To the layman it may seem that spirituality
is, by definition, spirituality. It may seem that there can be no differential
between one kind of spirituality and another. In truth, however, that would be like
saying that art is art and there is no differential between one kind and
another.
In broad terms,
the Kotzker Rebbe distinguishes between two very different forms of
spirituality. Essentially he differentiates between the type of holiness one is
(potentially) able to achieve during the week, and between that which one is (theoretically)
able to achieve on Shabbat:
During the week, the type of spirituality one achieves is predominantly a result of NEGATION of the physical. Whereas on Shabbat, it results from the INCORPORATION of the physical. The latter is superior.(Amud HaEmet p62, par2)
As a rule, the
weekday spiritual encounter generally involves some form of battle against
materialism. We engage in practices that remind us of our mission to try subdue
the physical world. For example, we wear Teffillin to remind us that any
contact with materialism has to be controlled and directed, so that we don’t
become victims of a world that can very easily suck us under.
On Shabbat,
however, the emphasis is completely inverted. For example, we no longer guard
our food so much, because we eat big meals. We no longer guard our time so much,
because we are encouraged to relax. Even sleep becomes more noble. We sing. We
go for walks. We talk. Our study schedule is not so demanding. The holiness of Shabbat
is therefore attained through incorporation
of the physical, not through its negation.
And strangely enough its holiness is superior to that attained during the week.
The Kotzker
explains the reason for this: During the
week, whatever spirituality we find is mostly as a result of our efforts and
our strivings to become better. On Shabbat, in contradistinction, the
spirituality ‘descends’ upon us, almost as if it were a ‘gift’. The latter is superior to the former.
This distinction
is an important one. Forget the weekday and the Shabbat for a moment, and let’s
apply this principle more laterally: There are two types of spirituality we can
experience. The first is the ethereal environment we create when we follow the
rituals and dictates of the law. Don’t underestimate the power of this
spirituality. It can be very tangible and very real. But it comes about as a
result of some sort of fight which we win against the world around us. Negative elements are identified and duly
negated.
The second type
of spirituality, however, involves no such battle. It results from a process
that is far more natural. The holiness in the moment is identified and simply
allowed to become incorporated within. Very little change is required. It is
almost as if the spiritual beauty in everything around us suddenly becomes
apparent and the need to fight simply goes away.
Put another way:
The first type of spirituality is created
by our religious labors. The second is discovered and one realizes that it was there all the time. The first is created by observance.
The second is discovered by observing.
Unfortunately, many
who master the first category, have difficulty in mastering the other. Those who are masters of
observance are often not comfortable to let go and allow the inherent holiness
of the surrounding world to rain down on them. And those who see and trust the beauty
and goodness even within the secular and the mundane, often do not see the
benefit of ritual and observance.
To be truly
spiritual means one has to be comfortable with both approaches.
Yet, in the
Kotzker’s world (not that one should ever have to choose between the two –
because the real Torah personality masters both), it seems that he believed
that the second category was still superior.
NOTE:
Someone read this blog before it was published and asked: Surely that which one
achieves through one’s own efforts are worth more than something given as a
gift? To which I responded: Yes.
It is tempting and pacifying to think like that. Imagine a child who
saves up a few cents. Very noble. But in
a real monetary sense, those few cents are nothing in comparison with a larger
amount of money received say through an inheritance. So too in spirituality. The little one achieves is very noble and nice.
But it pales into insignificance when compared to that which comes from the
world of the Spirit itself
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