We have found a way of life that works.
We have 3300 years of testing under every possible social, economic, political and geographical condition to prove that.
Yes, you could do it yourself—test all the possible styles of life, make comparisons and come to your own conclusions.
But what a waste of precious time it will be, for yourself and for the world that could be benefiting from you. After all, how much life will you have left after reaching your conclusions?
Double Jeopardy!
While reading this wisdom, I visioned myself as a game show contestant. My hand eagerly slammed the buzzer and answered. "What is a Jewish lifestyle "(set apart) the "Rebbe" Rabbi M.M. Schneerson!
If we look at the physical events in every sector today, we find that most of what we see is only an "Illusion of Reality". Wealth is not really wealth, and Happiness is only temporary. David proclaims in psalms 24:1 that the earth is the LORDS, and all that it holds, the world and its inhabitants. We will find ourselves, "aliens" in the world and we will rush to "phone home", that we may be like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatsoever it produces thrives. This is reality, that the LORD is our G-d alone.
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Conversion Dear JoBo.Welcome ..A conversion ( done properly )is one of the biggest Mitzva's. Thank you. We have some Arfro - Canadians & Jamaican people @ our Synagouge. They sing & read the Holy Language better than most ! Reply
Torah is the base by which all other flavors have been derived. Remove all the flavorings and Torah is what's left, the original, the essence, all natural, with no added flavorings. No preservatives necessary because it is eternal. It doesn't get any better than this! Get ya' some! Reply
My Two Cents As an African American woman, I am part of community that is not working so well at the time. Since January 2013 I have been studying Judaism through Chabad.org and have begun to implement the things I've learned into my life. My 34-year old daughter teases me and says she expects me to convert any day. But as she has watched me practice what I am learning -- and as she witnesses the results -- she too is now putting into practice some things. For example, I was totally baffled by rewarding with a hug and disciplining with a hug. Made absolutely no sense to me until I did it. My 2-year old grandson was playing on the stairs at my daughter's home. I called him downstairs, gave him a big hug and explained that he should not play near the stars and why he should not do so. He got a bigger hug, a kiss on the forehead and back upstairs he want to play with his cousins. We didn't hear a peep out of him. I was about to share another story but out of space. I'm a Black Jew for real! Reply
Enlightening Very good read! Everyone's. comments hav been just as nourishing :) Reply
Incredible! This is so wise and incredible. Thank you SO much for posting it! Reply
To adam
The ancient Sages created a sort of movable Holyland soil in their exposition of the mitzvos.
We are the leaves. The tree has indeed lasted for 3300 years outside the Land.
The Torah is our Tree of Life.
But if you want a movable parable, we can turn to Akiva's parable of the fish. They were threatened by bigger fish, so the fox said, Come out on the land with me.
The fish wisely responded,
If we are endangered even in our own element, water, how much worse off would we be if we left our element.
For, if we left the water of life for the dry, we would surely suffocate.
In this parable, of course, the water of life is Torah, and the fish are the Jews.
The fox is any nonJew who seeks to strip us of our Jewish identity and practice. He may "let us live" but we will dry up if we follow his advice.
The bigger fish are those who seek our physical annihilation regardless of our religious or spiritual affiliation.
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for Ann
I like the tree parable.
In my mind, if the tree represents the Jew, then the earth in which the tree is rooted represents the Jewish culture.
For the Jew to be rooted in a geographic spot is to say he was a plant rather than a human.
Proof to that is the way of life which worked for almost 3300 years ouside the Land.
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for Ann Thanks a lot, Ann--eloquently put. Reply
Truth and roots
This is not about where the truth lies.
Truth is infinite.
Let's say Truth is like the earth, whose surface goes in all directions, or like a mountain, whose peak is reached from all directions.
The question is not where the truth is, but where our roots are. Where we can best access truth.
An oak tree may grow anywhere, but once it has sunk in its roots, it draws nourishment from that spot. You can uproot it and plant it elsewhere and it may survive or even thrive if planted where the soil is nourishing, but the transplanting is a trauma to the tree. It thrives best in the spot where its roots first dug into the soil.
A Jew is a leaf of the tree whose roots are Jewish. Israel is the geographical spot where we take nourishment best, but the Jewish way of life is the spiritual spot where we take nourishment best. Ideally we would have both.
The Dalai Lama has repeatedly said that each person should work within his own tradition.
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Re: the truth
Who says other philosophies also don't contain truth? The question is not who has truth, but how you can live truth.
As for conviction, yes, that takes time. And you must search for it. Don't just do--learn and question, as well. But don't stop doing as you are learning.
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Which way of life? Two true stories and a remark
The Dalai lama recommends each person to remain with the way of life, the religion, etc., of his own people.
Once a huge group of Englishmen gathered to learn from an American Indian chief whom they had brought over to guide them. Among them was a Jew named Levy. He climbed the hill to consult w. the chief in person. The chief stood looking down at the men gathered below. Turning to Levy, he said, "See all those men? They are all lost." Levy was astounded. The chief explained, "They don't know their tribe." Levy took this to heart. He thought, "I know my tribe! I'm from the tribe of Levi." And he began living as a Levite. Today he dwells in Jerusalem as an observant Jew.
Jewish practice is like yoga. It can be discussed, but discussion is 2ndary. Mainly it's to DO, and you know what it's like by doing it for a while. It's not dangerous & it is worthwhile. Every culture that ever existed had a tried and true way, & this one has lasted. Try it, you'll like it.
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the truth But what if the other philosophies also contain the truth? Does this mean that I am obligated to "taste" Judaism first? Although I am personally making the first steps through the ice-cream shop, I am pretty turned off by the suggestion, No, conviction, that Judaism has the best flavors. Isn't it possible that this is THE truth for you only, and my truth is entirely different? Reply
Re: must first do
Thanks for responding, Victoria. It's great to have the opportunity to discuss.
You are raising a valid point: Why should anyone try being an observant Jew before being convinced that there is any truth to it?
But on the one hand, how can you know something is true as long as you only observe it from the outside? Can you know the taste of ice cream by looking in through the window of a Baskin Robbins? Or know the thrill of a roller coaster by reading the "roller coaster" entry in Wikipedia?
Truth, as well, is not an intellectual exercise, it is an experience of life. The only way to know it is by diving in.
So you do a little research and you find out that there's a good likelihood you'll like ice cream. On the other hand, there's a good likelihood that you'll get nauseous from the roller coaster. You try the ice cream and pass on the roller coaster.
So the question for you is: for a Jew, is Torah observance worth the try? Is it possible that it contains the truth?
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must first do "You must first do" will only apply if you already accept the Torah. How can one "first do" something that he does not yet beleive to be true. Reply
For Victoria A little context will help (as usual): The Rebbe was speaking to someone who wished to investigate and try out many different philosophies and lifestyles before dedicating herself to a life of Torah and mitzvahs. Of course it is important to try to understand--but you must first do, and then learn to understand. And of course a person must make his or her own choices--and within a Jewish lifestyle there are many, many choices to make. Reply
Waste of precious time I usually find your words very deep and inspiring. This morning, however, I was deeply offended. How dare you state that if I find look for my own conclusion, I will waste my time. I will waste my time for sure if I do not make my conclusions and just take your word for it!!! The point of it IS to test and make comparisons and choose what resonates with your soul and your being! Reply
Immersion I believe the reason for the commandment of immersion in Jewish culture is to help prevent people from turning away and going down the wrong path. Woe to us if we become a den of sin, and the ways to the exit are blocked!