I said:
What I was especially thinking upon is that Judaism seems very focussed on the events of the distant past - yet for the past couple of thousand years seems spiritually becalmed?
I don't think the events of the past are simply events of the past, but rather archetypal episodes that help us see our lives through many different lenses, sacred memories that allow for a communal metaphor of existence. On Pesach(Passover) we are supposed to remember how God brought us out of the land of Egypt and in each generation we are told there is a Pharoah. On Purim we remember how Haman was stopped and the Jews were saved from genocide, and in this echoes the true stories of physical salvation from our enemies and the echoed dreams of all the times a Haman could not be stopped in time. On Shabbat we remember the seventh day of creation and also being liberated from Egypt as we ourselves are liberated from the heavy burdens of our materialistic lives. They also tie into the calendrical year. For instance on Hanukah we are gradually lighting more candles as the darkest time of the year approaches. Arthur Waskow wrote a very good book that discusses the calendrical significance of all of the holidays. The calendrical significance of Shabbat is that it is out of time. It is not tied to the cycles of the year but is independent. It is a day of its own.
This type of living also ties into every weekly Torah portion, each of which comes at the same time of year (unless it's for Rosh Chodesh, the head of the month, in which case it'll come over and over.)
Spiritually becalming in Judaism I think happens when someone starts to ignore the lense. They see the trees, the events themselves (which I would argue aren't necessarily and don't have to be historically true anyway) and miss out on what the events symbolize, and when they ignore the way to connect to God in every moment, the mitzvot. For some certain mitzvot won't make sense at all. That's fine. They don't make sense to other people either. That's why there's eco-kashrut and some very religious and spiritual Jews might use the computer on Shabbat. If the myth of commandedness is broken, then there's no reason to do it exactly like Torah says. I say any such Jew seeking spirituality should examine the mitzvot and find what is meaningful to them and how they can renew that which is not.
Yes, there is the continued development of commentary, philosophy, and reflection - but from the outside Judaism itself seems to be waiting to move into another stage of faith, founded upon the rebuilding of the temple?
Only the Orthodox, afaik, but I do think most Jews have at least some sort of utopian ideal for the future. Even if they don't believe it's possible or that it can last, it's still a goal to strive for. And this goal will vary for different people. Some will see it as a time when all can finally recognize the Oneness of creation. Others will see it as a time when nation will not lift up sword against nation and mankind will not learn war anymore. Others might just want things to be a little better than they are now. I have no problem singing Eliyahu HaNavi(a song about Elijah the prophet coming with the moshiach) because I see HaMoshiach as the embodiment of everything humanity has the potential to be if it can overcome its most base aspects. I see HaMoshiach as the potential future evolution of mankind, the next step or the 20th next step that will lead us further beyond these dark ages.
And if it's not a riotous question to raise, is Judaism too fixated upon the past and where it has been, rather than where it is now and where is it going?
Not if you speak to a Renewal or Reconstructionist Jew. These are Renewal's principles:
http://www.aleph.org/principles.html
But in general I think it's still focused on where it's going, just with more emphasis in one place than another. Orthodox Jews may feel completely comfortable with the system they've got, but that doesn't mean they're not doing Tikkun.
Or is this precisely the reason for the diversification of Judaism in relatively recent years?
Diversification happens in Judaism when a brush with contemporary thought breaks a myth for some people. Then everybody scrambles to make sense of it all. Rambam's generation was able to take foreign ideas and show them to be fully in line with Jewish thinking rather than in opposition to Jewish thinking. In a place like America where everybody can have an opinion, there are just going to be more and more answers to the questions. And I think that's a good thing.
In which case, I'm curious as to how Judaism answered itself, and how these relate to Judaism's perception of its relationship with G!d nowdays?
Depends on what type of Judaism. Recon rejects the covenantal relationship as the type of worldview that leads to things like Nazism. But whatever denomination it is, God is present.
I appreciate that this post tries to approach multiple issues, so links may be of particular use here.
I missed this my first time reading through so I will supply a couple more links.
For some modern answers to these questions this is Tikkun, representing the spiritual left (the ask the rabbi article on God is very good and very different from what one would get from an O rabbi. That article also shows a focus on humanity changing and even God changing, or at least different faces of God being revealed for different eras.)
http://www.tikkun.org/
And Arthur Waskow's homepage (he has liberal takes on calendrical events, also shows how some Jews are focused on renewal of tradition)
http://www.shalomctr.org/
Recon FAQ(Recon answers to Jewish relationship with God, meaning of mitzvot, etc.):
http://www.jrf.org/edu/faqs.html
As a demonstration of change, a site with new rituals being created in our times:
http://www.ritualwell.org/index.html
Finnegan's Awakening, a free-flowing article on God by Reb Zalman that mentions Tillich, Watts, and Jesus, as well as some jewish thinkers:
http://www.ohalah.org/rebzalman1.htm
If you only look at one of these, check out God by Michael Lerner in Tikkun. If you only look at two, Tikkun and the FAQ. Three, Tikkun, the FAQ, and Reb Zalman. Four, Tikkun, the Faq, Zalman, and the Shalom Center. All that's left after that is ritual well which really won't tell you much but will show you ritual innovation in action. Baruch Hashem for innovation.
Dauer
