I've had an idea that has been floating in the back of my mind since reading this d'var Torah and listening to your podcast with Leon Kass.
I'm struck by Kass's interpretation of the Avraham / Yitzhak relationship reflecting the "passing" of religion from one generation to the next. Yitzhak struggles to come to terms with Avraham's faith (for obvious reasons, given the Akeidah), but finally adopts the faith in some form.
I'd posit that one could take this idea further and say that Yaakov is the first example of "spiritual but not religious". He clearly struggles with adopting the God of his father, even as he has deeply "spiritual" experiences in his dreams.
Yosef continues the spiritually-driven experience of his father (being a dreamer), but becomes so separate from his religious heritage in his time in Egypt that his is completely lost from Israel; only his children are able to return to the religious fold.
This interpretation I'm sure connects to my own deep reservations about the "spiritual but not religious" identity, which is not to say that I have any more faith in "by-the-book religion" (or: religious orthodoxy and orthopraxy without room for individual spiritual exploration). To borrow from the language in your conclusion: "The deeper meaning of Hannuka is that we need both. Religion can’t be opposed to [spirituality] nor can it be captive to it."
I've had an idea that has been floating in the back of my mind since reading this d'var Torah and listening to your podcast with Leon Kass.
I'm struck by Kass's interpretation of the Avraham / Yitzhak relationship reflecting the "passing" of religion from one generation to the next. Yitzhak struggles to come to terms with Avraham's faith (for obvious reasons, given the Akeidah), but finally adopts the faith in some form.
I'd posit that one could take this idea further and say that Yaakov is the first example of "spiritual but not religious". He clearly struggles with adopting the God of his father, even as he has deeply "spiritual" experiences in his dreams.
Yosef continues the spiritually-driven experience of his father (being a dreamer), but becomes so separate from his religious heritage in his time in Egypt that his is completely lost from Israel; only his children are able to return to the religious fold.
This interpretation I'm sure connects to my own deep reservations about the "spiritual but not religious" identity, which is not to say that I have any more faith in "by-the-book religion" (or: religious orthodoxy and orthopraxy without room for individual spiritual exploration). To borrow from the language in your conclusion: "The deeper meaning of Hannuka is that we need both. Religion can’t be opposed to [spirituality] nor can it be captive to it."
Thank you for the Jewish perspective. Read this story so many times. Never thought of it this way.