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July 25, 2008
Where Judaism, Eastern Religion Blend
Adam Stone
Special to the Jewish Times
Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld says Judaism ought to be taught and experienced differently. He talks about a return to amazement and wonder as a path to spiritual living.
He says “JewBus” — Jews drawn to the spirituality of Buddhist teachings — can find what they are looking for much closer to home. The author of “The Art of Amazement” (Tarcher/ Penguin), Rabbi Seinfeld has lived in Israel and San Francisco, and now makes his home in Upper Park Heights, where he serves as director of the non-profit educational consulting group Jewish Spiritual Literacy. He and his wife, Tikva, have five children.
The rabbi will deliver talks about Judaism and Buddhism July 28 and Aug. 4 at the Etz Chaim Center for Jewish Studies, 3702 Fords Lane in Upper Park Heights.
BJT: What is Jewish Spiritual Literacy all about?
Rabbi Seinfeld: I am trying to foster a paradigm shift in how Jewish education is done across the board, teaching a new pedagogy.
For example?
It is a mitzvah to give tzedakah and so we give tzedakah, but that is where it starts and stops. My approach is to teach the spiritual content first and foremost. Then, you can approach the whole thing from there. By doing so, we end up with people who are really connected to their Jewish identity.
Give us an example.
The key is to make it tangible, to make it interactive and hands-on. So, for example, the most easy low-hanging fruit is to teach about blessings. I don’t teach about blessings, I teach people how to eat fruit in a spiritual way. I hand out fruit during the class, juicy, yummy fruit, and they experience it, they learn to taste it properly. And you can use that approach for almost any type of Jewish learning.
Is fruit Jewish?
I am not inventing anything new. Everything I am teaching, in my opinion, is based on classical Jewish sources. So, for example, what is the first mitzvah in the Torah? It’s debatable but strictly speaking, the first time the word mitzvah appears in the Torah, it says, “God commanded Adam, ‘From every tree you will eat of it, but from this Tree of Knowledge you will not eat from it.’”
Most people think the first mitzvah in the Torah is to not eat from that tree. But if you look at the words, the first mitzvah in the Torah is that you shall eat, you shall enjoy. We are put here to enjoy the world. That is what we are here for, in a kosher way.
You’ve linked this Jewish sense of awareness and enjoyment to the modern penchant for Buddhist teachings. What’s the connection?
There are certain secular meditative practices [in Buddhism] that are very compatible with Jewish practice. However, the theologies are radically different.
Not only are meditative practices part of Judaism, they are arguably the central part of Judaism. Meditative practice is a disciplined focusing of my mind on a daily or even an hourly basis, something that broadens my awareness.
In that sense, everything in Judaism is supposed to be meditative. That is what kavanah [intention] means. If you perform a mitzvah but you don’t have kavanah, you don’t have that mindfulness. Talmud says that is not a mitzvah, it is not a meaningful spiritual exercise.
But the theologies differ.
Whatever you find in Buddhism that is working for you, you can also find in Judaism, and many people have never understood that. But there are theological problems. Judaism moves toward a certain kind of transcendent connection that Buddhism doesn’t lean toward.
Transcendent connection — a connection with God?
I don’t like to give it a name, to give things labels that way.
So for Jews who seek their truth in Buddhism, what’s your message?
We have to educate ourselves about what Judaism is all about. There is a real lack of understanding of Jewish spirituality, and people end up thinking that in order to become spiritual, you need to move toward something else and away from Judaism.
Everything I have found that is beautiful and valuable in Buddhism is also there is Judaism, and people need to be aware of that.
On July 28 at 7:45 p.m., Rabbi Seinfeld will discuss the Jewish impact on the development of Eastern religions at the Etz Chaim Center. On Aug. 4 at 7:45 p.m., he will address the reasons why Buddhism has become the religion of choice for so many Jews looking outside Judaism. For information, call 410-764-1553, ext. 205.