The Flaming Sword and the Icy Shield: Why Mysticism is a Healthy Dose for Faith

My fellow Jew. Can I call you my fellow Jew? Yes, Because I believe that we, As a people, Have a special duty to be Ahavat Yisrael. That means we help each other, Love each other. This fellowship has kept the Jew alive in a world full of evils. Through all our years of persecution, We have banded together, And no matter how heated the coming debate takes shape, I want you to remember that. In the end, We are a people. In the end, Our disagreements do not make the sum of our parts. With that said, I will quickly make my claim. Sir, Why do you think so many Jews go East in search of other spiritual landscapes? I believe that mysticism is important, But these Jews weren't given it. They, Rather, Were brought up in a Judaism which is dry. When they asked their Rav in Yeshiva, "Where can I find a connection to G-d? ", They were told you can't. When they asked, "Is there something beyond this world? ", They were told not to ask such questions. We can't blame them then for searching elsewhere, Because this Judaism has no awe, It has no majesty. But warmth is there, It's just up in the attic. But most. . . Never get that far. Up there, We find a cosmology, A spirituality. Real spirituality. This form of Judaism offers more than just the "Active Intellect. " Kabbalah is like poetry, It's not an exact science, But its genius is in the soul. You find G-d through experience, Through living. Life is an art, A craft, A beautiful composition, But you have to do it till your fingers bleed, It's like playing the guitar. You can't just get Emunah overnight. I understand that one can challenge all this with a simple question: prove it. But my position is that we don't have to. There is no picture of G-d, Or angels, Or the soul. Something spiritual won't be made of material substances, So I wouldn't expect "proof. " I also take it that Rationalist Jews believe that angels don't exist, That there's only G-d, And that he doesn't need "messengers" to do His bidding. This may be so, But the Kabbalist position is that angels are an extension of G-d. In a certain sense, They are G-d. Regardless of how one choose to word it, G-d and angels are both spiritual, So we're not talking about apples and oranges here because they're both oranges. It is true that some of Kabbalistic thought is nonsensical, But when has everything ever made sense? Do sacrifices make sense? Yet, Jews did them 2, 000 years ago. In fact, I would argue that just because we merely don't understand it on a sublime level, Doesn't mean they serve no purpose. After all, It'd be like viewing a man with a TV set for the first time, And not knowing what a TV was. My friend, I think Kabbalah opens doors, It doesn't shuts them, But that doesn't mean that Rationalism shouldn't have a right to exist. All doors to every kind of Judaism needs to exist. We need Reform Jews, Orthodox Jews, Humanist Jews. My friend, Even the atheists serve a purpose in G-d's creation. It's like going into a factory, There's the manager, The supervisor, The blue-collar guy, And when all do their part, Production shines and everyone's happy. But pure Rationalism alone is cold. The Torah warned us about this: the path to Torah is a narrow one, And one could easily become a flaming Zealot or an icy Rationalist. But if Mysticism dies, So does Judaism, For it is the life-force of the Jewish people. One more note, And if you get anything out of this, This would be it: Sir, If you reject Mysticism, Where's the dividing line? The Reform movement also rejects miracles, So how are you - an Orthodox Jew - any different? I look forward to your response, And hopefully, Each party takes away something of value. Also, Let's try to steer away from repeating ourselves, If you disagree with me, State so, And move on. Let's make this debate lively and entertaining for all. With that, My friend, Shalom, And a Happy Shabbos.