Why Judaism Might Not Inspire You — Until You Taste the Real Thing

A woman once asked Rabbi Aron Moss, “Honestly, I just don’t get Judaism. I’ve been there, done that—it’s not for me. What do you say to someone like me who just doesn’t feel inspired by it?”

Rabbi Moss responded with an unexpected story: “You remind me of the tale of the poor man and the cheese blintzes,” he began.

“There was once a hungry pauper walking through town when an irresistible aroma reached his nose. It was coming from the kitchen window of a wealthy man’s house, where a cook was preparing breakfast. The smell of freshly made cheese blintzes wafted out, and the man had never seen or smelled anything so appetizing.

He ran home and said to his wife, ‘We must eat blintzes for breakfast. They smell amazing! Can you make some? Here’s what you need: flour, milk, eggs, a bit of butter for frying, and cheese for the filling.’

‘Of course, my dear,’ said his resourceful wife. ‘I’ll make the best blintzes ever.’ But when she opened the pantry, the shelves were nearly bare. Not one to give up, she got creative: ‘No flour? I’ll use potato starch. No milk? Water will do. Eggs? None—maybe some mashed potato instead. No butter, but I still have that old oil from last week. As for cheese… that’s too expensive, so I’ll just use more mashed potato for the filling. It’ll be close enough.’

Soon, breakfast was ready. The man eagerly took a bite of the homemade blintz, and his face changed from excitement to bitter disappointment. ‘I honestly don’t understand what rich people see in these blintzes,’ he muttered. ‘They’re really not that special.’”

Rabbi Moss continued: "The Judaism you tasted may have been as authentic as that man’s blintz. Maybe you had a bat mitzvah and went to synagogue on Yom Kippur—that’s nice, but a lot of key ingredients were missing.

If the deeper teachings of Torah never touched your soul…
If you’ve never felt the embrace of a warm spiritual community…
If you’ve never experienced the peace and sanctity of a full, mindful Shabbat…then you haven’t tasted real Judaism.

Go try the real thing, and don’t settle for the imitation,” he concluded.

Rabbi Aron Moss is the spiritual leader of the “Nefesh” community in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. Known for his witty and thought-provoking style, he answers all kinds of questions in his popular weekly column.