Learning from Hasidim

About 2 years ago, I had the opportunity to hear author Lauren Winner speak (Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath). During her talk, she recommended a book called Holy Days by Lis Harris to give those of us on the outside a more complete picture of life inside Hasidic Judaism. That book has been sitting on my bookshelf since then, just waiting for me to dive in.

The reader quickly learns that Lis Harris contacts and befriends a particular Hasidic family, learning firsthand about their day-to-day lives which are so different from ours. Part of the book was devoted to the history of the different sects of Hasidim, and I'll admit I completely glazed over those pages! I was far more interested in the lives and the spiritual perspectives of the people she met. I want to share some quotes and thoughts from the text I had that I felt were particularly insightful:

There is a celebration on the Jewish holiday "called Rejoicing of the Torah, a day when the final portion of the year's reading of the Torah is completed...with spirited singing, dancing, and merrymaking that frequently last all night." (Do people in my own church even know when we complete the reading of the Bible? Do they even care? Yet in this community, it is a thing to be outwardly celebrated!)

The author has a conversation with the mother of the Hasidic family (who is a convert and used to have a life much like yours or mine), in which she is asked how she feels having her activities restricted so much on the Sabbath. (During the Sabbath, they must refrain from any activity that creates something new in the world - from my limited understanding, this is to better reflect on God as the ultimate creator. This includes cooking, writing, repairing, playing an instrument, turning on an electrical appliance, traveling, handling money, etc.) In response to the question, the mother of the family says, "I feel that I'm getting a break . . . Wouldn't you feel pleased if you were permitted, even obliged, to put aside your everyday burdens and chores? . . . Being a Jew and fulfilling the commandments is my life . . . It takes up all our time."

Again, regarding the Sabbath: "What happens when we stop working and controlling nature? . . . When we cease interfering with the world we are acknowledging that it is God's world."

On the liveliness of the Torah: "Throughout the day, I was struck by the familiar even intimate way in which Moshe, Sheina, and the others spoke of Biblical people and places. . . none of the Biblical heroes had lost their luster."

Regarding the separation of the sexes at worship: "We are not striving for togetherness in shul. My relationship to God is private. It's not where I sit that counts but the spirit of my prayer."

My inspiration from this book comes from learning about people who are completely immersed in life as a child of God. Quite literally, nothing they do is without greater purpose. They do not shop for food if it is not the kind of food that pleases God for them to eat. They do not leave the house if it pleases God for them to stay home and sing and pray with family. If only the lives of modern Christians could be so full of intent and meaning.