So I am a religious fanatic?
The great Chassidic master, Rebbe Nachman said:
`Don’t be a fanatic. Serving God is not fanaticism. Those who run after worldly goods are the true fanatics. The world will consider you a lunatic if you abandon all worldliness in your quest for the Godly. This is said to be fanaticism. Yet even this is not necessary. You can serve God with restraint’
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom p.159).
Rebbe Nachman makes two points here. One is that there is no need to be extreme in the service of God. That is very powerful and I will return to it. The second point is very powerful too and tends to be overlooked. Being a “fanatic” is not restricted to religion. “Fanaticism” is extreme imbalance in any area of your life. So, while the world is pretty clear that someone who studies scripture and meditates for 18 hours a day is a “fanatic”, so is the person who works 18 hours a day, late into the night. It would seem extreme to meditate 6 hours a day but when the average American watches TV for 6 hours a day, we rarely call them a “fanatic.” When people expend huge amounts of money on lavish rituals, they are fanatics. If they expend that same money on golf fees or gourmet restaurants, we rarely call it fanaticism. Rebbe Nachman’s point is that our tendency to extremism and imbalance is not restricted to religion. Oftentimes, the label “religious fanatic” is not so much about the extent of the imbalance as in the area of imbalance. Fanatic pursuit of wealth, and other forms of entertainment or self-satisfaction are rarely deemed fanatic, though clearly those pursuits have profound impact on a person’s life and well-being as well as the well-being of those around them.
Rebbe Nachman’s second point is that on really does need to avoid imbalance and extremism in the religious life. He is not cautioning against having an observant life but about pursuing extra stringencies. He recommended keeping Jewish law faithfully but without extra stringencies (except for one commandment, done with all the “extras”)
`It would be enough,’ he said, `if we were worthy of keeping all the Torah’s commandments according to the law, without going beyond it…. True devotion consists mainly of simplicity and sincerity. Pray much, study much Torah, do many good deeds. Do not worry yourself with unnecessary restrictions. Just follow the way of our forefathers. `The Torah was not given to ministering angels’ ‘(Talmud, Brakhot 25b)
-Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom pp. 370f)
In practical terms, Rebbe Nachman recommends a moderate approach to religious observance defined by the parameters of Jewish law. To be clear, this is not moderation defined by Protestant-influenced Western secularism. To the Western eye, a moderate practice of Jewish law might still look pretty “fanatic.” Still, this message is powerful. It is a much needed corrective in the “frum (observant Jewish) world of today where there is an ever increasing tendency to embrace the most stringent religious opinions and extreme practices. Religious practice seems to have embraced the materialist motto “more is better.” Rebbe Nachman’s call to a sincere and simple practice of traditional Judaism defined by halacha (Jewish law) is certainly as salient today as when he made that call. The great danger is that one say will come to blame God for the torturous life-style we have created for ourselves in His name.
It also carries with it an air of judgment by which we tend to judge those less extreme as inferior or heretical. Remember though, that you can also be fanatically anti-fanatical as well. So while the fanatic is branding you a heretic, you are branding the fanatic an imbecile or maniac. It all gets very messy.
Rebbe Nachman invites us to see extremism and imbalance as not just a religious problem but a human problem. It is an approach to life that we can carry not only into our pursuit of spiritual goals but in our pursuit of just about everything. And in every area of life, it kills our happiness and squashes our souls.
Am I a fanatic? Sometimes more. Sometimes less. Like everyone, I struggle to find balance and moderation, not just in religion but in my other passions and pursuits. I am content to be in the struggle and rarely with my victories. The main thing is never to give up. Spoken like a true fanatic.
