November 1, 2008 at 9:51 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: book, mitzvah, mitzvot, The Year of Living Biblically, with intention
I have finished A.J. Jacobs’ book The Year of Living Biblically. I loved the book. He had a great way of pointing out things that happened on his journey.
I loved reading about how doing different things got easier and how he began to appreciate the rituals. He talks about appreciating prayer, Shabbat and the fact that he is more appreciative.
The thing that suprised me at the end of the book was that I felt really sad for him. I enjoyed so much of his spiritual journey that when the year was up I thought he would have continued with a new found truth. Reality is that this was just a project. Much of the things he learned and incorporated he seemed to just let go. Now he is done with the project he no longer needs these things in his life. I never expected to feel such loss for him.
A. J. and his wife July do practice more Judaism and have joined the Jewish community with more activities like going to temple. A.J. says that he will keep Shabbat. We’ll see. I would love for him to write something 5 or 10 years following his journey to find out what has stayed with him.
This all makes me wonder about the argument that just doing mitzot is enough. A.J. did them. He did not have the intention to keep them and make them his own and they seemed very easy to relinquish. I still think that without intention the mitzvot are hollow.
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October 15, 2008 at 4:53 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: doing, Judaism, Temple Shir Tikva, with intention
How do you pull yourself together after a good public balling? You just go on.
So how is Judaism part of my life? What do we do? Doing is key in my approach to Judaism. Doing with intention is approach. It was not feasible to take on all the Jewish traditions at once. My wife and I started by trying some traditions.
First we removed watching TV and working on Saturdays. After the children came along we added Friday night. We added lighting the candles and saying the blessings over wine and bread. We started inviting others over to join us. While we did not belong to any community we participated in the family gatherings for the holidays.
We joined Temple Shir Tikva a few years ago and have started to participate in every holiday. We started following the rhythm of the year and all the special days we have.
I belong to the ritual committee … sometimes. I have started an online study website. I am in the middle of getting my adult bar mitzvah. I going to morning minyan twice a week.
One thing I do everyday is where my kippah. Everywhere I go I where it. Everyday it makes me think of the fact that I am Jewish. Everyday I realize that someone looks at me as a Jewish man not just a man.
In the end, I try to make Judaism the lens by which I approach the world. It is not only part of my life but it is my life. Like I posted elsewhere I do not think of Jew as a noun but a verb — to Jew. Do you Jew?
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August 24, 2008 at 12:34 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: commandments, obligation, Prayer, study, with intention
When you are doing Jewish activities, studying, praying, eating, breathing, do you do these with intention? Do you do things because that is just the way you always have? Does the ritual have meaning for you?
In the Talmud they talk about the importance of saying the Sh’ma and saying it at the appropriate times. However, it does say that if you are studying Torah with full intention you do not need to say the Sh’ma.
The Mishna in Berachot 13a says: “One who was reading Torah and the time for reciting Shema arrived, if he directed his heart [intended it], he fulfilled his obligation.” – translation by aishdas.org
Sometimes doing things with intention even removes the need to perform an obligation, a requirement, a commandment, a law. This is not something that was taken lightly, not as is done in our modern world. An obligation was just that, an obligation. But if you could show that you were so into the study of Torah, you did not need to say the Sh’ma.
I think the approach is the same for any Jewish activity. If you are just learning and encountering Jewish rituals and laws, it is more important to try one with intention then to do some without trying or half-heartedly. It is more important to do the commandments with intention then to be perfect in accomplishing all the obligations.
Pick something Jewish. Do it. Do it with intention. Pay attention to how it changes you, your interactions with people and your encounters with G-d.
Let me know how it goes.
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