G-d Appears through our lives

Some years ago there was a TV show named “Joan of Arcadia”. The show revolved around an adolescent girl who encountered God in the daily experiences of cafeteria, Study Hall, boyfriend drama, family issues, and after-school jobs, etc. In every episode, God appeared to Joan in a different human form. When Joan became accustomed to seeing God as a janitor, God appeared as a cab driver or a 4^thgrader. God continually appeared differently.  The plot invariably involved some element of Tikun Olam expected of Joan who was reluctant to step out of her comfort zone. The show was entertaining and it also buried a question within me which occasionally surfaces; how do we picture God and how often do we adjust our picture of God?

      Loss and pain may contribute to one mental image of God; good health, prosperity and reprieve from crisis paint a different portrait. Kids often think of God as a man with long beard sitting on a mountain or floating in the clouds. In your daily experience how do you think of God?

     This week’s Parsha (Vayera) describes God as appearing to Abraham. The Hebrew wording is vague. It may be that God appears to Abraham and next to them are 3 stranger/angels/humanoids. Or it might be that God’s voice and presence are felt while 3 figures appear. Perhaps the figures

represent God for Abraham's benefit.  Strikingly, Torah allows the possibility of ‘seeing’ God in different ways. What is most evident is that God’s appearance brooks some type of decision by Abraham. The end result is that Abraham must become active in the world around him; in this case he champions the righteous people who may perish along with the wicked people of Sodom. As Jews, our mental image of God changes based upon our daily life, our perspective, our needs and our abilities. What remains constant is God’s expectation of us to take a stand in some way in our world. Our behavior becomes our reply to God’s appearance in our lives.

Shabbat  Shalom.

Rabbi Steve Silberman

P.S. Please mark your calendars for a Rocking Musical Weekend December 18^th & 19^th – Sammy Rosenbaum will join us for a special Friday night service. There will be a high energy concert Saturday night, December 19^th. Time to be announced at later date.

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A Jewish Idea- EVENT!

 It all started with one man's journey to the south. He left his home, his extended family and his local culture in search of a better and more fulfilling life. Little did he know that his personal wanderings would give rise to a religious civilization responsible for a morality based upon monotheism and two daughter faith traditions.

      Abram communicated with God and at the young age of 75 chose to strike out in new direction, literally and spiritually. Moving from Syria, he and his wife Sarai, travelled to Canaan and sought a new approach to their daily life by internalizing a close relationship with God.

     We Jews owe our identity to this trailblazer. A senior citizen who was not willing to live the same lifestyle as his parents and neighborhood, he chose to prioritize outreach to the needy, the disenfranchised and the vulnerable. Because of his devotion to humanity in Canaan, God renamed him Abraham and Sarai became Sarah.

      We Mobilian Jews are able to continue Avraham's work by standing up for ethical treatment shaped by monotheism. On Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7:00 p.m., a Trialogue event will convene in the Gautrelet Room at Spring Hill College. The topic is Abrahamic Faiths; Fostering ties of Acceptance.

      Professor Demetrius Semien, the evening’s featured speaker, holds an MDiv. from Yale Divinity School as well as a PhD in sociology from the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill. Table discussion will follow his opening remarks. Refreshments will be served. (The event is free and open to the public.)

      Please join us and promote the Jewish value of sanctity of all life.

     As we continue along our life journeys may we remember that Avram started Jewish life by embracing a voluntary move to the South. Those of us living in the South can follow in his footsteps by modeling ethical behavior for neighbors and by opening the tent door to all who need shelter.

     I look forward to seeing you at Spring Hill College on Oct. 29 at 7:00 p.m in the Gautrelet room.

     Shalom,

Rabbi Steve Silberman

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Shabbat Thoughts- Creation

This week’s Parsha describes the beginning of all things. “Let there be light” rings out and absolute chaos succumbs to control. The Divine voice proclaims two Hebrew words and light rids darkness of the potential to elicit fear or to cause us to stumble and fall. Light becomes the only form of energy introduced into the entirety of creation; all other elements such as water, earth, vegetation, animals and people are comprised of matter. Without God’s governing the universe by establishing rules of energy and matter from the get-go, reality would be impossible.

     No other text is as well-known as Beresheet. No other text brings to mind such a sense of wonder, curiosity or incredulity. Realists assert ‘6 days for creation’ as being implausible and therefore deny Genesis’s accuracy.  We might consider the 6 days as representing a gradual ascendancy from a lower order of reality to a higher order of reality. Some readers would deride the account of a man’s  being made out of soil.  But, a human created from earth and named EARTH-HUMAN (ADAM from ADAMAH) can compel those who wish to see us as part of our world; not to mention highlighting the miraculous nature of any substance as being alive.

     This week, do something different. Choose one chapter of Beresheet (1-4) and read it as if you have never read it before. Ask yourself what it adds to your understanding of life. What is the purpose of creation? What is the value of the individual? How would you feel knowing that God actually created you personally?

     Instead of viewing the text as unbelievable, peek through a keyhole. I wonder what you will see.

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Steve Silberman

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