By Rabbi Adam Gindea
Rabbi Adam Gindea
Judaism offers a fully immersive holistic approach to experiencing, appreciating, and honoring the amazingly remarkable gift of life itself – in all its complexities. Each holiday, practice, ritual, and commandment provides an opportunity to step into a liminal portal where we are invited to encounter and glimpse at the varied dimensions of the multi-faceted expression of being, and honor it as “holy.”
We currently find ourselves in a profoundly deep and beautiful moment in the flow of the Hebrew calendar. Earlier this month we celebrated Tu b’Shevat – the birthday of the trees, and now we are preparing for the upcoming holiday of Purim – the festival commemorating the events and story from the Book of Esther. As with everything in our Jewish tradition, there are layers and layers of meaning, insight, and wisdom contained within these holidays. Each one in their own unique way invites us to recognize both the seemingly simple or superficial, and to dive into the swirling depths of the infinite right below the surface.
From an historical context Tu b’Shevat (ט׳׳ו בשבט) is, as its name conveys, a date on the calendar: the 15th of the month of Shevat. This day celebrating the “birthday of the trees” was set to determine tithes for trees and produce required to be contributed to the Temple. In the 16th century, the spiritual Kabbalists introduced a mystical approach to this day with a ritualistic seder (a meal akin to the Passover Seder) in which they explored the wisdom and insights we can glean from paying attention to nature.
Utilizing a Kabbalistic framework, these spiritual masters drew connections between the natural world as displayed by the physical structure of fruits, nuts, and produce as expressions of, and windows into, the depth of the human experience and the inner workings of the soul. Meditating on the peel of an orange or shell of a nut, we might notice and appreciate that there are layers to the world. We live with veils, garments, and boundaries separating us from one another, creating feelings of otherness and individuality. The pit of a stone fruit buried within the flesh of the fruit, on the other hand, invites us to reflect more deeply on how our egos and inner selves might contribute to those feelings of individuality and experiences of otherness.
We celebrate this holiday in the midst of the winter when nature appears frozen, yet we recognize the life-force flowing through the roots and interconnected web of existence pulsing below the surface. What happens now lays the groundwork for all that will be manifest and enjoyed come the blooming of the spring. Tu b’Shevat is both a day on the calendar in the cold winter months, and simultaneously a spiritual invitation to explore the world, ourselves, the depths of the oceans and furthest reaches of the cosmos.
Purim, in its own way, also balances the dualities of what may seem frivolous or superficial and what is actually profound. During this upcoming festival, we read the historical book of Esther retelling the story of King Ahashverosh and his vizier Haman who planned a mass genocide of the Jews in ancient Persia having felt slighted by Mordechai the Jew who refused to bow to him. We celebrate this remarkable tale of survival and the heroism of Queen Esther by feasting lavishly, giving gifts to one another, and providing for the needy. We celebrate the physical and tangible with food, drink, and gifts.
God’s name is notably absent from the Book of Esther. To the reader, however, the Divine presence is apparent as the saga’s winding narrative flips on its head changing dramatically throughout the story. Over this holiday, we play with the idea of God’s absence, Divine hiddenness, and our deep belief that God is ever-present in the day-to-day of our lives. By dressing up in costume, we remind ourselves and one another that while we might feel far and removed from God, God’s presence is actually only hidden, concealed, and garbed in the world around us eternally dwelling just below the surface.
Our tradition offers ways for us to immerse in the feelings and experiences of both practical life, and the ineffable encounters presented by narratives, rituals, practices, and celebrations. This vast and wondrous tradition offers a shared language and ability to dialogue across generations as we strive to explore and embrace the depth and beauty of what it means to be alive.
I am new to Louisville. The story of my arrival here is through the professional opportunity that invited my wife Jessie to lead the Jewish Learning Experience. In our few short weeks here, we have been warmly welcomed and embraced by so many – individuals, institutions, synagogues, and entities alike. I am not yet familiar with the language of Louisville – its stories, narratives, traditions, and practices. (I recently learned the practice of hanging a horseshoe in a way so that luck doesn’t fall out.) I’m learning about Derby and the days and weeks-long build up in anticipation. I eagerly await our first bourbon distillery tour to learn more about the “lifeblood” of this remarkable city.
And yet, even in the context of all these new (and still-foreign-to-me) aspects of Louisville, there is a surprising, powerful, and undeniable feeling of connection to the people here; a familiar embrace by a community and people perhaps, in large part, bound to one other since Sinai. However this story continues to unfold, and whatever narratives and customs yet to be learned along the way are revealed, God is surely in this place.
I look forward to the encounters that lie ahead and will continue to be uncovered as we settle into our new home.
Rabbi Adam Gindea is Vice President, Base and Rabbinic Innovation at MemGlobal. He is married to Jessie Gindea, Executive Director of Jewish Learning Experience in Louisville.