Things are Complicated

During our last Kohenet intensive Rabbi Jill said to me, “your spiritual world is very complicated.” Or something along those lines. I “poo-pooed” and dismissed her say, “no not really….” Well, time to come clean. It is complicated and confusing — even to me. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain things I’ve very, very clear on. For one, I’m Jewish. There’s no question in my head or heart about that. But that is where the simplicity starts and stops. Because we live in a world that likes simple, clean answers and sound bite solutions – everything beyond that is much harder. People want “Jewish” to mean a single thing — but it doesn’t. Like all religions, Judaism is multi-faceted. We tend to forget that just “Christian” only means that they follow the teachings of Jesus — but that’s all it means. Same with Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and any other religion (not the Jesus part, just the one element we may know).

There’s never been one Judaism. There’s always been many voices in the tribe — even back to Torah. Judah and his brothers didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye, and Dinah — well she’s just a girl — no need to really worry about what she thought.

Admitting to myself that things are complicated is actually a really important thing. I am Yisrael – a God Wrestler. That’s not just a name, it’s a title. I’ve been honored to have Reb. David at NeoHasid.org include my site under what he calls “beautiful struggles.” Damn skippy, it’s a struggle. I appreciate that someone may find it beautiful. It helps me to see the beauty in the journey.

My world is complicated. God(dess)(es) is complicated. Life is complicated. But — it’s also beautiful, mysterious, surprising, and that’s why we’re here – to experience life.

Pardon the rant.

Beautiful struggles (among many) that inspire me:

• Nine Ravens
• Velveteen Rabbi
• Blogickal
• Floofle!

[tags]complicated, answers, judaism, jewish, struggles[/tags]