Do You Have Faith?

Reading this week’s parasha it is easy to think that the Israelites had little faith while wandering through the desert.  They had left slavery in Egypt, successfully crossed the Sea of Reeds while being pursued by Pharoah and his men, experienced the event at Mt. Sinai, and were receiving manna as substance for their survival in the desert and yet, they still were unsatisfied.  They wanted more. They wanted meat. They remembered the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic they had in Egypt and complained, “Our life is parched, there is nothing; we have nothing before our eyes but the manna!”  As an outsider, I want to jump up and shout, “Are you crazy?  Is that what really matters?  Where’s your gratitude?  Where’s your faith?  Haven’t you had enough direct experiences to turn you around?” One might think that this group lacked believers.  Yet they did believe in something…their memories of the good times in Egypt.

We might look at the Israelites and wonder how they have so little faith in the midst of their experiences.  Yet, we might look at our own generation and feel that those who have “FAITH” (with a capital F) are somehow reacting without rationality.

Adin Steinsaltz, in his book SIMPLE WORDS, Thinking about What Really Matters in Life, addresses the word FAITH.  He makes the statement that, “Many of us take pride in our rationality- we think we base our actions and thoughts on accurate knowledge and verified facts, and an orderly, sorting and sifting of opinions.  The truth, is however, that nobody is a total nonbeliever; all of us accept almost everything on faith (not with a capital F).”  For example when we learn in school about the height of Mt. Everest we accept the fact without climbing it to double check the measurements.  When we buy a car because of its fuel efficiency ratings or change our lighting to high efficiency mercury bulbs we do so because of the societal wisdom that “everybody knows.”   We don’t feel obligated to run the experiments, collect the data, and prove these things for ourselves. (p. 69)  As Steinsaltz would say, those things that are part of our accepted wisdom, also require faith.  “When a person says that he is a non-believer, it is not a very accurate statement.  A real non-believer would not get out of bed.  If he did get out of bed, he would not take a step, because almost everything that we do depends on hundreds or thousands of beliefs, from believing that the sun will rise tomorrow to believing that salt is still salty.”

For the early Israelites, it was not accepted wisdom to voice belief in G-d.  In fact the societal norm was to rail against the life in the desert, to never voice gratitude, to be dissatisfied with one’s lot in life.  They had not made that “leap of faith” which would change their reactions to the same set of circumstances.  They knew what they were experiencing empirically, but they forgot to ask, “What is the meaning of all this?”

Often as children we walk through life without asking the big questions of what is the purpose and meaning of what we do?  Sometimes it takes advanced years, a crisis, or a sense of aimlessness that makes us stop and wonder about the “why not how” of our experiences.  That quest for purpose is a “spiritual journey.”  As Steinsaltz points out, “Even people who see themselves as living in a labyrinth without an opening can nevertheless see life as a dignified existence- an adventure filled with danger, challenge, and beauty, with opportunity to love, to pursue justice, to raise family, and to care for others in the world….That sense of the beauty, the grandeur, and the adventure give meaning and purpose to life.  Without using G-d’s name, that person is really a very believing person, with a deep faith that there is transcendental meaning in living the adventure of life in a dignified way.” ( p. 81)

Avi, as you move out of the world of gaining empirical knowledge in high school to the world of gaining empirical knowledge in college, I want you to think about the questions which you can be asking yourself that are not philosophical, psychological, nor sociological.  They are deeply personal.  They are about making sense of one’s life, finding meaning and purpose in what one does beyond getting up in the morning, running to class, and completing one’s work.  They are the questions that require probing.  By asking those questions, you will also realize that that they cannot be satisfied by scientific or mathematical equations or answers.  The answers will come from within you.  To quote Steinsaltz who quotes Deuteronomy, “Faith is neither remote nor absolute.  ‘It is not in Heaven…Neither is it beyond the sea, but it is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.’ (Deut. 30:12-14).  Please know that we all support your in your journey and are thrilled with your journey to this point as well.

Shabbat Shalom.