Makes Me Ill
by Reb Akiva at Mystical Paths
There's a story told about the Chabad Chossid Reb Shmuel Munkus. He was at a farbrengen (chassidic gathering). Various appetizers were being brought in as l'chaims were passed around. After a while, he was asked to bring the next thing in. The next item in the kitchen was a large roast (actually a roast lung), a special treat. He arrived back at the table with this special treat, and laughed and danced around the table with it.
For a time, everyone played along wholeheartedly. But after a while they got annoyed with him already and started grabbing at him to get it, beginning to get downright violent. Finally, mouths watering they chased him around the room...he ran to the side and right before the grabbed him he dumped the roast into the spittoon - rendering it inedible.
(to cut the story short) Being very upset at the loss of this very special treat, they insisted he be punished. He agreed to submit to their judgement, and they gave him makot.
A few minutes later, the butcher rushed into the Beis Medrash, "yidden, yidden, don't eat the roast!!! It's not kosher!". He was glad to see that they hadn't, but didn't understand, why not?
Everyone turned to Reb Shmuel and demanded an explanation. How did he know the roast wasn't kosher? Was he a miracle worker? Did he have the chuzpah to do miracles right there in the Rebbe's Beis Medrash?
He explained, "Ever since my yechidas (personal meeting) with the Rebbe, he gave me a blessing and a program to overcome my physical desires. Yet when I brought in the roast, I felt my mouth watering and a strong desire for the roast. Then I saw everyone else reacting the same, practically getting violent just to get a piece of the roast. Seeing my own and everyone's animal soul come alive at the sight of the roast, I knew something had to be wrong."
Dear friends, take a look at the picture below. If you are a religious Jew, tell me how you feel about it. Then try to tell me this is kosher. Sometimes we need halacha, but sometimes all we need is our eyes.
I cannot imagine how COLIVE, a Chabad news and events site, could even put such a picture up.
Chabad House rabbi's and rebbitzen's, THIS is what you want in your Chabad House? THIS is what you want to bring yidden to?
I am disgusted.
12 comments:
It is indeed not ideal to use a pose identical or very similar to that of Hindu Yogis. This is because it suggests that copying other religions in other more significant ways is OK too.
But think about it this way. When Muslims pray, they put their hands upward towards heaven. Avraham ben Rambam said that this practice, done by sufis at the time, was what the Jewish prophets did too, but that the practice was lost among the Jews. Rebbe Nachman says "When you’re in prayer you should open your palms as if you’re receiving something." So it is not necessarily wrong to use a bodily pose that is like another religion's.
Moreover, Reb Locks says in Taming the Raging Mind that poses from yoga or qigong can be OK as long as they are completely divorced from any religious context. So the actual pose of the body is not what is the problem, but rather the intention behind it.
The biggest problem with the photo is that it makes it appear that Jews don't have their own meditation traditions, and that by doing meditation or other related exercises we have to strike meditation poses that are the same as the Hindus. And like I said above, it makes it seem like further copying may be OK.
This reminds me of a story about some big guru over in the far east or whereabouts, very much in demand, and always a long line leading up the mountain to him. His reputation was know all over the world.
Well, one day, there appeared a little old lady in the line. Everyone knew this was unusual, because only men lined up to speak to the swami. She stood in line for days and days, and finally it was her turn.
She entered, moved close to the Swami and in an authoritative tone, she said
“Moishe, come home!”
Neshama, have you read Reb Locks' autobiography, Coming Down to Earth? If you enjoyed that joke, you'll enjoy the book.
Akiva what makes me ill are people who interpret others' intentions without asking for any clarification. How do you know what this chassid is doing ? Besides, yoga is not necessarily a religious practice. For some people it's a sport and it is well known to have many kosher benefits. Eg Yoga can help you study Torah longer and it can also lead you to higher levels of consciousness for instance. Some friends told me they've done teshuva after they started doing yoga as a sport (not as anthing religious).
Article about this just today
Yikes!! the photo is terrible. and the article is terrible..in chabad news??!!! oy vey!!!!
if the photo was simply of a man sitting on a chair with his hands on his thighs quietly, it would be fine. but this is a 'yoga posture' a recognized 'eastern' (not brooklyn) position.
please everyone tell chabad that the article by 'taffy whoever is terrible!!!!
it totally equivocates.
RSO!!!!!! we need help!!!!!!!
Hi Gil!
Hm where to begin...
1) Yoga was utilized in India by all the major religous/philosophical groups for health and mental hygiene, not merely Hindus. This would include for example the Carvakas, who are strict atheistic materialists (I learned this from Prof. Saul Joel of York University, an East Indian Jew and expert in Indian Philosophy). Since they believe in no deities or supernatural forces of any kind, their use of yoga would be entirely profane. Is this not analogous to a non-Jew using an actual idol (and not merely a chashash avizerayahu de'avoda zara) for a profane purpose, which then renders it permissible for use by the Jew (e.g. Uriah HaChiti and David)? I have not heard this argument made elsewhere, yet a Dayan from Jerusalem involved in the sugya to whom I made this argument told me it was very interesting and deserved careful consideration.
2) Jews suffer stress, anxiety, depression, many ailments that yoga can alleviate immensely for many people.
3) In addition, given constraints on time and our harried modern lifestyle (especially frum lifestyle), I believe that the healing practices of meditation and body work will increasingly need to be closely integrated to prayer and avodat Hashem. Calm, full breath, focus etc are at their highest during yogic and meditative practices, and these are the main ingredients---along with proper holy cavana---that inform authentic, serious, mystically-disciplined Jewish hitbonenut and prayer (see for example Kuntres HaAvoda and Tefila, re: Hasarat haTirdot). There will be increasing pressures to integrate all these elements in ever-more intimate ways; deeper, more advanced and authentic ways. It's happening now and I think it's good, even if we will make some mistakes along the way, and we'll argue about things like what position to hold the hands etc. I see this as one of those big assimilative shifts, like when we faced and assimilated Greek Philosophy.
4) As for sitting Eastern-style, yeshiva mizrachit: I live in Eretz Yisrael, i.e. Middle East, and can tell you that Jewish sages originating in this part of the world sat on pillows or on the ground with legs crossed it's no big deal, more than half the planet sits that way. Better for your back, more stable, hence better suited to concentration. No Big Deal. What, next you're going to tell people that can't sit cross legged because ovdei avoda zara sat that way? What about eating with chopsticks? MOST EVERYBODY SAT THAT WAY and still do, these days all over the world. So please take a second look. People just want to feel good so they can go deeper in their avodat Hashem. With blessing.
Yaacov Lefcoe, MA (Psych)
Graduate of Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai,
Rosh Pinna,
Israel
the hand position is originally from scuba diving. It means I'm ok, see http://www.fotosearch.com/FSP652/837005/
LOL!
you should know chabad.org took down that yoga article
Still hoping that someone will respond to the arguments I put forth (above). This is a pressing issue.
I think its great I used that position for 15 years before basketball practice it stretches the lower muscles see thats why hes quite not like all these loud abnoxious dumb jews !
Post a Comment