Dear Readers, These columns began on my area of America Online, called:  Judaism Today:  Where Do I Fit?   People anonymously sent me E-Mail, and I began to choose one for a public response in my Jewish E-Mail of the Week column. The column has become quite popular and is now syndicated internationally in many Jewish papers and websites.  I hope you find they help you as you think about the Ethics, Spirituality and Peoplehood components of the Jewish way of Life.  I welcome your comments... see the end of the column. Gil PS  Teachers and others, feel free to copy my columns and forward them or use them as you see fit.  Please see the friendly copyright notice at the end.

CAN YOU "KNOW" AN UNKNOWABLE GOD?

Dear Gil:

I have so many questions and so little room! Among the many explanations of God, the one I most "resonate" to, is that God is inexplicable and indescribable. How do I get close to this? Who are we praying to and can we have a "personal relationship" with God and still be honest with ourselves?

I also get terribly frustrated with the incessant focus on ritual and holidays, and the structure of Judaism. Why is it so hard to get Jews to talk about God and to talk about how we can find comfort from our Judaism in this very complex and sometimes unforgiving world? I look forward to your answers.

R

Wow R!

If you think there is too little room for your questions...imagine the problem finding room for your answers! As for your questions about God (questions I and many others share), I would also say, there is no single nor correct answer.

Accepting those caveats and the fact that I am not a rabbi or a theologian, I will stick my neck out and offer you some of my personal answers that I have come to over time. As a given, I start with the unprovable and undefinable belief that there is such a thing as the human soul. If you disagree with that, then the rest of what I have to say will be nonsense.

I too think that God is unknowable. But I believe aspects of God are...like the notion that our souls contain a divine spark. This spark gives us the ability to do things that elevate us above the animal part of ourselves. This Godly part of ourselves gives us the potential to create, seek and do good and to accomplish feats that one might call superhuman.

For example, Rabbi Harold Kushner tells the story of a congregant of his, who would spend hours every day tending to her mother in a nursing home. The visits where so physically and emotionally draining that she needed to rest everyday when she returned home. When he asked her how she could do this day in and day out, she was astonished by the question and replied, "Because she's my mother." Where does this extraordinary or super human strength come from? Kushner says, from God.

We may not be aware of this kind of connection to God, but I believe we can actively find inspiration, guidance, comfort, strength, etc., from a source greater than us. This can be done many ways and in the process, we can have a relationship of sorts with God. One way (that is difficult for many) is to set time aside when we pray, seeking inspiration, guidance, comfort, strength, etc.

But prayer is not the only way. I often hear from people who can easily connect to a "source of life" when they are in nature. Or when doing a kind act or regretting an unkind act, or when observing a mitzvah or mitzvot, people can feel guidance in their life from a force or a source that is difficult or impossible to explain.

I have heard from many who can point to an incident(s), crisis in their life, or powerful prayer experience(s) were they were able to "recharge" or redirect their souls in ways that defy a "scientific" explanation.

Some might argue that prayer or the other examples are somehow just getting in touch with one's conscience. But what exactly is conscience? Could this be part of our divine spark? Do insects or animals struggle with their conscience? -- I'm not sure, but I don't think so.

You also ask about the "incessant focus on holidays and rituals." I share your complaint because our schools and synagogues focus on "how" to perform them properly...instead of "WHY" do we do them in the first place! As a result, for many, Jewish observances become irrelevant, meaningless and burdensome. No wonder so many Jews reject tradition. If our rabbis, teachers and each of us would concentrate on the "whys," holidays and rituals would take on greater significance, meaning, relevance, joy and come closer to their objective of elevating us and even connecting us to God.

I can't do justice to your questions about an infinite God as I have only finite abilities plus a finite amount of space...and I just ran out. But one of the many reason I love Judaism is because the Jewish people have permission to "wrestle with God" -- that's what the word "Isra--el" means! From the email I have received, I can tell you that there are many Jews out there with questions similar to yours. Many are embarrassed to voice their thoughts, but you have found at least one Jew, happy to speak about God. I hope this emboldens others to do so as well.

Gil

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Thanks,
Gil