Maybe you've heard the comment before, "I'm not religious, I'm spiritual."  In my fourteen years as a cantor I've heard those very words a handful of times, usually in discussion over why some people don't bring themselves or their families to services on a regular basis or at all. I've heard it said defensively, as someone trying to justify his or her lack of ritual practice, and in a 'matter of fact' tone as well. I've never sensed from anyone who has made that comment that they were in some way anti-Judaism, just that they didn't find ritual observance a priority in their lives.  But I'm always left wondering, "What does it mean to be spiritual but not religious?"

Indeed, how does one's sense of spirituality manifest in their lives? Perhaps it's a sense that somehow there is an intelligent order to the universe or, that all things are connected, that there are no coincidences, that everything happens for a reason.  Or maybe they feel that their lives have a higher purpose, that in some way their work in the world contributes to our societies becoming more and more enlightened, that they participate in tikkun olam, the reparation of the world. Or they experience in their relationships with others deep connection.

However they experience spirituality, it usually doesn't involve traditional Jewish modes of study and ritual.  And here is where I can relate.  Having grown up the son of a rabbi and being fairly observant growing up, I believe I took the rituals, holidays, and Shabbat for granted. They didn't feel spiritual to me, ultimately, because I didn't have a complete understanding of what Shabbat, for example, was all about. The rituals were empty. However much I connected to them as a child, by the time I reached high school they were devoid of meaning.

Like many young adults, I became completely secular in college. Well that's not exactly true, as I was a Jewish song leader and religious school music teacher in my synagogue.  But, aside from that, my day-to-day life didn't revolve around Jewish practice. I was, however, intensely spiritual and was looking for an outlet to express myself. I studied different religions in college including Buddhism and Hinduism and found that I could relate to Eastern philosophies much better than what I thought Judaism was all about. Like many Jews, I found myself in ashrams and meditation halls listening to the teachings of Yogic philosophy. My practice of meditation and ritual chanting, in the end, led me to the discovery of my desire to live a spiritual life and to be a cantor.

Realizing that I wanted to make music, lead spiritual experiences, and teach led me to embrace the cantorate. Of course there was one problem. I was completely without knowledge of "Jewish Spirituality."  To make a long story short, I discovered in cantorial school that Judaism has within it a very deep and complex spiritual message that rivals any Eastern Religion. My teacher, Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, in his Modern Jewish Theology class, pointed out to me that I may be a mystic and he guided me toward some books that I should read. This was the beginning of my love for Jewish mysticism and chasidism. The teachings that I held dear in college, that came from the mouths of Indian gurus, I was rediscovering in Jewish texts like the Zohar or the Tanya, philosophies that came out of Jewish mouths. It's amazing how similar certain strains of Judaism and Jewish spiritual teachings are to the teachings of Buddha or Krishna.

It has been fifteen years since I first started this journey in discovering Jewish spirituality and I feel that I have only scratched the surface. Studying the writings of the Baal Shem Tov, the first leader of the chasidic movement, or the Zohar, the bible of Jewish mysticism, nurtures my spiritual needs and gives new meaning and definition to the rituals I choose to observe as a cantor and practicing Jew. And learning theology that I can relate to, especially in the writings of the Chasidic Rebbe, Nachman of Breslov, enhances my perception of God and divinity in the world and ultimately gives me purpose in my life. Indeed, I am spiritual but that only gives more significance to my ritual expression and, in the end, religious practice has deepened my sense of the spiritual.  Perhaps there is a way to approach the practice of our religion and to glean from it the deep spiritual meaning.

I now want to share this deep knowledge of Jewish spirituality, as I understand it, with this congregation and so I will teach a four-week class entitled "Jewish Spirituality 101." In this class we will explore writings and concepts that come from the Jewish spiritual traditions and wrestle with our own sense of the divine and how it manifests in our own lives. Meditation and chanting will be involved. The class will be on March 2, 9, 16, and 23 on Tuesdays at 7:15 - 8:45 PM.  No knowledge of Hebrew is necessary. Please let the office know that you intend on participating in this class.