I know one of the conversations I had repeatedly at the last Kohenet retreat and with lots of outside people is, “what’s the difference between a rabbi and a kohenet?”
I’m reading Ecology & the Jewish Spirit right now, and it gave me a new thought on the question. Some of this, I realize, is a gross generalization — but go with me.
Rabbinical Judaism focuses, primarily, on the Five Books of Moses and the prophets — a primarily masculine view of God and Judaism. Kohenet and Earth-based Judaism focus, primarily, (or could focus) on the Wisdom tradition, the Ketuvim, — a more feminine and earth-based view of God and Judaism.
One of things coming out of my reading is that I realized I need to go back and read the Book of Job again. I’m starting to think that Job is really the story that is supposed to teach us that humanity is grown up now and there isn’t a “parent” watching over everything we do. We’re now small fish in HUGE pond of creation.
“Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee…” Job 12:8
Technorati Tags: judaism, earth-based judaism, kohenet, rabbi, job
This is somewhat of an aside to your blog, however: Have you ever considered the significant influence of engaging the written page in rabbinic Judaism?
This came up after reading David Abram’s _Spell of the Sensuous_ where he discusses how the experience of reading has affected humans’ relationship with sensuous, nonhuman world. To put it somewhat roughly, he argues the nature of reading tends to encourage a more static relationship with the world away from a more fluid, organic one.
So this makes me ask questions of the Jewish tradition. If I want to truly practice an earth-based spirituality, perhaps I need to question how much time I want to spend in front of the written page or the computer screen? If so does this undermine activities in the Jewish tradition have seen as central?
Just something to think about.
Aron,
Great question! I think this is a huge difference between much of Earth-based Judaism and Rabbinic Judaism. The earth-based services/rituals tend to be much more experiential and far less about reading texts.
I think we try to accomplish the same things, just through very different routes. For example, instead of reading a prayer from the book — we’ll chant it , or a shortened version of it, from memory with drums and try to embody it.
I think physical offering practices play into this as well. That’s a large part of my practice. Instead of my words being the offering, I often do offerings of grain, oil, or small burnt offerings.
Thanks for the thoughts — I think I’ll post the Rosh Chodesh ritual I wrote recently to the site. I think it will illustrate this idea very well!