28 May
The Pursuit of Authentic Piety
What is piety? Orthodox folks of various persuasions tend to think of it in terms of “looking Frum,” and displaying “Holier-than-thou” kind of behavior. It’s a lot easier to be fussy about lettuce and bugs than it is to be truly reflective and introspective with one’s soul, isn’t it? Whenever people riot in the name of religion, I think we are witnessing atheistic behavior in its purest form, for God demands that we treat life with reverence and with respect. The failure to do so can only mean that one does not truly recognize the Image of God in others.
One of the great Italian mystics of the 18th century was Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzato, who is widely regarded as one of Judaism’s greatest moralists and mystics. In his famous moral tract, “Path of the Just,” Rabbi Moshe delineates the purpose of his book. The modern reader cannot help but notice the humility and purity of spirit this man exuded.
The writer says: I have written this work not to teach people what they do not know, but to remind them of what they already know and is very evident to them, for you will find in most of my words only things which most people know, and concerning which they entertain no doubts. However, to the extent that they are well known and their truths revealed to all, so is forgetfulness in relation to them extremely prevalent. It follows, then, that the benefit to be obtained from this work is not derived from a single reading; for it is possible that the reader will find that he has learned little after having read it that he did not know before. Its benefit is to be derived, rather, through review and persistent study, by which one is reminded of those things which, by nature, he is prone to forget and through which he is caused to take to heart the duty that he tends to overlook. A consideration of the general state of affairs will reveal that the majority of men of quick intelligence and keen mentality devote most of their thought and speculation to the subtleties of wisdom and the profundities of analysis, each according to the inclination of his intelligence and his natural bent.
There are some who expend a great deal of effort in studying the creation and nature. Others devote all of their thought to astronomy and mathematics, and others to the arts. By the same token there are those who go more deeply into sacred studies, into the study of the holy Torah, some occupying themselves with Halachic discussions, others with Midrash and others with legal decisions. There are few, however, who devote thought and study to perfection of Divine o love, fear, communion and all of the other aspects of saintliness. It iservice – ts not that they consider this knowledge unessential; if questioned each one will maintain that it is of paramount importance and that one who is not clearly versed in it cannot be deemed truly wise.
Their failure to devote more attention to it stems rather from its being so manifest and so obvious to them that they see no need for spending much time upon it. Consequently, this study and the reading of works of this kind have been left to those of a not too sensitive, almost dull intelligence. These you will see immersed in the study of saintliness, not stirring from it. It has reached the stage that when one sees another engaging in saintly conduct, he cannot help but suspect him of dull-wittedness. This state of affairs results in evil consequences both for those who possess wisdom and for those who do not, causing both classes to lack true saintliness, and rendering it extremely rare.
The wise lack it because of their limited consideration of it and the unwise because of their limited grasp. The result is that saintliness is construed by most to consist in the recitation of many Psalms, very long confessions, difficult fasts, and ablutions in ice and snow – all of which are incompatible with intellect and which reason refuses to accept.”
Postscript:
R. Moshe Hayim reminds us that personal piety should not be a pursuit limited to the “pious,” but every person needs to work on the improvement of one’s character and behavior. Unfortunately, many folks still think that saintliness is for the exceptional person. In Biblical Hebrew, the term צַדִּיק means more than “righteous,” it derives from the root word צֶדֶק “just,” or, “honest,” i.e., someone who acts with complete equity. The BDB Lexicon adds:
