“It is a tradition that is really interested in dwelling on a word, dwelling with a question.” ~ Rabbi Nancy Flam
I’ve long wanted to do a series of conversations about curiosity in different faith practices.
I come from the Quaker tradition, which centers “that of God” in each person and — in the version with which I was raised, anyway — relies on silent worship and individual reflection, focusing on lived experience over doctrine.
Queries are one way Quakers explore their actions, beliefs, and relationship to the people and world around them. Questions, curiosity: they‘re part and parcel of the faith and practice…
I wondered: in what ways is that true with other traditions? Is it explored explicitly? Implicitly? What does that look and feel like to the people involved?
In the first of what I hope is a periodic series, Rabbi Nancy Flam joined me to explore curiosity in the Jewish tradition. It’s a lovely discussion of everything from Moses’ response to the burning bush and the Jewish value sakranut, to creative betrayal and the importance of not getting kicked out for our questions.
There are some verses in the Torah that are so curious that the rabbis say this verse stopped and called out to me — Dirshuni (דִּרְשֻׁנִי) — explicate me, look at me further, tell me something,
Listen to Ep. #284: Curiosity in the Jewish Tradition, with Rabbi Nancy Flam
Rabbi Nancy Flam is a pioneer in contemporary Jewish communal life. She helped found the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, was its first Executive Director, and served for many years as a Senior Program Director. Nancy also co-founded the National Center for Jewish Healing and directed the Jewish Community Healing Program of Ruach Ami: Bay Area Jewish Healing Center. She supports Standing Together, an effort that brings Jews and Palestinians together to explore one another’s experiences and narratives.
Learn more about the middah of curiosity – sakranut.
For more reading, check out these works mentioned by Nancy: A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah and Dirshuni: Contemporary Women’s Midrash.
Nancy mentioned these groups in Israel/Palestine dedicated to “the work of curiosity around each people’s narrative” and working toward peace: Combatants for Peace, Encounter Programs, Sulha Peace Movement, and The Parents Circle – Families Forum. To get connected with Standing Together, email ori.shaham@standing_together.org
Here’s C2BC episode #4: Cultivating a Holy Curiosity, with Rev. Carolyn Richar & Rev. Junsen Nettles.
If you enjoyed this conversation, you might like these C2BC Classics: Cultivating Cultural Intelligence, with Asma Ahmad; Imagining Worlds Otherwise: Learning from Black Feminist Curiosity, with Ayanna Spencer; and Spiritually Curious, with Rev. Bryant Oskvig.
Theme music by Sean Balick; “Patched In” by Studio J, via Blue Dot Sessions.
You can subscribe to Choose to Be Curious on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
