Online Kiruv Training - Jewish Misconceptions: Judaism Takes All the Pleasure Out of Life

Jews of all types particularly those less affiliated have this misperception that Judaism takes all the pleasure and really that religion takes all the pleasure out of life it's not hard to understand why we've grown up in a Christian culture and Jews know more about Judaism unfortunately from Christianity which is aesthetic does downgrade the pleasures of this life in favor of what's going to come in the inhabit in the world to come most of us have gone to synagogue grown up three times a year not such happy times actually Rosh Hashanah very austere very serious all about life and death and culminating in this amazing fun holiday called Yoma Kippur ian fasting all day that's the psychological backdrop that most less affiliated Jews have when I was studying in Israel typically you'd see the following scene play itself out two guys two friends would come into a beginner's class one guy was excited edge of his seat smile ear to ear couldn't drink in the words fast enough and his body was very nervous kind of on the back edge of his seat not really no not really know why he was there invariably the story would be the guy that was uncomfortable nervous was the Jewish guy and the guy that was eating it up was a non-jew strange but true why because the Jew psychologically he felt you know what if I get involved with this my life's over no more fun no more pleasure you know even more observant people have some type of same attitude they do know some of the pleasures in Judaism but they to look at Judaism as sort of a ir a a spiritual IRA or 401k plan you take less in this world you put it away and you get eternal dividends well I want to tell you that our rabbis and our sources really say no the world was created for our pleasure rom hall moshe hifazat though amongst others says world was created for our pleasure ola message abani the world god created a world of kindness I really a hospitality in this is what Avraham avena really when he when he came to his acara his understanding of God that is how we saw the world a great hospitality in and god was that creator of this beautiful end miss beautiful palace god of Anubis chamiah our Father in Heaven all he wants is what a parent wants for his children all the pleasure he can get the first commandment to Avraham aveeno was late haha as we know the famous Rashi wise it's a la ha it says lawhon aha lative a sofa for your pleasure and for your good the very first Commandments the paradigm for all the commandments to follow Judaism's is not for me it's for you from my children we know that Marco duchenne mentions that if you see a fruit a wonderful fruit that you've never had before and you didn't try it God's going to have a tine on you because he wants to give us all the pleasure all the pleasure all the good in the world so why are we having mind-boggling amounts of pleasure if that is what God was trying to give us in the first place we need to understand pleasure and become true connoisseurs give you the following example I remember the first time and I tasted one as like ah that's horrible but after years you know when I got older and I was taught about the bouquet and the legs of the wine I became somewhat more of a connoisseur I would take a glass of wine over hawaiian punch or petal it's greater it's much more sophisticated the pleasure is much deeper we too are have to learn to become connoisseurs of pleasure there are a whole gamut of pleasures in this world from the physical all the way to the spiritual love meaning and many more really Torah is a manual for getting the deeper pleasures out of life all the way from the physical to the most sublime is spiritual one of the greatest gifts is shabbos shabbos is pleasurable is restful is peaceful the families all where they're supposed to be is a beautiful connection in the house this is moving to a less connected and less affiliated jus bringing them to our simplest a hisana more than one person has told me that they became religious starting from going to a meaningful beautiful hisana and sorel an upsherin a Bar Mitzvah all of these are experiences to show the pleasure of Judaism look for opportunities to send Jews to Israel that's really where Jewish Souls light up and wisdom most of all turrets hyeme wisdom for living relevant life-changing wisdom that Jews will say wow I need that for my life really the tour is for our pleasure get it for yourself and share with others and perhaps by sharing all of these pleasures of Torah and a view dish guy with our fellow Jews not only will they be more connected but we will get a sincere upgrade in our pleasure of keeping Torah and mitzvot and we'll be able to transmit that to our families you