and live by it.
Dialogue and debate are essential parts of the sea of ideas that can enrich each and everyone of us. Unfortunately, serious debate on highly significant topics all too often moves from the topic at hand to unruly behavior (whether in an informal discussion between two parties, or in a public, formal setting). Guidelines for maintaining dignity are essential – both so that we are able to conduct the debate properly and so that we maintain our and our opponent’s dignity. If we are truly dedicated to the true and free exchange of ideas, then even when we vehemently disagree with our opponent we will remain civil and learn something about his arguments and even ours.
Traditions – and all their miniscule details – can be extremely important for a society, a city and a country. Traditions exist in all forms, many of these do not elevate man (and unfortunately there are those that denigrate him), while others have the power to transform one’s existence and raise one to a different plane. Judaism is a religion of ideas, but more so a religion that is involved in the practical, day-to-day activities of man. Indeed, “God is in the details” – our law and traditions, right down to their finest details – define us.
What defines us? Is it what we do, or rather, who we are? If a human being is nothing more than the tasks he performs on a daily basis, then a mere chimpanzee can take his place and possible perform these tasks as well and even better. However, if we understand that the tasks themselves do not define us, but rather can act as a means to an end, as the means that allows us to realize our dreams, then only we can perform the tasks successfully over time. The Sabbatical year, Shemita, that we mark during the current year teaches us this important lesson; all that is left for us to do is to open ourselves to the Torah’s teachings in this sphere.
Two weeks ago, a highly unfortunate incident happened at the Portuguese Spanish Synagogue in Amsterdam – based on the ban on the famous philosopher Baruch Spinoza, pronounced by the leadership of the synagogue in 1656, the synagogue’s Rabbi refused Professor Yitzchak Melamed, an Orthodox Jew, entrance to the synagogue complex, deeming Professor Melamed a “persona non grata.”
By public demand I am republishing the text of a lecture I delivered in Amsterdam in December 2015, a lecture wherein I called for the lifting of the ban on Spinoza.
One of the great problems any religious person should struggle with is whether it is actually possible to be religious. In fact, what is the essence of genuine religiosity? The concept at the root of all religions is the awareness that it is extremely difficult to live up to the awe of the moment. The famous dispute regarding the order of lighting the Chanukah lights illuminates a practical approach to this issue.
As an orthodox Rabbi who studied in the ultra-Orthodox Gateshead Yeshiva in England for many years and who has read all of Spinoza’s works, I am of the opinion that Spinoza sometimes deliberately misrepresents Judaism. I am also aware that Spinoza wrote remarkable, noble observations about human beings, nature and society which have helped all of us. I strongly object to deeming anyone who studies, researches and teaches Spinoza a “persona non grata.”
