A Shinto Tradition

A great neshama, or soul, left this world this summer, Reb Dovid Zeller, ob"m. This is a story that he used to tell, as shared by my friend Yosef ben Shlomo Hakohen:

One summer, driving on my way to the annual conference of the Association of Humanistic Psychology, in New Orleans , I stopped in Arizona , to visit Namurati, a Japanese Shinto priest, who was also a master of acupuncture. From a nearby rest stop, I called Namurati, hoping that he would be available for a spontaneous visit. “Hello, this is David, I’m a friend of your client, Dora. I’m passing through, and am wondering if I might stop over for a short visit.”To my relief and delight, he warmly replied, “Welcome, David. Come right over.”

After introducing ourselves, he looked at me with his clear brown eyes and asked, “David, are you Jewish?” I was not orthodox at the time, but mentioned that I had lived in Israel for two years before living in India , as an ascetic monk, called a Sadhu, for a year. Namurati said that in the oral tradition of his Shinto religion, there was an interesting story about the Jews. “David, do you know what is meant by oral tradition?” he asked. I assured him I knew what oral tradition meant. And this is what he told me:

According to the Shinto oral tradition, there had been a meeting of great spiritual teachers several thousand years ago, to report on the progress of their mission: Had they succeeded in leading various peoples around the world to a spiritual awakening and evolution? Many reported of their success – from the wisdom of the Vedas in India , to the Tao, and the I Ching in China , to the Aztec civilization in South America , etc. Everyone felt quite good and was feeling their assignment was completed. But one person raised a troubling question.

“Wasn’t our mission to lead people through a material awakening and evolution, and a spiritual awakening and evolution and then to bring the two together? If it was just a spiritual process, what need is there for coming into this material world? But our task was to bring the two – material and spiritual – together.”

“You're right,” said the group’s leader. “We must first lead people through a material awakening and evolution, and then the spiritual one, and then unite them. But who amongst you will take this on?” No one wanted that responsibility. These were all enlightened people, they knew that material development could only be reached by going through possessiveness, competition, aggression, violence and war – no one wanted that on their shoulders. “No volunteers?” asked the leader. “Then I'll have to choose someone.”

“So,” said Namurati, the Shinto priest, “the ‘chosen people’ - were the Jews.”

“The tablets of the Ten Commandments became the Jews’ symbol of synthesis:

Spirit inscribed in Stone, spirit in matter.”

…I came away with a new understanding of the commandments, and a new appreciation for Judaism, as quite unique from many other religions, in insisting on living in the material world and in the spiritual world. No monasteries. No retreating from the world. Rather a day- to- day practice filled with practices to unite each material act with spiritual intention. The word mitzvah, usually translated as commandment, can also be translated to mean “to join together.” We are “en-joined” to live in such a way as to constantly join together heaven and earth, spirit and matter.

No retreat? I must correct myself. Judaism gives us a spiritual retreat once a week in the Sabbath. Six days a week, we work to bring an aspect of the spiritual into the everyday material. One day a week, we strive to bring the material into the spiritual. In between our spiritual activities of prayers, rituals and ceremonies we have the material through meals (though all cooking is completed before the Sabbath begins) – that are uplifted through inspirational learning and song.

If the Ten Commandments (En-joinments) are Spirit in Matter, then our Sabbath is Matter in Spirit. Our lives are balanced.
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The insights that Reb David gained serve as another reminder that we are to express the Divine Unity in our own lives through fulfilling the Torah path which enables us to unify “Heaven and Earth, Spirit and Matter.” May his memory inspire all of us to deepen our commitment to this sacred path.

Shalom,
Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen