This Year Let's Stop Being Religious
By Gavriel Aryeh SandersSeptember 15, 2006
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, many of us start to think more seriously about our religious practices and commitments. We might attend a class, read a book, get tickets for High Holy day services, or schedule ourselves for a family or singles conference that includes the holidays.
This year, I want to propose a revolutionary thought. Hold on to your gefilte fish. Let's resolve to stop being religious. In fact, let's
resolve to stop calling Judaism a religion all together.
Why would I propose such a notion that Judaism is not a religion? Very simply because it's a relationship. Judaism is the channel, the conduit, the connection by which a Jew has a relationship with the Creator, with other Jews, and the rest of the big world.
Because the moment we use the adjective "religious", we put ourselves on the religion shelf along with all the other 14,999 different belief options on the planet. The religion of Judaism as opposed to the religion of fill in the blankism. And that's not what Judaism is really about - though I think some people have done a contortionists job of twisting aspects of our faith into something that can bear the religion label.
A quick tour through our biblical literature demonstrates that our forefathers and our prophets weren't purveyors of religion. They actually talked to G-d. They spoke of G-d in terms of proximity - being close to or distanced from. They called people who had drifted into idolatrous diversions to return to Hashem - to our true G-d. They didn't call people to renew their synagogue memberships or join the sisterhood or sponsor the youth newsletter or teach a chaburah class. They echoed the Creator's longing to be close to us.
Shuvu elay v'ashuva eleykhem, said the prophet Malachi. Return to Me and I will return to you. The nature of the invitation is very clear. It's up to us - you and me - to initiate the move. We take the first steps toward connecting - or reconnecting - and the resources to nurture the relationship start to flow our way.
It's an awesome thought for the days of awe that are upon us - the King bids us to appear before Him. And as we approach, we discover something soul stirring. The King is really our Father.
In the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our sages remind us that our ultimate destination in life is to be like G-d - to imitate his ways, to follow his pathway for us, so that we can in turn channel back to the world the blessings of being a blessed people. This is a time when some spiritually attuned Jews review the classic work called "The Palm Tree of Deborah" Tomer Devorah by the great kabbalist Rabbi Moshe Cordovero of the mystical city of Tsfat in Northern Israel. It's an ethical treatise on the teaching of how we actually emulate the character of G-d in our relationships with others.
To facilitate the linkage we long for in a relationship to Hashem, our manufacturer's handbook - the Torah - speaks of something called the mitzvot - a word often translated "commandments". But that's a religious sounding word that frequently gets misunderstood. It's root meaning is one of connecting with, of being bound to.
The connected Jew understands the there is a bridge between the physical and the spiritual - and that bridge is the mitzvot - the 613 different opportunities given to us collectively to establish and sustain a genuine, transforming relationship with G-d.
So enough talk of taking on religious activities that may have no particular substance. Let's examine the heart of the matter - our hearts - and let's do what really matters - acknowledge Avinu Malkeynu - our father our king. If we'll start there this new year, we have a great chance of elevating ourselves, our relationships, and truly the world itself - to a whole new plateau of realization.
Judaism is a relationship - we're not alone here. And Rosh Hashanah opens a door of renewal to refresh the connection.
The faith of our fathers has never been more accessible than today, thanks to excellent publishers like ArtScroll, Feldheim, Mesorah, Judaica Press, and more. Audio resources abound and the Web-based Torah inventory is vast. Embedded in the Jewish DNA is the code to lead the world in spiritual fulfillment. Yet we cannot give away something we haven't cultivated for ourselves. This year, let's make a renewed commitment to connect with the Author of our holy heritage. May the overflow of our personal and communal
relationship with Him bring unity, wisdom, and healing to our people and blessing to the world. L’shana tova tikatevu.
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Gavriel is host of the Gavriel Sanders Show, heard on in New York Tuesday nights at midnight on WSNR AM 620. A former evangelical minister who converted to Judaism, he studies Torah in a morning kollel, works for a major Jewish publishing firm, and speaks widely across the country on Jewish living and learning. Email: radio@gavrielsanders.com.