Judaism

What is Judaism?

Judaism has a body and a soul.

A body consists of that which is visible to the naked eye such as the body, face, hands, feet etc.

The soul is that which is concealed from the naked eye, such as the heart, the brain and more importantly what is in the heart and the brain.

The heart and soul of Judaism was for the most part concealed from the Jew until the holy Baal Shem Tov revealed, in anticipation of the coming of the Moshiach when all Jews will receive the Divinely inspired Chassidus / Jewish mysticism, which reveals the heart and soul of God’s intent behind Judaism, namely life itself.

The body of Judaism has been explained in thousands of books so we will not go through it; essentially it’s the fulfillment of the Mitzvos / good deeds the Bible teaches.

However this short article is to summarize the soul, the life, the reason d’être of Judaism.

Firstly I have coined a phrase (I shall soon start minting terms) that Chassidus is Living Judaism.

The heart and soul is of course the heart and soul of the body, yet it is in truth the real human, for as our Sages state “where the heart desires to go, the legs carry it.”

In other words, it would be a gross error to think that Judaism is the commandments of God, though that is precisely the very tradition Jews have so valiantly lived and even died for over thousands of years.

Before the Commandments came the Commander, as our Sages state “first accept my rulership” says the king, in the case God, “and then I will give you commandments.”

So what is the reality that the commandments express?

The answer to this is very very simple indeed.

One of the reasons a Mitzvah is called a Mitvah is because it comes from the root of tzavsa which means a connector.

In other words, God had a desire to live with you.

As the Baal Shem Tov teaches “the holy of holies / kodesh hakadoshim in the Beis Hamikdosh serves as a lesson for all Jews for all times.

If within a brick and stone building you can understand that God’s very essence can reside, how much infinitely certain is it that God can reside within you.”

As the famous teaching of Menachem Mendel of Kotzk “God is wherever you invite him to stay.”

So now that we understand that the intent behind reality is that God seeks an invite into your heart and soul, to be your father, your mother, your sister, your brother, as our Sages so often taught, a personal guide, “MY rock” “The strength of MY salvation” and many many many, such sayings, so what is the mechanism in which we build this palace for God?

It is precisely this question that has plagued religious thinkers for centuries.

In other religions people abstain from all physical delights in order to somehow sacrifice themselves to God.

In ancient times people offered human sacrifices.

The fact is that all of this is erroneous for fundamentally it sees God as a tyrant needing a sacrificial humility – an eroding of one’s ego for the sake of something egotistical, to get an ego-trip; hence in ancient days with Kings, submission was the best option.

God if anything is like a loving father and mother, as the verse states “I love you says God.”

If so, how does one create a bond between a child and a loving parent?

Can anything be easier?

As soon as we do what pleases the parent, from saying hello (prayer) to giving a gift (a Mitzvah) and most importantly through giving assistance to our siblings (acts of loving-kindness) we have successfully bridged the gap, uniting God within you and I as he desires.