God

A key to understanding ourselves lies within gazing at our offspring.  To look at them is to gain personal insight.  After all, our children grow to embody the sensibilities, sensitivities and principles that we hold as sacred.  This may also be why our children sometimes have a problem with God, because we are uncertain.

“God” is one of those - well, you know – words, things, that is difficult to identify unless we are about to hit a car or in process of giving birth.  That is not to say that we do not believe in God.  Most Americans have a firmly rooted belief in the Supreme Being.  They will even pray.  Sometimes.

Developing a sense of comfort with a personal God is more challenging.  One colleague has gone so far as to say that until a couple discusses what God means to them in their lives they are not truly intimate.  Only when such a sensitive issue is shared without embarrassment can people be said to be really honest each other.  There is truth here.

Children are receptacles for what spills over from our lives into theirs.  Our beliefs have a profound impact in forming their inner core values.  Feeling shy or reticent to speak about God is a reflection who we are.  It is not them.  It is us. 

I strongly suspect that is why so many young Jews today turn away from faith and religion.  They infer that God is too mysterious and distant and potentially dangerous, a societal taboo.

As Jews Hebrew compounds the problem.  Christians have less difficulty in expressing their values in religious terms than Jews.  Jews would greatly prefer to worm their way around such worn aphorisms, like “God loves you.”  In Hebrew it presents as less dangerous and more austere.  The only problem is, nobody understands what he or she is saying.  All are familiar with the phrase, “Our Father who art in heaven.”  Jewish words.  Comes from Avinu Sh-ba’shamyim.   How about, “God loves you?”  We say those words each day before the Shma.  We call it the “Ahava Rabba.”

A key factor in coming to terms with God is developing a comfort level with our verbiage.  I urge people to try speaking out loud to God when praying from the heart (or even from the siddur).  In fact, the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch demand such.  It can be an awesome experience to speak aloud to God.  Most important is to find our deep-set belief in the Ultimate and nourish it, feed it.

The Baal Shem Tov once told of a young man who wanted to learn the art of becoming a blacksmith.  He approached an older, established man wanting to become an apprentice.  Learning from this teacher, the young man was a quick study; he learned all the skills of the trade.  Going out on his own however, the young man soon failed.  He returned to his teacher and asked what he was doing wrong.  The elder replied, “You have all the information, all the necessary tools and you’ve mastered the techniques.  What remains is to learn how to kindle the spark.”

Rabbi Jonathan Case

PS God bless you