I have friends and acquaintances who travel to Israel and return home full of wonder and delight and a sense of religious satisfaction, bringing back stories of charedi neighborhoods filled with talmidei chachomim in regulation garb learning torah day and night. The rest of the Israeli population is written off as not being worth even a footnote; on the contrary, they besmirch the pristine utopian image..
Obviously, my friends haven't spent even a minute amount of time exploring non-charedi neighborhoods.
I used to live in the Old City of Jerusalem which attracted, among others, every screwball from around the world but also anyone looking for a jolt of spirituality. What struck me was the interest in Judaism. Almost every conversation, on park benches, in cafes, or just among people walking the streets was about Torah or Halacha or the deeper philosophical questions of judaism. They weren't all observant but many jews were discussing the ins and outs of becoming more devoted to the minutiae of observance. The city of Jerusalem fairly overflows with spirituality.
Most of all, and unobserved and unremarked upon by my narrow minded friends is the teeming multitude of observant, working men and women who may not dress and conduct themselves like the stereotypical charedi jew that my friends consider to be the only acceptable model of true orthodoxy, but whose devotion to religious observance cannot be impugned. Throughout Jerusalem there are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of synagogues minyanim and study halls regularly visited by these throngs considered by some to be "less thans." Admittedly,a large percentage of the population of this divine city is non-observant, publicly eating non-permitted foods, dressing inappropriately, desecrating the Sabbath or otherwise demonstrating a contempt for Torah.Still, it is unfair to lump them together with those who are perfectly acceptable just because they may lack the long beard, earlocks and black clothing preferred by the chasidish and yeshivish population.
On my latest trip to Jerusalem which entailed a great deal of shopping, I was struck by the ubiquitous availability of minyanim in busy commercial centers, shopping malls and offices, attended by ordinary working men and even women. This would probably shock and surprise my study group buddies. I could not get over the dedication of these throngs of people who attended the minyanim in synagogues whose only purpose was for these afternoon minyanim; people taking the time out of a busy workday to spend a few moments praying to their creator.
If I forget you Jerusalem, may my right hand fail.
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4 comments:
beautifully written, and quite true. I thought you had more broad minded friends.
Perhaps they are newer friends from your current community- narrow minded as well.
what great opportunities of observation your friends are missing when only seeing "gadlus" in meah shearim. Living there, it is no big deal to daven and study and look like everyone else.
I SAY "mi k'amcha yisroel" when I get a chizuk speech and declaration of emuna from a mizrachi or non kipa wearing cab driver. THAT is the beauty of eretz yisroel
Wow. Fabulous. Deeply insightful, and unfortunately, too true.
At the end of the day, the young narrow minded and foolish people, just grow up to become, older narrow minded and foolish people.
Tell them to open up a Hirsch Chumash so that they can have their eyes opened to what's important in this world and how to view Torah observance. And those who won't, you'll never be able to change their views.
Itoo sensed the thirst for spirituality in the time I spent in the Old City,shared by all. I am still pickled by a strange merging of the sacred and profane when I overheard an apprently recently picked young man (bare headed and bushy bearded) on a payphone presumably with the folks back home, explain that he had learned "about Tisha B'av and sh-t". I found the incongruity oberwhelmingly inspiring.
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