Go East

In recent decades, many Jews have returned to Judaism, ironically, through exposure to Eastern mysticism. Many Jews who have lost their appreciation for Jewish values and teachings and who were turned on by Eastern mysticism have subsequently discovered that they could find these mystical teachings in their original, unadulterated form in their own back yard.

The Gifts Abraham Gave his Other Sons

Abraham is known to us as the father of the Patriarch Isaac. But Abraham was also the father of Yishmael and six other sons. Yet the Torah makes a sharp distinction between the way Abraham related to Isaac and his other seven sons. Before his passing, Abraham “gave all that was his to his son Isaac.” To his other sons Abraham gave some token gifts and sent them eastward.

On the surface, the reason Abraham sent them away was to ensure that they would not make any claim to the land of Abraham that was reserved for the progeny of Isaac and Jacob exclusively.

But, according to the Zohar (the principal work of Jewish Mysticism— the Kabbalah) there was a deeper reason for sending them away that is linked to the nature of the “gifts” he had given them.

Our sages ask, what could Abraham have possibly given to his other sons, after having given everything he owned to his son Isaac?

The Zohar’s answer — alluded to in Rashi’s commentary — is that Abraham did not give them material gifts but rather a spiritual one. Abraham had given them mystical and spiritual powers that they took with them to their eastern destination. This is where Eastern religions acquired their mystical tradition.

Spreading the Message

We can now appreciate why Abraham had sent them to the east, because Abraham wanted them to introduce a spiritual dimension to that part of the world. While the Jewish nation would eventually receive the Torah and spread throughout the “western world” and instill the spiritual dimension to the west, there was a need to prepare the eastern world as well.

To be sure, not everything that we find in Eastern religions can be attributed to Abraham’s teachings. Indeed, some of the elements of Eastern religions fly in the face of Abraham’s monotheistic teaching. The contribution of Abraham — through his sons — was to provide them with a spiritual basis so that they would have the ability to choose between paganism and an enlightened spiritual form of Monotheism. While most of these nations chose paganism over monotheism, they still retained some of the salient characteristics of the spiritual dimension of Judaism that originated with Abraham. This, in turn, provides them with the opportunity to be ready for the time when all nations will serve one G-d’ having been introduced to the spiritual underpinnings of Monotheism.

Indeed, Maimonides explains why G-d allowed the emergence of other religions which are based on erroneous theological foundations. It was to prepare the world for a time when the truth of G-d’s oneness and the eternal nature of the commandments. By getting the world exposed to these ideas, even if they reject them, will allow them to appreciate the truth when it is exposed in the future Messianic Age.

Although Maimonides was discussing Western religions that broke away from Judaism, the same can be applied to Eastern religions. Their emphasis on spirituality, though misguided, will prepare them for the time when Divine spirituality will become the norm all of humankind will recognize the one G-d.

It’s in Our Own Backyard

In recent decades, many Jews have returned to Judaism, ironically, through exposure to Eastern mysticism. Many Jews who have lost their appreciation for Jewish values and teachings and who were turned on by Eastern mysticism have subsequently discovered that they could find these mystical teachings in their original unadulterated form in their own back yard.

In light of what the Zohar has said, there is yet another irony in what is occurring today. Abraham’s gift of spiritual teachings to his sons whom he sent away to the east, has served as the channel for so many Jews of our times to return back to the teachings that were given by Abraham to his son Isaac and Jacob for the Jewish people.

The Zohar also tells us that the mystical teachings of Judaism will ultimately be popularized as a prelude and preparation for the Messianic Age. Though Judaism emphasizes the importance and preeminence of good actions over feelings and thoughts, nevertheless, Jewish life is incomplete without the combination of the two: The physical performance of Mitzvos and the spiritual feelings that imbue the actions with deeper meaning and life.

As we stand presently on the very threshold of the Messianic Age, when the mystical teachings of Judaism will be revealed to all, we are witnessing the proliferation of Jewish mystical teachings, throughout the world. While we must make sure that they are in harmony with the teachings of Torah, this proliferation augurs well for the future of the Jewish people and the entire world.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Chayei Sarah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.