Howard Gardner, professor emeritus of psychology and education at Harvard University, is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. He challenged the previously predominate position that intelligence can be conceptualized as the capacity to acquire and apply intellectual knowledge alone. Instead, Gardner proposed that there are eight distinct subsets of intelligence. In addition to classically academic-related concepts, he included domains such as musical abilities and interpersonal skills.
Positive psychology and gratitude expert, Robert Emmons, proposed a ninth category that Gardner omitted: spiritual intelligence. In his article, Is Spirituality an Intelligence? Motivation, Cognition, and the Psychology of Ultimate Concern, Emmons identified five components of spiritual intelligence. As we will demonstrate, his conceptualization provides a powerful prism for exploring the formative and inspirational messages delineated by Moses in Parshat Vaetchanan. Framing his formulation, Moses begins by reflecting that observing God’s laws and following His ways lead to intelligence - “wisdom and discernment” (Deut. 4:6).
Emmons’ first two categories of spiritual intelligence that relate to Parshat Vaetchanan include the capacity for transcendence and the ability to enter into heightened states of consciousness. Allusions to enhanced spiritual and transcendent states abound in the parsha. This includes the fundamental commandment to love God (Deut. 6:5), as well as deveikut, cleaving to God (Deut. 4:4), a foundational concept in Kabbalah and Hasidut that alludes to mystical union.
The third component of spiritual intelligence is “the ability to invest everyday activities, events, and relationships with a sense of the sacred.” Sabbath is the day that we sanctify; we are commanded to “Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy” (Deut. 5:12).” After the Ten Commandments were given, God tells Moses, “Go, say to them, ‘Return to your tents’” (Deut. 5:27). Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (Netziv) comments that after this spiritual revelation at Sinai, the Israelites needed to internalize the spiritual experience and infuse it into the routine of their physical and material lives.
The next dimension of spiritual intelligence is the capacity to utilize spiritual resources to solve problems. In our parsha, spiritual seeking, particularly in times of distress, is portrayed with vivid and poetic language: “But if you search there, you will find the Lord your God, only if you seek Him with all your heart and soul” (Deut. 4:29). Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik develops this idea in From There Shall You Seek, writing, “Master of the Universe, behold, we search for and seek You with all our being, we long for You with every beat of our hearts, we run after You. You attract us with an awesome, enormous power that no one can withstand. We hear Your footsteps; You are very, very near to us…”
Finally, in his original conceptualization, Emmons included “the capacity to engage in virtuous behavior” as the last aspect of spiritual intelligence. Developing wise virtue, what Aristotle termed phronesis, or practical wisdom, entails knowing how to apply virtue in the right context, in the correct measure, weighed and calculated against competing values and virtues. This is reflected in Moses’ statement, “Do what is right and good in the sight of God” (Deut. 6:18). Nahmanides notes that the Torah could not possibly provide detailed rules and applications for every circumstance and scenario, but instead provides a basic set of rules, with an overarching principle to be applied with prudence in each situation. This cultivation of practical virtue and moral wisdom is an essential aspect of spiritual intelligence.
Viewed through this lens, it seems clear that a primary goal for Moses during his farewell address was to influence and inspire the Israelites to enhance their desire for the divine. His legacy and aspirations reverberate throughout the generations, calling on us to continue to cultivate our spiritual intelligence and infuse our lives with an impassioned quest to connect to God.
Character Challenge: Choose one facet of spiritual intelligence that speaks to you the most and work this week on cultivating that component.
Quote from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, zt”l: “Law is about universals, principles that apply in all places and times: Do not murder. Do not rob. Do not steal. Do not lie. Yet there are important features of the moral life that are not universal at all. They have to do with specific circumstances and the way we respond to them. What is it to be a good husband or wife, a good parent, a good teacher, a good friend? What is it to be a great leader, or follower, or member of a team? When is it right to praise, and when is it appropriate to say, “You could have done better”? There are aspects of the moral life that cannot be reduced to rules of conduct, because what matters is not only what we do, but the way in which we do it: with humility or gentleness or sensitivity or tact.” (“The Right and the Good,” Covenant & Conversation)
Comments