The definition of faith
In anticipation of going to synagogue tonight, I looked up this week's Torah portion (in the Jewish religion, we read a portion of the Torah each week and finish up the entire reading in a year's time), and I read it with great interest because in my mind, it defines the notion of faith. Here's the gist:
Moses is about to climb Mt. Sinai so that he may receive the Ten Commandments from God. His people gather below and affirm their commitment to fulfilling God's Commandments. But here's the rub: the people have neither seen nor heard the Commandments when they affirm their commitment to adhere to them. All they know is that they have been told that these commandments are coming straight from God and are going to form the basis of their community henceforth. Without knowing what they are jumping on board with, the people stand at the bottom of Mt. Sinai and make a commitment to obey God's word: “All that the Eternal has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8).
This is exactly what faith requires. We just have to trust that we are somehow being led, that the leadership is benevolent, and that all will work out fine.
YC
2 comments:
Hi Lauren, or Yoga Chickie. I blog about yoga as well, and I have recently blogged about Dharma, Karma and chance encounters. That said, I enjoyed your article.
If you have a moment, check out my blog!
http://andreawright.blogspot.com
Best,
Andrea
Hi Yoga Chickie -
It's "me," "Anonymous" again.
This week, in my synagogue we were reading T'rumah (or sometimes Terumah), which starts with Exodus, Chapter 25 and ends with Chapter 27:19. That section doesn't have the passage you referred to. Did they read a different portion in your synagogue?
Post a Comment