I’ve been building a case that the vast majority of Jews in the post-Holocaust world are spiritual orphans, having been raised with no awareness of Mussar or the lineage of teachers who have carried the tradition for the past 200 years.
When my HS class studied Mussar, our go to verse was from t opening paragraph of Aleinu, “And you shall know today (commandments / life habits), and set this knowledge into your heart”, just as the quote from Rabbi Lapian teaches.
There definately , in my opinion ,is a hunger for spiritual fulfillment in today’s times and I for one ,a person who is shomrei Shabat, together with my husband and incredible children and grandchildren, feel that void . Most times it is filled through family love and the closeness and joy we all share and the gratitude I feel for being a savta to such precious souls . I have been privileged to live in Israel for the last 40 years , having made alliyah from South Africa many moons ago and watch our children and grandchildren grow up as Israelis.
I also live in Kfar Adumim which is a mixed community of “ religious” and “ non religious” people living together by choice with tolerance and acceptance of other . This in itself, in my mind,means that we live in a healthy community with strong friendships of all kinds on a deeper level.
However , I do feel that more and more, probably since Covid and definitely since October 7 th that this void is growing and has become almost like a spiritual hunger which is not filled despite the comfort food I have been over indulging in and the shows I sometimes binge on ,with Netflix as well as other physical pleasures, to no avail. Of course there is nothing wrong with physical pleasures, on the contrary, but these do not in themselves fill the vacuum inside.
Yes,there is an inner soul felt lack and a huge distance from the head to the heart in many areas of my life and even if I know what it is, it’s not easily attained.
Is the reason based on your insights , possibly .
I did come from a traditional home with grandparents who left Russia before the First World War and filled my Jewish soul with both delicious Shabat meals and inner food for the soul .
So maybe I am not the one to comment but I definately agree with your premise that we are hungry and craving inner spiritual fulfillment.
When my HS class studied Mussar, our go to verse was from t opening paragraph of Aleinu, “And you shall know today (commandments / life habits), and set this knowledge into your heart”, just as the quote from Rabbi Lapian teaches.
A lot of food for thought .
There definately , in my opinion ,is a hunger for spiritual fulfillment in today’s times and I for one ,a person who is shomrei Shabat, together with my husband and incredible children and grandchildren, feel that void . Most times it is filled through family love and the closeness and joy we all share and the gratitude I feel for being a savta to such precious souls . I have been privileged to live in Israel for the last 40 years , having made alliyah from South Africa many moons ago and watch our children and grandchildren grow up as Israelis.
I also live in Kfar Adumim which is a mixed community of “ religious” and “ non religious” people living together by choice with tolerance and acceptance of other . This in itself, in my mind,means that we live in a healthy community with strong friendships of all kinds on a deeper level.
However , I do feel that more and more, probably since Covid and definitely since October 7 th that this void is growing and has become almost like a spiritual hunger which is not filled despite the comfort food I have been over indulging in and the shows I sometimes binge on ,with Netflix as well as other physical pleasures, to no avail. Of course there is nothing wrong with physical pleasures, on the contrary, but these do not in themselves fill the vacuum inside.
Yes,there is an inner soul felt lack and a huge distance from the head to the heart in many areas of my life and even if I know what it is, it’s not easily attained.
Is the reason based on your insights , possibly .
I did come from a traditional home with grandparents who left Russia before the First World War and filled my Jewish soul with both delicious Shabat meals and inner food for the soul .
So maybe I am not the one to comment but I definately agree with your premise that we are hungry and craving inner spiritual fulfillment.
Thank you for sharing .