This Dvar Torah forum generally serves as food for thought, yet I beg your indulgence to allow some thought for food that I pray will result in contemplation, reflection, and hopefully some response. The concept of spirituality has been on my mind over the past several years. I had not understood the manifestation of spirituality until attending a JACS (Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons and Significant Others) retreat a couple of years ago as an observer, and for the first time in my life I experienced the nomenclature of an entire community fixated on spirituality. In fact I was so moved by the twelve step program of Alcoholics Anonymous which was utilized at the retreat that I purchased the “Big Book” which is the Bible of Alcoholics Anonymous, in order to guide me in connecting with The Higher Power in a manner that I was unaccustomed to before. I had found myself becoming parve and passionless in connecting to our inherited tradition. I was therefore seeking something compelling and meaning making to help translate the cacophonous and fragmented religious babble of creeds, songs, and prayers into a versatile and ultimately harmonious and coherent set of lenses on the world. I was fearful of the formulistic incantation of spirituality slogans that seemed to be more pop-spirituality than the form transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai. To that end, I began seeking out biblical paradigms that linked into the concatenation of traditionalism for the concept of spirituality. One such paradigm presents itself in this week’s Torah portion: the paradigm of the Nazirite.
Ostensibly, the Nazirite is the antithesis of everything striving Jews seek to achieve in this world. Asceticism is not a value that is accorded the ultimate respect in Judaism for good reason. As Jews, we attempt to channel the materialistic aspects of our human existence into a spiritual realm, creating a perfect symbiosis in our existence. The Nazirite deprives himself of the fruit of the vine, and separates himself to be consecrated unto the L-rd, seemingly, in a cowardly act of disengagement from the true purpose of life.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch however does not view it this way. Rabbi Hirsch suggests that the act of consecration unto the L-rd and the act of being holy creates a concentric circle that temporarily allows one to fully concentrate on the Higher Power devoid of external stimuli and distractions; thereby allowing the Nazirite to achieve a connection with the L-rd. This he points out is merely a means to a larger end. True this should not be a lifetime endeavor (save for several historical figures), yet the Nazirite needs to take extreme measures on a temporary basis in order to allow for a permanent spiritual gain. The end is the act of elevating the mundane by infusing spirituality into it. That is why the verse states (Numbers 6:20) “and after that the Nazirite may drink wine,” meaning to impart the message that the conclusion of the Nazirite process is not an abdication of the lofty heights scaled; rather this former Nazirite retains his title of glory because he is now empowered to infuse all matters of materialism with this reality of spirituality. The Nazirite is not dethroned, the Nazirite stands empowered.
The message of the Nazirite rings loud and clear. There are times that people’s lives are so empty and superficial that extreme measures of rectification are required. As communities of worship across the globe struggle with creating a modality of spirituality, one need only reflect on the Nazirite to see the engagement of this challenge. The Nazirite decided to do something to create change. There was no mass movement, but as one famous author put it: “as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” The Nazirite allowed others to reflect on his personal spiritual journey identifying where they stand on the path toward enlightenment. Each one of us is seeking spiritual sanity to find a method to this madness that we call life. Each one of us has begun this journey, but do we know where we are along the road? Becoming a spiritually attuned Jew is surely a challenge/struggle that must be continually engaged throughout our lifetime. As we stand on the threshold of the holiday of Shavuos, there is no more opportune time to begin the process of spirituality. This overwhelming task is assuaged by the beautiful closing prayer that is recited at the close of the JACS (and AA) meeting: “G-d grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Amen.
Ostensibly, the Nazirite is the antithesis of everything striving Jews seek to achieve in this world. Asceticism is not a value that is accorded the ultimate respect in Judaism for good reason. As Jews, we attempt to channel the materialistic aspects of our human existence into a spiritual realm, creating a perfect symbiosis in our existence. The Nazirite deprives himself of the fruit of the vine, and separates himself to be consecrated unto the L-rd, seemingly, in a cowardly act of disengagement from the true purpose of life.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch however does not view it this way. Rabbi Hirsch suggests that the act of consecration unto the L-rd and the act of being holy creates a concentric circle that temporarily allows one to fully concentrate on the Higher Power devoid of external stimuli and distractions; thereby allowing the Nazirite to achieve a connection with the L-rd. This he points out is merely a means to a larger end. True this should not be a lifetime endeavor (save for several historical figures), yet the Nazirite needs to take extreme measures on a temporary basis in order to allow for a permanent spiritual gain. The end is the act of elevating the mundane by infusing spirituality into it. That is why the verse states (Numbers 6:20) “and after that the Nazirite may drink wine,” meaning to impart the message that the conclusion of the Nazirite process is not an abdication of the lofty heights scaled; rather this former Nazirite retains his title of glory because he is now empowered to infuse all matters of materialism with this reality of spirituality. The Nazirite is not dethroned, the Nazirite stands empowered.
The message of the Nazirite rings loud and clear. There are times that people’s lives are so empty and superficial that extreme measures of rectification are required. As communities of worship across the globe struggle with creating a modality of spirituality, one need only reflect on the Nazirite to see the engagement of this challenge. The Nazirite decided to do something to create change. There was no mass movement, but as one famous author put it: “as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” The Nazirite allowed others to reflect on his personal spiritual journey identifying where they stand on the path toward enlightenment. Each one of us is seeking spiritual sanity to find a method to this madness that we call life. Each one of us has begun this journey, but do we know where we are along the road? Becoming a spiritually attuned Jew is surely a challenge/struggle that must be continually engaged throughout our lifetime. As we stand on the threshold of the holiday of Shavuos, there is no more opportune time to begin the process of spirituality. This overwhelming task is assuaged by the beautiful closing prayer that is recited at the close of the JACS (and AA) meeting: “G-d grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Amen.
