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Beyond Logic and Reason: The Challenge of Embracing Mystery

Writer's picture: Hanna PerlbergerHanna Perlberger



How encounters with the unknowable aspects of faith can lead to a deeper connection to God.


As we strive to comprehend and establish a connection with the Divine, we frequently struggle with the constraints of our limited intellects when confronted with God's boundless and incomprehensible facets. These enigmas, beyond our grasp, urge us to surpass our human boundaries and accept the vastness and intricacy of the Divine's distinct realm.


The Enigmatic Ritual of the Red Heifer: Challenging Conventional Wisdom


The Torah section, Chukat, introduces the purification ceremony involving the Red Heifer. In this ritual, the High Priest sprinkles the ashes of a pure red heifer on individuals who have been in contact with death, making them "ritually pure" which renders the High Priest to become "ritually impure." Huh? This ritual symbolizes a perplexing and contradictory commandment that even King Solomon, renowned for his wisdom, could not wholly understand.


In a society that prioritizes logic and reason, encountering an idea or lesson that defies conventional intellectual methods can be disconcerting. It can shake people's core convictions and disrupt their perception of reality and their role in it. A defensive response may be triggered, with anger as a shield to protect their worldview from being disturbed or questioned. This anger might sometimes be aimed at religious institutions or leaders promoting these beliefs, resulting in criticism, refusal, or even animosity toward religion.


An Unexpected Encounter


After a 25-year hiatus from the Judaism of my childhood, I explored different synagogues to see where I might fit. On this very week’s Torah portion, I was in a cavernous synagogue with a small group in attendance. The empty rows were roped off, forcing us to fill the first few rows, and to spark engagement, the Rabbi’s sermon was interactive, inviting audience participation. I don’t remember what was said from the pulpit, but a young man stood up and angrily exclaimed: “So we are just supposed to follow laws blindly? What is this – Nazi Germany? And these are like the Nuremberg Laws?”


Today, it has become common for individuals to label their adversaries as Hitler and Nazis, but it was not a practice that was prevalent a few decades ago. Despite my utter lack of knowledge about Judaism, I was confident that equating God to Hitler was not a convincing argument. Suddenly, I stood up, expressing my shock and disagreement, for which the Rabbi appreciated my "God-centered input." If I hadn't been trembling so much, I might have chuckled at the irony that I, of all people, was defending God.


Embracing the Unexplainable


For reasons I still can’t explain, this incident set me on the path of becoming observant. Over the years, I’ve encountered many commandments that “seemed to make no sense,” and while I may experience moments of frustration or annoyance, they are not “deal breakers.” In any relationship, we must allow room for the unexplainable peculiarities and eccentricities of the individuals we cherish; for me, God is no different. Perhaps this is why genuinely intimate relationships are so captivating – we can never fully unravel them.


One might be tempted to envision a God who is entirely understandable and can be neatly categorized within our perceptions and anticipations. Nevertheless, this portrayal of God would be confining and narrow, diminishing God's boundless and transcendent existence to the limits of our understanding. Like Woody Allen used to quip that he would never join a club allowing someone like him to become a member, I wouldn’t want to worship a deity that would fit into my boxes.


The Challenge of Divine Judgment and Human Existence


But there is a more profound challenge that each of us must confront. In this parsha, Moses strikes the rock to bring forth water, which on its face doesn’t seem so significant, yet was the basis for God’s forbidding Moses from entering the Promised Land. Similarly, Miriam's and Aaron's deaths present a paradox that challenges our assumptions about righteousness and reward, highlighting the unpredictability and inscrutability of divine judgment.


And so perhaps what truly bothered that young man was not anger toward a "commandment that is senseless" but rather the challenge of existing in and interacting with a "world that lacks sense."


When good things happen unexpectedly, we often don't pause to ask, "Why me?" However, when negative and painful events occur out of the blue, they can stop us in our tracks and lead us to doubt the effectiveness of or even the presence of God. The question "Is God with us?" was frequently raised during our time in the desert and continues to be a lingering question.  


The Enigmatic Journey of Faith


In the end, the journey of faith is a deeply personal one, filled with moments of doubt, confusion, and questioning. It is a complex dance between the desire to understand God and accepting the unknowable. As we navigate this intricate path, we face choices that challenge our beliefs and shake the foundation of our understanding.


Having spent centuries in Egypt, we may have absorbed the pagan perspective that envisions deities as fulfilling human desires. Instead of shaping gods based on our own ideas and wishes, Judaism takes a different approach. Embracing God in times of uncertainty involves relinquishing the need for absolute assurance and control. And while we refer to God as a loving parent, we are not supposed to be like infants, expecting every cry and discomfort to be immediately pacified.


Ironically, perhaps, within uncertainty itself, we can discover the most genuine connection to God - in the innermost depths of our souls where faith dwells. And so, in our spiritual journey, the Red Heifer reminds us that faith often calls for us to embrace what we cannot completely grasp and find solace in uncertainty as though our joy hinges on it – because it genuinely does.

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Ospite
12 lug 2024

I am planning to give a shiur bring up these paradoxes. Y'yasher Kocheich. (That the feminine form of Kochacha)

Mi piace

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