Nas Daily Tackles Judaism

“Dov Ber, your Passover vacation is going to be different this year.”

I got word that I will be having the opportunity to learn with Nuseir Yassin, the huge media influencer who creates Nas Daily. The “Israeli-Palestinian” has 22 million Facebook followers, 13.4 million subscribers to his Youtube channel and 4.4 million followers on Instagram. “He’s doing a 6-month series on world religions. He’s already done Buddhism, Hinduism, and Atheism and he’s coming to Aish to learn about Judaism. He’d like to speak to a Rabbi and you are the man.”

Essentially, I’d be sharing a lengthy conversation about Judaism with the entire world. What message should I give? Nuseir seemed to be a genuine guy trying to share meaningful content with the world. I looked forward to meeting him in person and wasn’t disappointed. He is down to earth, humble, inquisitive, open, and genuine.

Nuseir told me that he wanted to focus on two aspects of Judaism – community and our practice of chavruta-style learning where pairs debate and discuss Judaism’s holy texts to arrive at the deeper truth.

Although those two ideas are certainly part of the Jewish lifestyle, they barely scratch the surface of Judaism’s profound teachings that fueled my own spiritual journey from the Far East to living in Israel.

Learning with Nuseir at Aish

During our time together, we discussed life, Judaism, and world peace. I managed to share some of the paradigm-shifting teachings that were so meaningful to me but most didn’t make the final cut of the video, which you can view below. Here are two empowering and inspiring ideas that I think the world should know about Judaism.

God and the Purpose of Life

Some people think God is an angry man in the sky with a bunch of rules that you have to follow to make Him happy and if you don’t you’ll be punished. Rabbi Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, said that that idea of God is itself idol worship. God isn’t some entity that we have to please and appease.

Abraham lived in a time when people worshipped the sun, stars, trees, and even man-made stone idols – physical, unconscious, limited entities. Abraham looked around him, at the beauty, harmony, design, and complexity of life, even at his own consciousness, and realized there must be an Infinite Consciousness, an Intelligent Creator of the whole system.

Infinite Consciousness permeates and enlivens the whole of our reality and also stretches infinitely out beyond time and space. This philosophy is not just the belief that there is One God (Monotheism), but Panentheism – the belief that One Infinite God is at the same time giving existence to, saturating, and sustaining finite reality, while not being limited to it (not to be confused with pantheism, which teaches the universe is God). The universe therefore is a finite projection of Infinite Consciousness (something that quantum physics is coming to prove - see the amazing work of Professor Don Hoffman) and we, our souls, are finite conscious expressions of Infinite Consciousness. That’s mind-blowing!

So, why did Infinite Consciousness create anything in the first place? This Infinite Being doesn’t need to create; it isn’t lacking and it doesn’t get bored or lonely.

Therefore, creation wasn’t for the Creator; it was for the creation. Creation was an act of giving, an act of pure love.

A loving parent wants their child to be fulfilled, to joyfully reach their potential, to grow, achieve, and create for themselves. So too, Infinite Consciousness created a world in which we could use our free will to improve ourselves and improve the world or do the opposite. By manifesting goodness, overcoming the evil within ourselves, and doing the same in the world around us, we can truly experience the joy of living a meaningful life.

A profound story is told of the Roman General Turnus Rufus and Rabbi Akiva. The Roman, who was against circumcision, asked Rabbi Akiva, “What is greater, the work of God or the work of man?” He was implying that God created our bodies in one way, we shouldn’t change that through circumcision. Rabbi Akiva asked in reply, “Well what would you rather eat, wheat or bread?” Wheat is the work of God, bread is the work of partnership between God and man. That’s the highest level. It makes life meaningful and pleasurable.

Far from being evil sinners trying to appease the man in the sky, we are partners with God in the perfection of the universe. What God wants from us is to partner with Him in perfecting ourselves and the world around us, and in this way, we get what God wants for us - the immense pleasure of self-actualization and a relationship with Him.

More than God wants us to be with Him, God wants us to be like Him. To perfect ourselves on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level, to be conscious creators of goodness in the world, and thereby build our relationship with Him.

Balance Physical and Spiritual

When I was living in Asia for six years, immersing myself in the culture and spiritual practices, I found that Eastern spirituality in general involves detachment from the physical world. Buddhist monks don’t get married, don’t have money, don't eat after 12:00 p.m. I did an almost complete fast for seven days, just two cups of water a day, a small piece of papaya on three days, and half an apple one day when I decided to climb two hours up the mountain to meet the Dalai Lama. The world I grew up in the West was the opposite it was focused on mega-consumerism: sex, money, food, and social media.

Jewish spirituality teaches that we need to find balance. We can have physical intimacy, just with the right person, in the right way, at the right time, and with the right intention. If done in this way, not only is it okay, it is a vehicle to reach a high level of spirituality and holiness.

We can enjoy good food, we just make sure it is kosher, we say a blessing before we eat, eat consciously and in moderation, and then say a blessing afterward. In this way, eating itself becomes a spiritual act.

We can be rich, we just shouldn’t get our sense of self or happiness from our wealth. We give at least 10% of our income to charity, and we use it for healthy things and to create goodness in the world.

God wants us to enjoy the pleasures of this world. The first thing God said to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was “Eat from all the trees in the garden (apart from that one).” We have taste buds and there are over 2000 types of fruit! Clearly, the Creator wants us to enjoy the physical pleasures of the world. However, physical pleasure just for selfish, short-term pleasure-taking is missing the point and will never create happiness, self-respect, or spirituality.

The purpose of pleasure is connection. The pleasure, physical, intellectual, and spiritual, that people give each other is what connects them on an emotional level. So too the pleasure we take from the world is supposed to connect us, through gratitude and awe, to the provider of the pleasure - God.

Judaism is about relationships. Our relationship with ourselves, with our fellow humans, and with God. Pleasure, used in the right way, is the glue that creates a close relationship. So we can have the best of all worlds and enjoy life on all levels.

There are so many life-changing ideas in Judaism; it’s impossible to reduce them to one article or a short video, even a Nas Daily video. My hope is that people will get a taste and want to learn more to empower your journey to purpose, happiness, and meaning in life.

Enjoy Nuseir’s video and let me know what you think in the comment section below.