Do you believe in God? - United Synagogue Youth

The atheist staring from his attic window is oftennearer to God than the believer caught up in his ownfalse image of God. — Martin BuberIn brief, God is the Power in the cosmos that gives human life thedirection that enables the human being to reflect the image of God.[God inspires us to act in Godly ways.] — Mordechai KaplanWhen two people relate to each other authentically and humanly,God is the electricity that surges between them. — Martin BuberTragic and Holy: In trying to understand Jewish existence,a Jewish philosopher must find agreement with thepeople of Sinai as well as with the people of Auschwitz.— Abraham Joshua HeschelGod is all, and all comes from God.Abraham Ibn Ezra, Shmot 23:21You can be a Jew for God, against God, butnot without God. — Elie WieselThe creatures of the earth think of God as beingon high. But the heavenly beings think of God asbelow. This is why they both bless God with BaruchKavod Hashem Mimkomo– Blessed is Godfrom God’s place because no one is sure wherethat is. — Adapted from the Zohar

Even skeptics want to believe. We want to believe there ismore to life than material existence, so we keep our eyes, earsand most of all, our hearts open. – Nina Beth Cardin, Esa Einai:Visions of Holiness in the EverydayAn exchange between the Hasidic Kotzker Rebbe and his disciples:“Where does God exist?” the Rebbe asks of his followers.“Everywhere,” the surprised disciples responded.“No,” the Rebbe answered. “God exists only where one lets God in.”God’s existence as it really is, the human mind does notunderstand and is incapable of grasping or investigating…– Rambam, Mishneh TorahIn the final analysis, for the believer, there are no questions, andfor the non‐believer, there are no answers.— Hofetz HayimThere was a joke that speaks of man who was trapped in hishouse during flood. His neighbors first sent him a raft, then aboat, and finally a helicopter to lift him away from the risingwaters. He refused them all saying, God will save me. Ultimately,he died in the waves of the floodwaters. When he went toheaven, the man stood before God and complained, “I believedin you my whole life. I prayed to you and was faithful. Whydidn’t you save me?” And God replied, “I tried. Three times.”One reason (it is) apparent to us is that one’scertainty with regard to anything is poison tohis soul. – Emanuel Rackman

A kaleidoscope of Jewish thoughts on GodMordechai Kaplan described God as apower for Salvation suggesting we mustmove beyond human depictions of Godto moments of God, or experiences thatmove us. These experiences help us actualizeour potential power. God is aforce of nature and cannot commandanything. Laws are not commandments,but help us forge an identity.Harold Kushnerdescribed God as asource of goodness. Wecan find God in order toovercome evil andtragedy and do good.Good deeds are Godly.Richard Rubinstein wrote about God afterthe Holocaust— God did not intervene, Godwas silent, rather than the notion that Godcontinuously saves us. God is a God of nature,but not necessarily benevolent. Ritualand custom is not to celebrate or praiseGod, but to provide support for Jews duringcrisis and tragedy.Abraham Joshua Heschel looked at God as a transcendentGod, yet with imminent presence in our everyday lives. Weencounter God through nature, sacred acts and God’s wordin the Bible. Heschel viewed God as a mystery—we encounterGod through our search, through wonder, awe and faith.God helps us explain what we wonder, what “wows” oramazes us. The best path to finding God is through observanceof mitzvot: “A Jew is asked to take a leap of action,rather than a leap of thought.” To Heschel, God means actiontogether with belief, not simply believing alone. Heschel wasless concerned with ways in which we try to understand Godand more with how we respond to God in the every day.Elliot Dorff looks at God as the covenantalpartner of the Jewish people —God is personal and transcendent, butwe cannot know God the way weknow other things. Our experienceswith God are not only personal, butcommunal as well. God is our covenantalpartner in a marriage‐like relationship.The nature of this relationshipis binding, yet flexible.Emanuel Levinas sees God as theSource of Morality— similar to theway Buber viewed God. We encounterGod and through this encounter, onebecomes responsible for the other.God is the source of moral obligation.Martin Buber classified God as a“Partner in Dialogue” citing a highlyinterpersonal relationship with God.Humans have an “I‐Thou” relationshipwith God, where both are benefitingand neither is using the other.We are made in God’s image, God is reflected in us. The way God behaves, to someextent, is the way we should behave.“Follow the Lord Your God” [Dvarim 13:5]. Whatdoes this mean? Is it possible for a mortal to followGod’s presence? The verse teaches us thatwe should follow the attributes of the Holy One,Praised is God. As God clothes the naked, soshould you. The Bible teaches us that the HolyOne visited the sick; so you should visit the sick.The Holy One comforted those who mourned;so you should comfort those who mourn. TheHoly One buried the dead, so you should burythe dead.” – Sotah 14a, Babylonian Talmudמאי דכתיב ‏(דברים יג)‏ אחרי ה'‏ אלהיכם תלכו?‏ וכי אפשרלו לאדם להלך אחר שכינה?‏ והלא כבר נאמר ‏(דברים ד)‏ כיה'‏ אלהיך אש אוכלה הוא!‏ אלא להלך אחר מדותיו שלהקב"ה,‏ מה הוא מלביש ערומים,‏ דכתיב ‏(בראשית ג)‏ ויעשה'‏ אלהים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור וילבישם,‏ אף אתההלבש ערומים;‏ הקב"ה ביקר חולים,‏ דכתיב ‏(בראשית יח)‏וירא אליו ה'‏ באלוני ממרא,‏ אף אתה בקר חולים;‏ הקב"הניחם אבלים,‏ דכתיב ‏(בראשית כה)‏ ויהי אחרי מות אברהםויברך אלהים את יצחק בנו,‏ אף אתה נחם אבלים;‏ הקב"הקבר מתים,‏ דכתיב ‏(דברים לד)‏ ויקבר אותו בגיא,‏ אף אתהקבור מתים.‏United Synagogue YouthUnited Synagogue of Conservative JudaismPortions of this material were excerpted from Esa Einai: Visions of Holiness in the Everyday,Nina Beth Cardin, New York: United Synagogue Youth, 1997