"Though rabbis have traditionally been my community's primary teachers and transmitters of Judaism, you can find other types of Jewish educators. Depending on your specific context and stage, what you need may not be a scholar but a peer, a fellow learner. In Gonzo Judaism, I describe how, in classical Jewish education, a hevruta is your pedagogic partner, the person you study, discuss, and debate Jewish texts and ideas with. Your hevruta is the person you learn from as well as teach, the training companion on whom much of your religious knowledge — and, from my perspective, your spiritual development — in a very significant way depends.
"A hevruta (which derives from the same Hebrew root letters as havurah, or community) is like a sparring partner. The two of you are engaged — mostly on an unconscious level — in an intense and intimate battle to transform and, in the end, transcend yourselves. That is what it means to be a spiritual warrior. Training of this nature and degree is nothing like its 'secular' counterpart; you don't just sit down in a comfortable chair and read on your own, alone. You interact, dialogue, debate, and wrestle — and none of this would be possible in a vacuum of the self. Through the ancient hevruta method, the roles of student and teacher are in a perpetual state of flux.
"The Jewish tradition declares that God is present whenever two people study Torah together. Learning is more than the acquisition of data — it is a sacrament.
"Once you have connected with a community and found the right teacher, your warrior journey has just begun. Consider yourself a yellow belt. You have a firm foundation in your particular tradition, you feel more secure, and you're ready. You understand that striving to achieve anything of worth in this world, including spiritual growth, involves humility, patience, discipline, and immersion. You grasp that it is the process, not necessarily the final result, that counts. Now the training really begins.
"The words of the Sh'ma prayer (from the Jewish liturgy) are meaningful for us when we embark on this path of learning: 'Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise up' (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). There are no shortcuts. The only path toward attaining a well-anchored, renewed, and genuinely empowered soul is through consistent, ongoing study and practice.
"Learning for its own sake (lishma) is a Jewish obligation as well as a spiritual virtue. It is the quality of our commitment, not the quantity of our knowledge or experience, that truly defines us. Nevertheless, how diligently we immerse ourselves in our training is a reflection of that commitment. Regular, disciplined study and practice give us the tools that are required to live a fulfilling spiritual life, even as they deepen our devotion. That same learning will also help us to develop the capacity, depending on our characters and receptivity, to open new windows to the realm of the divine.
"Communion flows from commitment.
"So learn the fundamentals of your tradition. Let things take their natural course and evolve. Try to be patient. And be sure your soul has solid footing before you allow it to it take flight — it will fly higher, it will soar farther, and your aim will be truer."
