Without Faith Can We Really See?
On Monday evening, October 3rd, Jews worldwide will gather in homes and houses of prayer to usher in the Jewish New year, called Rosh Hashanah, literally the beginning of the year. The holiday is marked by prayer, the blowing of a ram’s horn, called a shofar, and the dipping of an apple in honey, symbolic of wishes for a sweet year. A festive meal includes kosher chicken and wine, making it a special day. This is a day for repentance, an auspicious time to make new resolutions.
Now that another Jewish year has gone by, it's time for me to take an honest accounting. I look at my affairs. Most of my actions seem O.K. Maybe I slipped here and there, but in total I believe things are not bad. After all, G‑d gave the commandments to man and not to the angels. As the saying goes, "To err is human, to forgive is divine." So I think that things will work out for a great new year.
Yet, on the other hand, I ask myself: Are things the way they seem or perhaps I'm fooling myself. "Look here, even smart people don't always perceive things as they should." Seeing is not concrete proof, and I can demonstrate this by recounting a personal experience.
On a visit to Israel I decided to spend the Sabbath in Jerusalem and pray at the Western Wall, the only remaining wall of Solomon's Temple. Early in the morning I donned my Sabbath clothing; a long black caftan and prayer shawl (traditional white cloth used for prayer). Remembering that I was in the holiest part of Jerusalem, the area of the Temple, I prayed earnestly.
In the State of Israel there are no Jewish tours provided on the Sabbath due to the sanctity of the day. However, in the midst of my prayers a large tourist bus from Jordan pulled up bringing a group of German nuns to the Holy Wall to observe the prayers taking place. As I was praying, the Jordanian driver pointed to me and unequivocally said, "See that man with his prayer shawl and Sabbath attire. His only concern is for our Holy Land, and he knows nothing of what is taking place outside of Jerusalem." I smiled while the nuns took my picture as a souvenir of this "walking antique." It occurred to me, imagine, a fifth generation American praying in Israel being portrayed as a holy man who has lived in the Holy Land for centuries. When thinking of this episode I understand that seeing is not always believing! It's easy to fool others and, at times, even ourselves.
What we think of as regular, sometimes, becomes extraordinary. What we see and believe may not even be the truth. So how can I make an honest accounting of my actions over the past year
There must be a fair way to make the reckoning.
In the books of Holy Writing we find that the first question to be asked on the last Day of Judgment is, "Did you deal honestly with your fellow man?" Maybe it's not so extraordinary to do some reflective accounting! By re-examining human relationships things become clearer than ever. I guess that is a good beginning.
I believe we can make the following observation. Technology has us now more connected and, paradoxically, we are less connected than ever. We know what is happening at the click of a button but find ourselves inept to do anything. Whether it is in Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan, England, or here in our own country, the story is the same. Our instant knowledge gets us nowhere quickly.
Watching and tracking the devastating hurricanes and destruction we are humbled more than ever. A lesson that should be incorporated in our New Year’s resolution is that G‑d does run the world. With all our scientific technology and medical advances we are all under G‑d’s control. We may have great wisdom but we need the faith. As Rambam (Maimonides) states, “Where wisdom ends faith begins.”
The Jewish New year marks the creation of the universe. May G‑d grant us all a healthy, happy and safe New Year.