"SPIRITUALITY"- WHAT IS IT?

 

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

The word “spirituality” is a buzzword, like “family values.” Yet, few people know what it is all about.

The need for spirituality arises:

a.      Usually after a period of crisis, when people turn to explore existential questions; to make sense of what is happening to us.

b.     When we realize that science cannot solve all our problems.

c.      When we acknowledge the precariousness of our lives.

d.     When we accept the fact that material success is not enough; when we need to nourish our “soul.”

e.      When we admit that we are not at  the center of the universe; that we need an anchor.

f.       When we need to relate to something/ someone larger than life.

THE CHALLENGES:

a.      For some, spirituality evokes otherworldliness, a monastic life.

b.     Some feel that it limits our ability to deal with pressing everyday issues; it takes us away from our social concerns.

c.      It is narcissistic in nature.

d.     Because it stresses the duality between body and mind, it is more Greek than Jewish.

e.      Because it deals with emotional issues, there is fear that it will ignore the dictates of the mind.

f.       Many claim that it is a substitute for the rigors of scholarship; it is anti-intellectual.

g.      A few believe it is a subtle form of assimilation.

h.     It reifies the individual and ignores the needs of the community.

i.       Its informality ends up like a chat with the divine.

j.       Many are attracted to extreme forms for spirituality that is a turn-off for others.

            We need a balanced view and must find a path that is rooted in the need to transcend oneself in search of purpose and meaning in life.  

DEFINITION:

There are various definitions of “spirituality.” ( Just check the web)

I prefer to define it as “The awareness of being in the presence of God,” where God refers to the energy of the universe.

DIFFERENT PATHS:

The pursuit of spirituality can take different forms:

Some seek spirituality through study, others through prayer, others through meditation, many through rituals or relationship and good deeds. And yet, some find it through various acts of transcendence, when they go through peak experiences in life.

For more details, see my book, 6 Jewish Spiritual Paths, NY: Jewish Lights/Nashville: Turner, 2002.

Date: Feb. 16, 2022