Striving for a ‘holy curiosity’ in all of life

Our Jewish tradition encourages debate and questioning. We are known as the People of the Book and, because of that, a people who love reading and writing and learning.

Originally, the book was our Torah, our Bible (edited about 2,500 years ago). Our propensity toward debate and questioning led to the writing and editing of our Talmud (about 1,800 years ago), which is filled with various scholarly perspectives on many issues of concern both legal and social.

During the medieval period, many Jews wrote their questions and sent them to the famous rabbis of their time for answers to their concerns. This system of queries and replies is known in Jewish literature as the Responsa.

Today, this tendency to question is reflected by the large percentage of Jews who are lawyers, psychologists, researchers, physicians and academics. We like to learn, we like to question and we like to sometimes come up with answers and solutions.

More important than the answer is the question. It is critical to have an inquisitive and curious mind if we are to learn new things.

Albert Einstein wrote: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”

The best example of our love of questions is our Passover Seder and meal. During this service and dinner, we ask many questions and explore various answers regarding our traditions and our Passover history. This holiday helps teach our children the importance of asking questions.

Last week I met a young man who said that he was led to a particular religious affiliation because it offered answers to his many questions. I was happy to hear his story, yet I went away thinking, “How can a religion offer answers to what I think of as ultimate and unanswerable questions?”

Judaism, for me, offers a beautiful approach to life. Judaism offers a love for life itself, a love of learning, a desire for peace and social justice. However, Judaism does not always offer answers. Rather, Judaism offers various possibilities for understanding the many ultimate questions we have. Most important, Judaism offers a beautiful path to follow as we make our way through life – a path filled with meaningful holidays, life-cycle celebrations and so many traditions from an ancient and a contemporary people.

Two contemporary Jewish books reflect our inclination toward asking questions and offering answers. The first is called “Tough Questions Jews Ask,” by Rabbi Edward Feinstein. The second is titled “The Jewish Book of Why,” by Alfred Kolatch. Both of these books understand the Jewish tendency toward asking questions, and both books offer concise and understandable answers.

I have two interesting questions for you.

First, what percentage of the United States population is Jewish? Second, what percentage of the world population is Jewish? There are about 5.5 million Jews in the United States, so not even 2 percent of the U.S. population is Jewish. There are just under 15 million Jews worldwide, so about 0.2 percent of the world’s population is Jewish. Amazing! We are so small numerically yet so significant in terms of our world history and our many and significant contributions. Most people guess that the Jewish population in the United States is as much as 20 percent.

Mark Twain wrote: “Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also [way] out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him.”

I have been writing this Voices column for the Bangor Daily News for the last several months. I know that some people are reading my articles, and I hope that many others I never hear from are reading my entries as well.

I am inviting you to send me your questions. I know that most of my readers are not Jewish, and it is likely that you have questions about Judaism and about the Jewish people. I would like to have the opportunity to respond to your questions whether or not you are Jewish. Please feel free to e-mail me your questions directly or mail them to the Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402, Attn: Tom McCord. He will forward them to me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Rabbi Barry Krieger is the rabbinic facilitator for the Hillel organization at the University of Maine in Orono. He may be reached via bkrieger56@aol.com. Voices is a weekly commentary by five Maine columnists who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.