Eat, Pray, Love is all the rage, again. After its run on bestseller lists a few years back, it is set to be a major movie success, starring Julia Roberts. It makes one wonder why, and whether or not it tells a story which makes us feel that we need exotic travel to stimulate our spiritual journeys. But do we?
One can take a spiritual journey without ever leaving home. And the notion that anyone “leaves everything behind” is actually laughable. Wherever we go, we bring ourselves – we bring all of the past experiences that make us, us. So, to borrow a Hebrew adage, while changing our location may change our destiny, the journey to transform ourselves begins with a journey inward, not outward. That’s an insight as old as the Genesis story of Abraham.
Abraham is instructed to set forth on a journey which demands that he leave his country, his homeland, and his father’s house. Clearly the ability to journey physically is not entirely disconnected from the ability to journey spiritually. But to make it a necessity, is to make spiritual journey a subset of travel and leisure for the wealthy or those willing to live a beggar’s life. That is why Abraham’s spiritual journey, like all of ours, begins not with a journey outward, but with a journey inward.
“Go to yourself” (lekh lekha in Hebrew) is how Abraham’s journey, begins. That is the command which Abraham will spend the rest of his life trying to fulfill, as will all of us who are on a spiritual journey. Unlike the journey out of the Garden of Eden undertaken by Adam and Eve – a journey compelled by their landlord, the Lord, the successful spiritual journey is not a forced exit from anywhere.
The successful spiritual journey is a natural outgrowth of asking ourselves where we need to be, where we are most likely to fulfill whatever it is we understand to be our life’s purpose. It’s not so much about what we must drop as what we are willing to take on.
It can happen sitting at home, in the desserts of the Middle East, or on the road to Italy, India and Indonesia, as it does in Eat,Pray,Love.
But the successful spiritual journey is not only about our inner lives, or even limited to ourselves, at least not if we are following in the footsteps of Abraham. Abraham is promised that his journey, if taken well, will bring him great things – he will be blessed. But that is not all. He is also told that if he journeys well, he will be a source of blessing to others.
Success on our spiritual journeys, where ever they may take us, is measured not only by the personal fulfillment which they bring us. The successful spiritual journey will bring goodness not only to us, but to those around us. In fact, one could argue that the best gage of the success of our journeys is how they serve those who are NOT with us on the journey. That awareness of others is what separates a genuine spiritual journey from one more new age fantasy of personal fulfillment disconnected from anyone or anything else.
A great spiritual journey may be facilitated by a physical one, but physical travel is surely not a pre-requisite of spiritual growth. For that, one simply needs a mirror and a window. The mirror is for looking in every day and asking ourselves, “How am I doing?” The window is for looking out at those around us, those who may not be taking the journey with us, and asking them the same questions. When the response from all queried is generally positive, we are not only doing the spiritual journey, we are doing it well.
Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
posted August 10, 2010 at 3:28 pm
GOD knows that life is a journey;
a journey of discovering His calling
and finding His purpose, and HE has
walked the way from the manger to
the cross to the grave and into
eternity, so we may follow in His
steps.
GOD knows the journey must have a
destination; so HE has gone to
prepare a place for those who love
HIM, a place more glorious than we
can ever imagine !!
posted August 10, 2010 at 9:46 pm
jews killed their Messiah…Christians will take over the responsibility from god that the jews never accepted…
posted August 11, 2010 at 2:19 am
The second I navigated to the staggering The Top 12 Reasons To Burn A Quran On 9/11 editorial I thought that this blog’s readers should act as jury on this: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-12-Top-Reasons-To-Burn-A-Quran-On-911
posted August 11, 2010 at 4:36 am
Although Abraham’s journey was a spiritual one, it was also a physical one – not just anywhere, but to the Land of Israel.
posted August 11, 2010 at 8:30 am
Nice post Rabbi.
I like the point about being a blessing to others.
posted August 11, 2010 at 12:44 pm
JEWISH IDEAS DAILY is a right-wing blog financed by Jewish fat-cat (Islamophobe)neoconservatives.
posted August 11, 2010 at 11:01 pm
so who are the CEO of the Jewish religion???
posted August 12, 2010 at 6:15 am
I took a trip to Israel to see where Jesus was crucified. How could Jesus forgive the scum who hurt him
posted August 12, 2010 at 7:56 am
Can the Christians be friends with the Jews since Jews are going to hell for not being Christians
posted August 12, 2010 at 11:43 am
GOD knows that life is a journey;
a journey of discovering HIS
calling and pursuing HIS purpose,
and HE has walked the way from
the manger to the cross to the
grave and into eternity, so we
may follow in HIS steps.
GOD knows the journey must have
a destination; so HE has gone to
prepare a place for those who love
HIM, a place more glorious than we
can ever imagine!!
posted August 12, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Wow. What’s up with all the virulent anti-Semites polluting this page? Have some of you forgotten that Jesus was a Jew? and when He was crucified, he didn’t say anything negative or hateful about the Jews. Instead, he said forgive them Father, for they know not what they do? Seems to me that if Jesus can forgive the Jews (and also the Romans who, too, were complicit in Jesus’s crucifix)…then we who are Christians can surely forgive, too.
As for this film Eat Pray Love, it is nothing more than a tribute to self indulgence and narcissism in a “spiritual” veneer.
posted August 13, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I thought that Jesus “freely gave his life” — meaning that no one took it.
posted August 13, 2010 at 7:08 pm
the messiah that the jews killed didnt want to be killed…the messiah cried and begged god not to make him do it…jews had their messiah set up to be killed and had chances to stop it…maybe the christian will accept the responsibility from god that the jews never wanted…
posted August 15, 2010 at 12:07 pm
A year-long, around-the-world quest for self-fulfillment that basically goes nowhere, Eat Pray Love is a very shallow, very glossy 2½-hour travelogue starring a miscast Julia Roberts as a spoiled, self-centered divorcée who decides to get away from it all.
Though it’s based on a hugely popular, Oprah-endorsed memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert, there’s little in the script or in Roberts’ wrongheaded Big Movie Star Performance to explain why, in the space of six months, Elizabeth dumps both her husband of a decade (Billy Crudup) and a younger actor/yogi (James Franco), both of whom adore her.
Most likely she’s bored, a sentiment that will likely be felt most acutely by guys dragged to see this overproduced, self-congratulatory collage of New Age-y clichés.
posted August 16, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Risa says:
I thought that Jesus “freely gave his life” — meaning that no one took it.
Mr. Incredible says:
Good point!
Had Jesus been a victim, the Devil would’ve won. HE had to die in order to be resurrected, to show that the works of the Devil can be defeated. It is through Him that the works of the Devil are defeated.
This is why we should be joyful that He gave His life for us, but not joyful that He HAD to give His life for us cuz-a OUR sin. It’s OUR fault that He had to give His life in order to offer us a way to restore relationship with God. However, we must receive that sacrifice in order for it to work.
posted August 16, 2010 at 4:40 pm
withyobadself says:
the messiah that the jews killed didnt want to be killed…the messiah cried and begged god not to make him do it…jews had their messiah set up to be killed and had chances to stop it…maybe the christian will accept the responsibility from god that the jews never wanted…
Mr. Incredible says:
Jesus, in His human form, didn’t wanna be killed. In His Righteous form, He knew and wholeheartedlyaccepted that, unless He died, there would be no resurrection and, thus, no showing that the works of the Devil are and can be defeated. There is no redemption without His Blood sacrifice. That was the plan from the beginning, God having known that Man would not choose His Blessing, rather his own, by default, choosing the curse. You can see how THAT is turning out as the world willfully and willingly makes the headlong rush for the Pit.
posted August 16, 2010 at 7:49 pm
the romans made up christianity. and lied about alot of things in the new testament. jews are god’s people christians are wannabees
posted August 17, 2010 at 4:52 am
mr,incrediable that gosbel came from backward hill billies.
posted October 7, 2010 at 10:44 am
conney says:
mr,incrediable that gosbel came from backward hill billies.
Mr. Incredible, answering for “mr,incrediable,” says:
Yes, I’m sure the “gosbel” came from backward “hill billies.” The Gospel didn’t, however.