Finding God in the Hole of the Bagel - Jewish Food and Spirituality

[Guest guest]

B " H

 

I took my husband out for his birthday yesterday evening. We went to

a wonderful evening of music at a place that is called Ohel Avraham

Avinu (Our Father Avraham's Tent). The place is a bomb shelter

which, like so many in Israel, is kept clean and in working order by

being used as some sort of a meeting place. Ohel Avraham Avinu is

decorated with comfortable chairs, tables, multicolor rugs on the

floors and multicolor scarves that hang from the center of the

ceiling and are attached to the bottom of the walls making the place

look like a very inhabitable tent indeed. The lead was Banjo Billy, a

recently religious singer-songwriter-musician who came to Israel

exactly one year ago (to the day) from Australia. He was accompanied

by another newly religious man who played guitar and harmonica and

third man dressed in full Chassidic regalia, replete with long black

coat and mink hat, who played mandolin Banjo Billy introduced the

Chassid to the audience as the Head of the Yeshivah (religious

school) for newly-religious young men that Banjo Billy learns in.

 

Among the teachings that Banjo Billy relayed to the audience by way

of the songs he has written since becoming religious is this: " You

don't have to be devout, if you have an open heart and mind you will

find God even in the middle of the hole of the bagel. " That sounds

like a cute metaphor, but as I sat there and gave the metaphor a

second thought I realized it is much deeper than one hears at first.

 

I realized that it is in the " holes " in my life that I should be

looking for God: in the things that I don't have, in the

disappointments and in the failures, in the many, many things that

are not perfect that I see around me, or as I wish they would be –

and most especially for me, in the lack of holiness in Judaism

today – in the ignorance, in the hypocrisy, in the fulfillment of the

minutiae of minhagim, whereas the most important mitzvoth d'Oreita

are left unfulfilled. It is there that I must look for God: in the

hole in the middle of the heart of the Jewish People.

 

Banjo Billy taught me that it is in the what is not that a very deep

revelation of God is found – a level far higher than the level of

Godliness found in the already realized.

 

I was not merely entertained – I was inspired and came away with a

precious lesson that I can cherish forever.

 

Doreen

[Guest guest]

Shalom Doreen,

thank you for this wonderful message!

 

Gabriella