Who, reading this article, is proud to be Jewish? If your answer is positive then keep reading.
If you are proud of being Jewish so what is Judaism?
Looking at Wikipedia Judaism is described as “among religions of world”.
However when you look in the Torah – it’s not called a religion. If we were a religion then when Moshe was introducing the Jews to the Torah he should have introduced it as a “welcome to the Jewish religion.”
Other religions call themselves a religion. When converting to Islam they have to say there is no other religion other than Islam, Christianity calls itself the religion of love.
So what is Judaism?
There is one thing that a person cannot live without for even one second. You can live without food for some time, you can hold in your breath and live without air for a second. Time however, you cannot live without. When there is no more time then life is over. Which means, that the most precious gift that we have is time. As Bill Keane said, “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
If we don’t give our kids and spouses time then we haven’t given them the greatest gift in the world. The hardest thing to give is the most precious thing we have, which is time. The way you build relationships is by spending time with them. You can get all the self – help books for bringing up kids, improving relationships with our spouse but if you don’t give them time it won’t help.
So too, Hashem wants to spend time with us, the Mitzvahs are 613 ways to spend time to build a relationship with Hashem.
Judaism isn’t a religion it’s a relationship. Hashem speaks of His connection with us as a relationship in the Torah hundreds of times, for example “My son my firstborn”, “The child of My delight”, and in the Song of Songs, “I am to my beloved and My beloved to Me”. In fact there is no biblical Hebrew word for religion.
There isn’t a time in the day that we aren’t offered the opportunity to spend time with G-d. During business hours there are Mitzvahs to spend time with G-d for example by acting with integrity and paying employees on time. When we eat and make blessings before and after it’s a way of building a relationship with Hashem.
So practically what is the difference between a religion and a relationship?
Answer; They aren’t even remotely related.
An example of what religion is; When you are in school and the teacher tells you that you aren’t allowed to talk in class, you aren’t allowed to chew gum, you have to have your top button done up – that feeling of rules and not wanting to be tied down by them is a religion.
A relationship is the opposite because when you feel you want to get out of it – then it’s not a functional relationship. In a healthy relationship a person is always looking how to make it work, where they can improve and constantly going the extra mile for one another.
Judaism isn’t a religion it’s a relationship.
When Hashem said to the Jewish people “Do you want My Torah?” they said “Na’aseh ve’nishmah” – “we will do and listen”. Hashem said “Who revealed to you this secret?”
What was secret? We said we will do. Is that such a genius answer? And what is the difference whether we would have said, “We will listen and do”?
Rabbi Bentzion Klatzko explained, if the Jews would have said we will listen that is religion; we will see whether the rules make sense, have a feel for it and if it sits well we will do it. However the Jewish people answered “We will do and listen”.
When a spouse asks for a favour, “could you pass me the salt?” We don’t first think to ourselves does it resonate – rather we say (or strive to say) “Sure whatever you want honey.”
To paraphrase Rabbi Noach Weinberg “No human being is totally satisfied unless he’s in touch with the ultimate experience. That’s what he’s seeking. To be in touch with the transcendental. To reach out of the finite world and to touch that which is infinite. To be in touch with G-d.
Ask any person you know: “Aren’t you a little disappointed with what life has to offer? Aren’t you hoping there’s something more, that maybe one day you’ll have an experience that will be it.”
Imagine if I said, “We have a little room back here. You can sit down and speak to G-d Almighty Himself for a whole hour.”
Wouldn’t that be “it?”
Having a relationship with G-d is to be one with Hashem; to unite your soul with the Source of all goodness and pleasure. Enjoy the beauty of this relationship and enjoy the beauty of Judaism.
Chag Sameach, Zvi.