[Avodah] Challenge: Finding Spirituality w/o Qabbalah

[Michael Makovi]

> My friend's thesis is that Judaism w/o Qabbalah or Hassidus is mechanical
> and lifeless.
>
> And so he challenged me as follows: To List aspects of Jewish Spirituality
> that were devoid of Qaballah or Hassidus.
>
> R' Rich Wolpoe

Err...Tanakh? Midrash? Somehow, plenty seem to have been spiritual
invigorated by loving their fellow man as someone created in G-d's
image, and plenty have found sufficient spirituality in molding this
world and our activities according to G-d's will. Plus, there's always
prayer - see the Kuzari's emphasis on prayer and prophecy. So we have
the mitzvot bein adam l'havero and the mitzvot bein adam la'makom. Is
this not enough? I understand that Qabbalah and Hassidut can
supplement all this, but how can one view them as indispensable? I
read someone reviewing a book by R' Yitzhak Breuer: she noted (based
on a personal meeting with him) that even though he did not believe in
Qabbalah (except as a symbolic philosophy that he used only when it
was convenient for his purposes), he still seemed to be a very
spiritual individual, for whom the mitzvot and serving G-d were quite
paramount.

I'm actually rather insulted, if not incensed, when people say to me
that they don't understand how I can be spiritual without Qabbalah.
The answer is that for me, the traditional sources of Judaism (Tanakh
and Hazal) are sufficient.

Michael Makovi