Pazuzu bin Hanbi wrote:That is a wonderfully beautiful way to approach the world! And do you believe following Jewish rituals and modes of action help achieve that? I recall reading about Robert Winston, who has done books and television programmes about the evolution of god in human thinking, and yet still follows Jewish rites and practices.
Absolutely. Ritual and traditional practices have no magical qualities, and aren't intended to. They keep the believer in touch with the community that believes these things and lives this way, and heightens awareness of the depth and longevity of those traditions and one's personal connection to them. When I recite the
Amidah, I am aware that I am saying the same words as Jews of all nationalities all over the world, and my ancestors of thousands of years ago.
Precisely the same words, in Hebrew, which before the foundation of Israel, was as much a "dead language" as Latin. Eating unleavened bread at Passover continues a tradition that began at the first Passover, and is in fact a reenactment of part of that story in the present day, a sort of living history lesson. All this is about strengthening the values and standards I discussed above.
Example: In the Passover seder, or ritual meal - note that the center of Jewish religious practice and tradition is the
home, not the synagogue - there is a recitation of the plagues on Egypt, removing one drop of wine for each, a symbolic lessening of our joy and celebration; it's a reminder that the Egyptians suffered and died during that time, and that their dead were God's children too. We commemorate and mourn the deaths of our enemies in that story, every year, even as we celebrate the Festival of Freedom.
Ritual is often described here as if it were all meaningless "magic," as if the Kol Nidre service on the eve of Yom Kippur were equivalent to a voodoo sacrifice. That's nonsense. Ritual can be, and most often is, an expression of beliefs and values and devotion to an heritage. As a former Protestant Christian, I can tell you that the Eucharist is the same thing; some may believe that it actually imparts "salvation" itself, but it seems clear that, at least in Protestant circles, it's primarily a reenactment of the Last Supper and a symbolic participation in the sacrifice of Christ.
One may not share the beliefs, or have much regard for the heritage, that lie behind these practices; but it's grossly inaccurate and unfair to assume that believers do them out of a childish conviction that they have magical powers and represent nothing more than pure primitive superstition.
Those who failed to perform charitable works are condemned.
