Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Showing up is not Enough 3. Quick and Enduring 4. Practice 5. Conclusion. 1. Introduction

Transcription

1 Lesson 3-1 MEASURES OF ENTHUSIASM Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Showing up is not Enough 3. Quick and Enduring 4. Practice 5. Conclusion 1. Introduction We turn now to investigate and cultivate a soul-trait that is of primary importance, which is known in Hebrew as z rizut זריזות which can be understood as enthusiasm, alacrity or zeal. At face value, this is the trait that motivates us to be very active in the cause of the good, both for ourselves and for others, as we need to be. Yet we get a hint that there is more to enthusiasm than just being highly motivated when we consider that the Greek root of the word enthusiasm is en-theos, which means: to have the divine within. To put our discussion of z rizut on a solid foundation, it will be helpful to review the purpose of Mussar. Mussar is a path of spiritual self-development. It means working on yourself, not for the sake of your self, but rather for the benefit of your soul and others. By refining and elevating your inner life and nourishing the soul, you clarify your inner light and thus become a lamp shedding light into your life and the world. This is why Mussar is not self-help. Its purpose is not to help you gratify or achieve all your desires but rather to guide you on the path toward mastering your desires, so that you can fulfill the potential of your higher nature. Dedication to be of service and to hold the needs of the other in your heart, even as you work on yourself, is a central tenet of Mussar. The roots of these ideas can be found in the saying of the ancient sage, Hillel, who is quoted famously as saying: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? (Pirkei Avot 1:14). To take each of these thoughts in turn, the first teaching is that only you can walk your spiritual path. No one can do it for you. You and you alone can muster up the focus and the energy to do what needs to be done so you can make the climb up the holy mountain. If you are not for yourself, who will be for you? But if you are only acting for your own sake, to gain something, or to become more popular, or to serve your desires, then that raises an important question. At the core, are you a self or a soul? Is your deepest nature your identity, or is there a spiritual being of more profound qualities embedded within you? If your life including your spiritual life is dedicated to your own personal gain, you really do need to ask yourself the question, what are you? Lesson 3.1 1

2 And finally, when Hillel asks, If not now, when? he zeroes in on the trait we have in focus now, which is z rizut, enthusiasm. When will you make a commitment to change? When will you stop rationalizing? Avoiding? Hiding? When will you take your foot off the brake and get going? If not now, when? Enthusiasm involves being alert, energetic and even zealous to fulfill the potential of your higher nature. That quality could show up in being quick to wash the dishes instead of letting them sit in the sink. Or it could be a matter of getting to work, school or the minyan on time instead of staying in bed an extra 15 minutes. Or it could manifest as jumping to make a phone call to a lonely person, or visiting someone in mourning, or being of service in other ways. These sorts of actions taking place in the material realm are very much instances of z rizut, though they also need to be seen as stepping-stones to the actions we take in the realm of the sacred. Enthusiasm is as much a key to spiritual endeavor as to any worldly activity. Meditation will have no impact if not done regularly. How can your prayer life have any effect if you seldom rouse yourself to pray with concentration and passion? It is just a fact that your soul-traits will gradually fade from your field of vision when you don t recite a morning phrase or keep an evening journal. If a person will not rouse himself of what benefit are all the Mussar talks? asks Rabbenu Yonah of Gerondi (d.1263). Of course, we have to be aware that enthusiasm has a shadow-side as well, and that there are ways to be very energetic that will run you off the rails. How many examples are there of people being zealous in the cause of evil? Here we come upon another difference between Mussar and self-help: Mussar draws on the traditional Jewish source, the Torah, for a system of ethics that keeps us far from evil, even as we stoke the fires of enthusiasm in our hearts. And since we are on the subject of cautions in regard to enthusiasm, we also draw your attention to a kind of headless enthusiasm, which shows up as the modern curse of frantic busyness and rushing. While it is important to our spiritual lives that we be energetic and enthusiastic, even to the point of zealousness, this is no counsel to be rash and foolish, as the classic Mussar book, Cheshbon ha Nefesh, underlines: There are people whose process of deliberation is so short that it seems as if they conduct all their affairs solely according to the advice of their animal spirits. About them, the verse (Mishlei [Proverbs] 21:5) states: The thoughts of the zealous are superfluous and those who are hasty reap only loss. Rashness and frantic busyness are just as much spiritual impediments rooted in the trait of enthusiasm as are sloth and laziness. Might you recognize tendencies of your own in any of these obstacles to enthusiasm? So bear in mind that as we consider the soul-trait of enthusiasm, we re taking it as a given that there is a good moral compass in hand and that effective deliberation has taken place. Lesson 3.1 2

3 Proper, positive, balanced enthusiasm is action done with a full throttle, after review, consideration, and decision have set you on the right course. 2. Showing Up Is Not Enough Judaism is a religion of commandments and actions, and its leaders and teachers have stressed the importance of enthusiasm because the proper way to execute the divine will is with energy and alacrity. To live with spiritual integrity and authenticity requires that you break through the smothering curtain of routine. You ll do that by consciously kicking up your enthusiasm a notch. You must know, says the sixteenth-century Mussar classic Orchot Tzaddikim, that the trait of zeal is the foundation of all the traits. And later it adds, The trait of zeal is an ornament to all the other traits and it perfects all of them. If you are going to be generous, how much better to give with enthusiasm. Acts of loving-kindness should not be delayed but rather done with alacrity. Be zealous in defense of the honor of your friend. These are examples of some traits among the many that gain an important dimension when they are enlivened with enthusiasm. The Mussar teachers find Torah sources that point to the importance of enthusiasm. King David said of himself: I was quick. I did not delay in keeping Your commandments (Psalms 119:60). The rabbis add: When a mitzvah [commandment] presents itself, don t let it go stale. The standard reason for not delaying is that you might let the opportunity slip away from you. Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe ( ) explains, however, that a mitzvah delayed or done unenthusiastically is not a mitzvah that might go wrong, but one that already has gone wrong. It is a second-rate performance that has already been contaminated. The universal lesson that we want to emphasize here is that merely showing up in life is just not enough. Drifting along with no passion for living, or repeating the same good acts in a routine way, is a kind of sin. Your acts are contaminated. Would you have thought of procrastination or a lack of enthusiasm as factors that contaminate your actions? One Mussar student got this lesson in the most ordinary of contexts, when she had to attend a meeting for one of her children. She approached the meeting with a negative attitude: I doubted it would be useful to me. I resented the time I would have to take to schlep back and forth, the interruption in my day, which is already packed. What snapped her out of her drift was her recognition that this meeting was for the benefit of her beloved child. How could she be so unenthusiastic when it might do him some good? I took a deep breath and thought of z rizut [enthusiasm]. To do this task was not enough. To show up was not enough. I needed to get into a different frame of mind, to think about my kid and the possibility that I might learn even one thing that would be a benefit. With those thoughts, something shifted in her. I no longer saw this task as an imposition, an interruption in my too-busy day. This was a worthwhile thing to be doing. Lesson 3.1 3

4 3. Quick and Enduring There are two different aspects of the trait of enthusiasm. The first is to be quick to take action. Our role model here is the patriarch, Abraham. The Torah tells us in three different contexts that he rose early in the morning. And so it is for us: When windows of opportunity open in your life, are you quick to recognize and act on God s invitations to be an agent for the good? The second aspect of enthusiasm involves being diligent and persistent to complete the task. It is important to be quick off the mark, and equally important to sustain energy throughout the whole enterprise. People so commonly begin an activity with a tank full of enthusiasm, only to grind to a halt when they hit a delay or when some unforeseen obstruction arises, they get bored, or something else gets in the way. It takes enthusiasm not to bog down, wander off, or pull up midcourse, but to press on to finish the good deed with vigor. With regard to this, the sages of the Talmud said, A mitzvah is judged only upon its completion. 1 As much as we like to comfort ourselves otherwise, good intentions are not good enough. At this very moment, you have more resources in your hand than you are putting to work in any number of ways. The trait of z rizut invites you to ask more of yourself. How to turn that guideline into practice? Alan s Mussar teacher, Rabbi Perr, gave an example of one way to do that. The topic under discussion was hell (whatever that might mean) and Rabbi Perr said, I ve heard only one description of that other place that really scared me. I heard that when you go there, they have you stand and look at another person who was just like you in this life, only that person made so much more of themselves. Look what you could have been! They make you look at this person who was no more gifted than you, but who really made something of himself or herself. And they make you look at that person for a million years. That is truly frightening. If not now, when? 4. Practice The focus phrase we recommend to help you infuse yourself with this middah is drawn from Hillel: If not now, when? DO: Write this phrase on a card. And you can make it into a computer screen-saver, send yourself s, or make up a melody to sing to yourself. DO: Repeat this phrase to yourself several times every morning this week. Do you see a role for z rizut in overcoming any issues you might be facing? Explore and experiment with ways you can support yourself in writing in your journal. 1 Kiddushin 40a Lesson 3.1 4

5 VIEW: sample journal responses to see some examples of what previous students have entered in their journals in response to this assignment. Regarding your journal practice, we want to be sure you are not having any issues. People sometimes report a variety of obstacles, more often than you might think. We ve prepared an audio visualization for you to listen to this week. Please listen to it as early in the week as possible, and then practice this visualization repeatedly during the week. DO: Click here to listen to a guided visualization on z rizut enthusiasm. Engage in this visualization several times between now and next week by listening to this recording. You may also want to read the words yourself, which can be accessed by clicking on the link to a guided visualization on z rizut enthusiasm transcript. DO: Notice what you experience in regard to this visualization and write about it in your journal. DO: Please send a brief to support@mussarinstitute.org and report to the senior student who is on duty how your journal practice is going. 5. Conclusion One of the elements of genius in the Mussar tradition is that it recognizes that real, profound, lasting change happens not in a leap but through a series of small steps. And so, when we invite you to cultivate the trait of enthusiasm in yourself, we aren t envisioning that you are going to step into a telephone booth, rip open your jacket, and fly off to save the world, superhero fashion. Rather, we invite you to look right up close to the next thing that is before you that could be done. The spiritual challenge is in the moment. Should you be standing up right now and going to get that book, or making that call, sending that to the senior Mussar student, or ending that involvement? Take an enthusiastic step, and you ll find another choice right behind that one. Can you bring energy and alacrity to that one, too? Yes, you can. For the sake of the soul you are. For the sake of others. For the sake of the world. Lesson 3.1 5