Whenever we do a mitzvah, it is as if we raise this staff and pierce the Heavens and God sends His Divine Light through the opening we have made in the spiritual cosmos. Whether it entails a sacred text, an experience, or the way things work, Kabbalists believe that God moves in mysterious ways. To be sure, many of the great medieval Jewish philosophers did just that. 8:3) The separation of nutrients from waste in the act of eating has its spiritual counterpart in the purification of the sparks of holiness which are contained in food. Spirituality in Judaism goes way beyond a warm fuzzy feeling. For both, knowing is a form of depth-seeing. (Deut. Rami Shapiro in Hasidic Tales observes: "Acts of generosity are essential to the spiritual life, reflecting as they do an awareness of the interconnectedness of all beings. The Judaism that survived became a largely intellectual religion in which spirituality and embodied experiences took a backseat. The Spiritual Act of Eating: Purification of the Sparks …man does not live by bread alone, but by all that comes out of G‑d’s mouth. Judaism (Hebrew: יהדות ‎, Yahadut; originally from Hebrew יהודה, Yehudah, "Judah", via Greek Ἰουδαϊσμός Ioudaismos) is an ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. Judaism sets a minimum standard for giving: ten percent of your earnings. Spirituality is where you and God meet and what you do about it. They did so under the influence of neo-Platonic and neo-Aristotelian thought, itself mediated by the great philosophers of Islam. Jewish Sufi seeker Ya’qub ibn Yusuf, born Joshua Heckelman in New York City, studied with great spiritual masters before opening Olam Qatan a generation ago. The two most important sources in Jewish spiritual life: Torah, the instruction, and wisdom, the capacity to understand and discern, were taught … In addition to that, numerically, the letters of chai add up to the number 18, which in Judaism is a spiritual number that brings good luck. IJS takes a more holistic approach, with spiritual practices to engage the head, heart, body and soul. It began, too, to speak of the soul remaining beyond the demise of the body, and of a spiritual life beginning prior to material existence. But the Hasid, the compassionate disciple of God, goes beyond the letter of the law." Thus, Judaism began to adopt a transcendental view of history and the meaning of human existence, and at the same time to view the soul as existing on a spiritual plane. Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala)—sometimes translated as “mysticism” or “occult knowledge—is a part of Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God. There is a broad kinship between Jewish mysticism and Platonic or neo-Platonic thought. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenant that God established with the Children of Israel. It is as if each Jew is given a great staff, reaching from the ground to almost the heavens. A renowned political speechwriter rediscovers Judaism, finding timeless wisdom and spiritual connection in its age-old practices and traditions. You will usually see this symbol in Jewish jewelry. Jewish spirituality is an approach to life in which we strive to become aware of God's presence and purpose in everything. It doesn't imply a removal from the everyday. Judaism is a religious tradition with origins dating back nearly four thousand years, rooted in the ancient near eastern region of Canaan (which is now Israel and Palestinian territories). This is the reason why, when it comes to charity, the Jews always offer gifts in the multiples of 18 (18, 36,54, and so on). In classical Hebrew Jewish spirituality, there is only one world, that is simultaneously material and spiritual.