Jew2U Episode 1 - For Non-Religious Secular Jews

The podcast "jew2u" is for "secular" jews. You are the ones who no one reaches out to. You feel the spark of your jewishness but don't know how to get started. Currently you have no Jewish life. You know very little about Judaism. Maybe you light Chanuka candles and that's it. jew2u is just4u. The podcast explains the amazing Judaism in a way that will charge you up to get more involved. You'll learn things about Judaism in the podcast that no one ever taught you before and you'll be inspired to learn more.

New Episode Every Monday

Jew2u.com

Michael@Jew2u.com

Transcript

Jew2u Podcast: Non-Religious Seeking A Return to Judaism? Start Here!

Episode #1: Finally you're seeking guidance on the best way to return to Judaism.

• As a non-religious secular Jew you want to return to Judaism. This podcast is your start.
  
  
• 1st basic thing you should know that will ease your way back.
  • Judaism is personal.
    
    
• 2nd basic thing you should know that will ease your way back.
  • Judaism demands only two easy things. Find out what they are.
    
    
• 3 simple rituals you can do right away.
  • Light shabbat candles.
  • Start doing a weekly Sabbath of your own creation.
  • Buy an easy to read book (one is recommended).
    
    
• 3 Misconceptions about Judaism.
  • Is Judaism a race?
  • Is Judaism the best religion for females?
  • What's the main aspect of Hashem that's particular only to Judaism?
    
    
• Amazing things that separate the Jewish religion from all other religions.
  • The size of the Revelation on Mt. Sinai
  • The giving of the Torah, the user manual of Life.
  • What does the Torah say about death?

Hello Everybody! Welcome to the Jew2U podcast. My name is Michael and I'm here to talk to secular non-religious Jews who feel the pulse of Judaism within but don't know how to get started. Let me begin by telling you that I'm not a Rabbi and don't want to be one. I have no Theology degree and I don't want one. I don't keep Kosher but would love to. I'm just a simple human. 

I was you several years ago. Didn't know how or what to do to get back to my Jewish roots. I went to various temples and had no idea what was going on. I bought some books. They left me dry. I even opened up the Torah, read a little bit, and was lost. I couldn't understand what was in there that kept great intellectual minds so engaged for thousands of years. 

Getting back into Judaism seems like it is not an easy thing to do, but actually it is. Rabbi's will always acknowledge and welcome you but then become more concerned, and rightfully so, about their own congregants and leave you unattended. Even top Rabbis write impassioned articles in sophisticated Jewish magazines about how Jewish assimilation into American culture has permanently lost many millions of Jews, and then they do nothing. It's really quite disappointing. So here I am talking to you because no one else will, or I should say they really don't know how to talk to you so they don't.

You are at a crucial point right here right now. You've found this podcast because you want to enjoy the benefits of Judaism. I'm the last one who can ignite that spark within you. After me you will be lost into assimilation forever or...you can grab the lifeline I'm throwing out to you. I'll be telling you like it is. I won't be begging you in. Either you see it and want it or you don't. This podcast will tell you the easiest ways of where and how to get started. I know because I had many starts and stops. The good news is that coming back to Judaism is not a race. You set your own pace.

So I wrote this book titled Return To Judaism, A Starting Point for Non-Religious Jews. And I realized that I had hit a niche of some sort. No one was doing what I had done. No one was talking to secular non-religious Jews. The book gave these Jews a way to do some simple rituals that were neither time consuming nor expensive. I mean, can you light two 50 cent candles every Friday night! 20 seconds – yeesh! That's the very first step. It seems like nothing, but the candles stay lit for 3 hours and every time you glance at them, they lift you. That's a good thing.

Then after a few weeks of this you'll realize, “Hey, many many Jews more further along in the religion than I am are also lighting candles at sundown all up and down my time-zone so I'm actually connecting with them in a psychic way that I never have before.” You think this doesn't glide your entrance back into Judaism? I'm here to tell you that that vibe definitely does.

Return To Judaism also recommended some really interesting books that secular, non-religious Jews would find interesting and easy to read. Nothing too heavy or demanding and they would instill pride in being a Jew. But most importantly the book gave these fledgling Jews permission to proceed at whatever level was comfortable for them. 

And that's the funny thing about the Jewish religion that's hidden, and shouldn't be, from secular non-religious Jews, and the thing I'd like to tell you first: Judaism is a very personal religion. All Rabbis concur with that idea. They all tell you that your relationship with Hashem is uniquely yours. Yes there are many rules, and laws, and commandments but if you don't want to do any of them, DON'T! Hashem cares more about your EFFORT than anything else. Do what feels right. Don't rip the skin off the snake. As you add a bit of Jewish ritual into your life you will feel better and want more naturally and comfortably. Believe it or not, Hashem will imperceptibly begin to guide you here and there. That's also a good thing.

Now the second basic thing you should know, and this is the battery that will make it easy for you and keep you going: Judaism demands only two things; 1) to learn something new everyday and 2) do good. Who can't do that?! By the way, these two things are not from me or from your neighborhood Rabbi. Actually it came from Abraham a few thousand years ago and kickstarted the whole Jewish thing! See, you just learned something new today!

You can learn something new every day through conversation, taking a class, reading a book, listening to a podcast. Doing good can be as simple as picking up litter or as complex as starting a charity. The idea is to make planet Earth a better place one good action at a time, big or little, all day long. How you accomplish these two things is up to you, that's the personal part, and by doing so you become increasingly Jewish. Hashem will enter your life and lead you a little bit more each day even though you maintain the free will to respond or not.

So now, having admitted that I have no Jewish bone fides I can also tell you that I was you. Caught up in the pleasures of life: eating steak, drinking vodka, playing tennis. But there was no meaning to any of this. And as you age you can't avoid the realization that there has to be more to life than that. That's when you get the itch to explore Judaism and that's why you are here now.

The Torah is a big book of laws, ethics, and values. The answer to every question in life is in there. The Torah is the user manual of life. 

So to get you started I'd like to talk about some misconceptions about Judaism that you might be harboring that's stopping you from moving forward. Misconception #1: is the concept that the Jewish people are the “chosen people.” Chosen doesn't mean superior. Get that out of your head. It means that the Jewish people chose to accept the Torah and all it's teachings. Jewish tradition tells us that the Torah was offered to all the other peoples of Earth and they decided not to take it. 

They liked stealing. They liked adultery. They liked murder and lying. So they rejected it. When Hashem asked the Hebrews if they wanted it, the Hebrews didn't even ask “What's in it?” They decided that whatever Hashem was offering they would take it, sight unseen. 

As a non-religious secular Jew most of what you need to know is contained in the 10 Commandments which were revealed in the Torah. 3,000 years ago the Earth was a pretty terrible place. By living up to the 10 Commandments the world became a better place. Now, don't you want to be part of a group of people trying to make Earth a better place? This, in a nutshell, is what Judaism is all about. And it's not about environmentalism or other political isms that think they are making the world better. Judaism is way above politics because what you do in every mundane moment of the day brings Hashem down into the world and makes Earth a better place.

Misconception #2: the Jewish people are not a race. Don't make that mistake. Jews are composed of all races. They are defined by their study of the Torah and living by the 10 Commandments as best they can. They are further defined by the birth mother being Jewish but Jewish conversion, although not encouraged is certainly permitted and accepted. Circumcision and the Sabbath are other defining pieces of information. Most non-religious secular Jews like you today have a Jewish mother, are circumcised, and probably don't keep the Sabbath. One of the first things you should do is consider taking a day of rest away from your usual lifestyle to honor the Sabbath. It will change you for the better. It changes everybody for the better. Next week's podcast will center around the Sabbath. It's a day full of eating, sleeping, and reading. What's so hard about that?

Misconception #3: Women are obviously second class citizens because they are separated from the men in the orthodox sanctuary. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact it's exactly the opposite. Women are treated FAR BETTER than any other religion and are not only absolute equals to men, as written in Genesis, but also have many traits superior to men.

Women are separated from men in the sanctuary only during prayers. Women have this overwhelming power of distraction over the male domain. Even when dressed modestly just the scent of a woman can distract a man from his highest levels of prayer. When separated men remain fully focussed on their connection to Hashem. When not in a prayer service, say when hearing a lecture or viewing a movie women absolutely mingle in the center section of the sanctuary with the men. So the separation is a matter of honoring the superiority of women, not throwing them off to the corners of the room.

Women are honored and revered all throughout Jewish history. Two women defied the Pharaoh's edict to drown every male at birth. A Jewish woman saved and raised Moses. There were many female Judges that had a major impact within the religion. Other women, just to name a few were: Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, Esther. Israel is not that old. Ever hear of Golda Meir? All these women are admired by the Torah for qualities of faith, courage, leadership, and loyalty. They all play crucial roles in Judaism. There is no second class aspect to the way Jewish women are treated. In fact, I can't think of a religion where women are treated better. Can you?

Finally, those negative towards Judaism refer to Genesis where it says that Hashem created Eve as a “helper” for Adam. But they conveniently leave out the part where it states, “EQUAL” helper. Hashem couldn't be more clear about the essential female aspect in life.

Women are so deeply honored in the Jewish religion that it's required of all Rabbis that they be married. If you have no wife you can't be part of the rabbinate. If you are female, Judaism is where you want to be.

Now, off the misconception topic there are some totally amazing things that separate the Jewish religion from others that you'll discover as you begin your return to Judaism. One crucial one is that Hashem spoke to the Hebrews from Mt. Sinai. He spoke to 3 million Hebrews who were so freaked out that they told Moses to stop Hashem's direct communication after only 2 commandments. They told him, “You talk to Hashem and tell us what he says.” The main point here is that Hashem revealed himself to a huge audience, not one or two people or a small group of people or through an individual's dream or vision. That sort of revelation can be concocted or distorted. But when He talks to a massive group they were all witnesses.

This amazing event was recorded in the Torah and was passed down to us today. Now you have to understand that if a scribe makes even one small mistake in writing a Torah scroll it must be destroyed. The Jews have counted every phrase, every word, every letter in the Torah. The Torah we read today is exactly what they read then. It's my belief that it's more likely that this Godly revelation did occur than that it didn't. But even if you believe it didn't happen the teachings and the 10 Commandments still endure even 3000 years later. You may not find this amazing, I do.This mass communication at Mt. Sinai separates us from other religions. 

Another separation is that Jews believe that Hashem is neither physical nor constrained by nature. That is why there are no physical representations of the Deity in Judaism. Most other religions do. Jews have symbols like the Star of David and the Menorah, but they have no physical rendering of the ultimate One. Coming to grips with this non-physical, above-nature, aspect of Hashem is not easy but allows the Jew to communicate directly through prayer. It's perfectly rational to a Jew that Hashem can be everywhere all at once.

Lastly, the secular non-religious Jew always wants to know what does the Torah say happens after death? Sorry, Hashem gives no direct instruction in the Torah about what happens after you die although there is a lot of information in other books and commentaries. This information tells us that when you die you do have a Judgement Day in which your good deeds throughout your life are evaluated. 

Many Jews take the position that each human learns many many things in life. Is it rational that at the end of this life of learning that it's all buried in the dirt? So this cosmology encourages humans to 1) learn something new every day and 2) do good. Where have you heard that before? Thanks again to Abraham. And, if all these Jewish Sages are wrong and there is no Judgement Day and all that you've learned is buried in the dirt, SO WHAT?! Doing good feels good while you do it and after you do it.

So now where does all of this leave you? Unfortunately you can't binge Judaism. So be reasonable with yourself. Start by lighting shabbos candles every Friday night at sunset. When you get a chance hang a mazuzza on your door. Try making different plans for Saturdays. Explore different local synagogues maybe going once a month. Read a book on Judaism. My recommendation for the first book a non-religious secular Jew should read is The Indisputable Truth by Rabbi Aaron Golfez. He's a young man and his writing will speak to you. It's available on Amazon.

And finally, make sure you come back here next week where I'll offer more Jewish education and insight. I'll be talking about the Sabbath and the 10 Commandments in a secular non-religious sort of way. Until then, be happy, and Shalom!

Shalom (Peace),

Michael