The Torah of Rochelle Zell
Encountering God in the Modern World Tzvia Rubens, CJHS 2011
Today, we seem to experience God, not through plagues and miracles but prayer and obedience of the halachot. How then, can we rectify the discourse of being in a relationship with a God who has seemingly removed any indicators of supernatural interferences? Exodus 14:21 reads:
ויט משה את–ידו על–הים ויולך ה׳ את–הים ברוח קדים עזה כל–הלילה וישם את–הים :לחרבה ויבקעו המים
Then Moses held out his arm over the sea, and the ETERNAL drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split. Exodus 14:21
When we were rebelled as teenagers, God metaphorically threatened to turn the universe around once or twice, but together we pushed through. Adonai showed us mercy when we acted out, and we learned the do’s and don’ts of Judaism. We continued to reaffirm our covenant with one another. However, as we grew into a mature nation, like any parent, Adonai saw that we no longer needed our hands to be held. Though we were never left fully alone, God’s miracles did become more discreet. God performs a multitude of miracles throughout the Bible, and it would be easy to say that divine interferences are no longer a part of the fabric of our reality. However, they are happening all around us, and it is our responsibility to open ourselves up to them.
A great example comes from the movie Bruce Almighty. If you haven’t seen it, it is about a man who is facing a series of obstacles in his life. His job is a hassle, his love life is a mess, and he is overall frustrated. In one scene, he is driving and cries out that he needs a sign that God truly exists. God, played by Morgan Freeman, does send Bruce a sign in the form of a truck carrying road signs, This verse uses descriptive imagery to help bring this which pulls in front of Bruce on the road. Does Bruce passage to life. Moses stretches out his arm; eastern acknowledge this very literal sign? No, he gets frustratwinds drive back the waters of the sea, revealing the ed and starts to yell. seabed below. The miracle of all miracles. Just when the Hebrews thought that they were trapped between the Even though we as a nation have matured, and no lonwater and the Pharaoh’s chariots, Adonai once more ger seek consistent tangible proof of God’s involvement demonstrates the strength of the ETERNAL and pro- in our lives, occasionally we do. When God intervenes, vides yet another miracle. it can come in a multitude of forms, including finding a twenty-dollar bill on the ground, getting a call from Rabbi Bradley Artson from Ziegler Rabbinical Schol someone you love when you need it the most, or revivwrites about the transition of miracles of biblical pro- ing someone through CPR. portions to today’s modern examples of divine intervention. He explains how we, as Benai Yisrael, are compa- May we all learn to be more observant than Bruce and rable to children. In the beginning as we were figuring a little more optimistic like Mariah Carey, because there out the rules and structure of the universe, we required can be miracles — When we believe. tangible displays of God’s power.
!חג כשר ושמח
Wishing You a Joyous, Kosher, and Meaningful Pesach! 7
