Faith

Sometimes I'll find myself in a discussion of religion, usually it its around the Sabbath observance. 

When asked Do you really like this, not using your phone, not driving, not shopping? My unfailing response : I love it. 

Sabbath observant people will even say they don't know how they could survive this world without that break, without packing it all up for Shabbas. 

What I try not to get into is my beliefs or anything about me. Because not only is it frowned upon professionally to share personally (hat's off to that television series Shrinking for completely getting it wrong) but we would inevitably have to get into the question of faith. People have their issues with that and all we can say is: Who doesn't question the Old Mighty? 

Well, me. I don't remember ever not having at least some faith in the Old Mighty. If I didn't have the Old Mighty to rely on, one way or another, it would be very hard. Life, I mean. At least for me. 

When things don't go right I think of that Garth Brooks song, Thank G-d for unanswered prayers:

Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care.

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers unanswered

Woh ho Garth! Well said. 

What makes me bring all this up is something I read by a Torah scholar, a giant, a female with a PhD. Dr. Erica Brown. She writes about this week's parsha, the weekly portion of the Torah. Dr. Brown asks us why Moses hit that rock. Why so angry? The people asked for water, the Old Mighty says to Moses, Talk to the rock, and he lashes out and whacks it. Presumably out of anger. 

Moses has just lost is sister and nobody is asking him how he's feelings, Dr. Brown is guessing. Maybe he's a little down and realizes that he and his brother are on their own. Miriam had been a leader. Miriam SAVED him. She's the reason they had any water in the first place. It is her well! And it dries up when she dies, a typical desert passing. Not easy traipsing through a dessert. (If you have ever been to Machtesh Rimon you know). So now the people are thirsty and crabby, nagging him to pull off another miracle and he slaps the rock out of frustration, grief. 

Not his usual way of behaving, let's say. 

Dr. Brown gets to the idea of faith, that maybe he lost his faith in the Jewish people, finally gave up on them. They had been annoying and they continue to be annoying. So when he hits the rock he is saying, You rebels! What is wrong with you!

I'm sure she won't mind my excerpting her words: 

. . .  through the rock incident, God held up a mirror to Moses’ faith to show him the still ‘wondrous world’ after he thought he lost everything. Water can gush out of stone just as slaves can be set free. Just as a people can return home after centuries of exile. Have faith in Me, said God with this water. Have faith in the mission. Have faith in yourself. And, above all, have faith in your people, even when they cannot see your pain or honor your loss. They are still your people. They need you to have faith in them.

 Have faith in people. 

I have to tell you guys, er. . women.  If there is one thing and one thing that keeps your therapist in the game it is exactly that. Faith in people. Faith in the patient. 

Have faith in them and they will have faith in themselves. 

Shabbat shalom. 

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