Reflecting on Judaism

We Jews become hot under the collar,and rightly so,when we learn that missionary groups are active in our area.  We condemn such activity but before we condemn their rationale, their distorted interpretation of the Bible, we should appreciate that some Jews interpret in similar vein.  Indeed, the very early Christians and some Jews circa 100 BCE to 100 CE, derived their concepts from the same sources.  Chief Rabbi J.H.Hertz’ comments on this rationale can be found in his Commentary to the Torah, (page201).

Different Jews approach their Judaism in different ways but, in my opinion, two of the more important approaches are by way of the Rational concept or the Mystical concept.
 The rational concept is encapsulated in the statements by Rabbi S.R.Hirsch in his book “The Horeb" and also in the aforementioned commentary to the Torah by Chief Rabbi Hertz.
 Rabbi Hirsch states (page 20) and I précis:-
      “The Law was not brought to Israel by an intermediary, whether accredited by signs or not; all Israel ....... were assembled at Horeb (Sinai) and heard directly the voice of the Lord when he began to reveal the Law of Life.  Face to face, God spoke the word of life to the whole people of Israel.  It is this fact, free from all possibility of deception. which guarantees the Torah as unchangeable for all generations for all time."
 Chief Rabbi Hertz states  (page 292):-
        “Giving the entire nation the choice of accepting or rejecting the Divine message. Religion in Israel was not to be a secret doctrine of one favoured class, not a Body of “Mysteries" entrusted to the keeping of priests as in Egypt."
 Both of these Rabbis were following the teachings of earlier religious leaders, including Maimonides.

 Had the Jewish people assembled at Mount Sinai not been given the Torah free from all possibility of deception, and had it included secret doctrines, then there would not have been a basis for a Covenant, honestly established.  For in these circumstances, Israel could argue that it was not aware of all the details of the Covenant which it had accepted and that it was, therefore, an invalid one.   It is true that, because of the passage of some 3,500 years and the turmoil which has often existed during the course of Jewish history, the precise meaning and understanding of the Torah has been subjected to various interpretations, but the Rabbis have ruled that any interpretation which conflicts with the straightforward understanding of the Torah Text should be disregarded.

The above criteria are those by which authentic Judaism should be measured. 
One of the mystical approaches to Judaism assumes that our religion contains secret doctrines and like the Missionaries recommends that people study “the inner mystical dimensions of the Torah - which prepares the world for the Messiah’s coming."  This approach has caused untold suffering to the Jewish people as described below. One would have thought that if there are secret or hidden messages in the Torah then, after some 2,000 years of intensive research, such messages would by now have been clearly revealed.  However, we know that many leading Rabbis in the past who made forecasts about the coming of the Messiah, based upon their mystical research proved to be wrong. Eventually it was forbidden to forecast, because it undermined the people’s morale since such forecasts never materialised.

Another mystical approach to Judaism is based upon the “Ascent of the Soul".  During the “Ascent" the soul of the mystic meets the soul of an earlier great leader, say Elijah.  The mystic’s soul then returns to earth with a message from the earlier leader which he then conveys to his followers.  This concept of the “Ascent of the Soul" can also be found both in the Christian and Moslem religions.  One cynic once remarked that it was strange that during the “Ascent" the soul of the mystic never met the soul of a great leader from a different religion.

 One of our early great mystics was Rabbi Akivah of the 2nd Century CE who, by his understanding of the “inner mystical dimensions" of the Torah, encouraged Jews to think that Bar Kochbah was the Messiah.  This cost the lives of untold tens of thousands of Jews as a result of Bar Kochbah’s unsuccessful revolt against the Romans which Rabbi Akivah actively but mistakenly, encouraged.  I doubt whether Rabbi Akivah received his inspiration from the straightforward interpretation of the Text.  The tale is told of Rabbi Akivah who encouraged three contemporary great Rabbis to enter into a mystical experience with him.  Only Rabbi Akivah “returned" normal.  The first is said to have become mad, the second is said to have died and the third is said to have apostatised. This is a cautionary tale for it suggests that even if there is a mystical content in Judaism one should not delve into it, and that it is certainly cannot be a basis for our theology.                                      
 
A more recent famous mystic is Rabbi Luria of the 16th Century, who developed a concept, also not found in the straightforward understanding of the original Text, of God’s withdrawal from the world (Tzimtzum) in order to make room for the world to be created and in the process of which, vessels containing light were shattered and the pieces scattered.  It was he taught, the duty of every Jew to collect and reassemble these shattered pieces in order to make the world whole again (Tikkun) and prepare it for the Messiah.  One helped to achieve Tikkun by performing Mitzvot.

 Shabbtai Zvi, a student of Luria’s teachings, another mystic and false messiah of the 17th Century, put his own profane spin on Luria’s teachings and he and his followers created havoc amongst Jewish communities throughout Europe and the Middle East by their outrageous behaviour allegedly in order to achieve Luria’s Tikkun. Following Shabbtai Zvi’s death, the records of many European Communities were destroyed because their Rabbis were ashamed of their gullibility in following Shabbtai Zvi’s teachings.
 
A modern mystic was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Chabad Rebbe who recently died.  An article recently published (Jerusalem Post 17/06/98) written by an observant Jew, a scion of a Rabbinic family, now living in Israel, relates, I  précis:-
“that he recently attended a wedding of Chabad followers, where, under the  Wedding Canopy, a tape of the Lubavitch Rebbe blessing a bride & groom was played  as though he (the Rebbe) were partaking in the ceremony.   After the Huppa many of the guests danced around the bride and groom whilst holding posters and pictures of the Rebbe claiming him to be the Messiah.  Driving around Israel, he was struck by the large number of pictures of this deceased Rebbe.The fact that he has been dead for four years,  that he had not miraculously come back to life, had done little to dampen the fervour of the pro-messianists amongst the Chabad followers.  Many of them still refuse to talk in the past tense as this would be akin to admitting that this man is no longer and that he was no less flesh and bones than other mortals."
 
The writer goes on to acknowledge the Outreach Programme of Chabad but concludes his article by stating that Chabad practice is not just a deviation in ritual or worship, it is a basic departure from the essential theological foundations of Judaism.   In the recent past, many Rabbis have begun to speak up and express views which accord with these sentiments. Just where those in Chabad, who believe in the “inner mystical dimensions of the Torah" are leading their followers will not be known until more time has passed but, based upon past experience, we can make an intelligent guess.
 
The point which I am making by referring to these mystics is that, if they rely upon an interpretation of the inner mystical dimension of the Torah, or receive messages from the “Ascent of their souls" both of these esoteric experiences are subjective and personal  and it is difficult to argue with them rationally. Recently, the Jerusalem Post reported that each year in Jerusalem many such minded persons claim to have themselves met the soul of the Messiah or some other biblical character and many eventually require Psychiatric treatment.
 
Many persons, Jewish and Christian, whether they behave religiously or not, consider that the Bible is Holy or at least has an aura of Holiness.  If they are then taught that it contains secret or mystical teachings, i.e. hidden messages, then why should they not seek to try to discover them.   If we Jews can indulge in mystical interpretations, why not the Christians too?  And since mysticism has no rational basis, then throughout the ages, it has been difficult for people inclined to mysticism, to distinguish between the mysticism of Judaism and the mysticism of Christianity and, as a result many Jews have accepted the Christian version.
 
It is for the above reason we should be wary, perhaps cynical of all mystical teachings whilst understanding their rationale and perhaps even admiring their followers as persons and for their tenacity.
 February 1998