Deuteronomy Cycle 6 Ki Tetzei

 Ki Tetzei

What Does it Mean to be Religious?

Does God want us to take Torah literally? Do the rabbis of Talmud? Or are there discernments to be made and levels of meaning?

No doubt, there are many people who separate the world into the “religious” or the “dati” and the “non-religious” or the “lo dati”.  Of course there are those who think they are “more religious” or “yoter dati”. It gets confusing.  We go to temple and there’s deep music and sweet teachings. Then we look at the words of Torah and we wonder…we felt “dati” at temple but how can we really follow this? How can we believe that a woman should be killed for adultery? How can we see a kid being stoned to death for disrespect to his parents? Then we look at the people who act like they follow it.  We don’t look like them or pray like them.  Some of us then don’t feel all that “dati” anymore. 

This is why it might be a good idea to seek beyond the literal. Perhaps, as the rabbis of Talmud display in their teachings, Torah was not meant to be only taken literally. Perhaps we can be religious…really religious…crazy in love with God…crazy in love with ritual and beauty and light… in the core of Elohim…without being literal. Maybe we can merge that spark when we share pain or joy with a friend…when we daven with community or sing with this great band or feel water splashed on our face… with the words of Torah.

In truth, we choose what we bring in. We do it whether we keep track of our choices or not so we may as well face it and choose consciously. We choose what or who we want to blend with. We choose how to remain pure-in-heart in a world vibrating with millions of regrets, accusations, judgments, fears, kinds of plastic, kinds of textures, kinds of chemicals, of insecticides, of pharmaceuticals, of teachings, of nail polish colors, of news reports, of truck exhaust, of tires and smiles and sounds and sacred words.  We choose the porosity or solidity of our personal boundaries and how much we let in through our cells and what. 

Honestly, there’s a maelstrom of influences in today’s world, some positive, some negative, most of which we can’t see or touch. And yes, there are influences that come from Torah. We need to have the vision to streamline through the outer layers, the literal interpretation, with eyes wide open. We need to know how to make discernments even in terms of layers of Torah itself. This doesn’t mean we pick and choose.  We embrace it all…. not only at the level of skin though at the level of  symbol and soul. 

This is a sacred concept.

This is what Resh Lakish says in Kiddushim 3a: Whenever a distinction is drawn in Torah  “ways” or “derech” is used. Whenever there is no distinction “things” or “devarim” are taught. 

What’s important here is that there are distinctions even within Torah so we have every right…in fact we are commanded…to make distinctions ourselves.  Once we make them we arrive at a place of wholeness…of  completeness…of  potential in terms of our intimacy with God.

My hope for the Jewish people is that we can begin to move with Torah like we move with music and prayer, with the same sharp instincts, keen choices,  and awareness. Think: We can jump into water with our eyes open. If we can do this we can jump into Torah.  I’ve seen people jumping off of  low rocks into Crater Lake, into that miraculous blue.