Wednesday, September 3, 2014

#BlogElul Day 8: Believe

Rabbi Eliezer said: In the light that God created on the first day, a person could see from one end of the world to the other. When God foresaw the misdeeds of future generations, God hid this light from them, reserving it for the righteous of the future.
Asked the disciples: "where was it hidden?"
He replied, "In the Torah."
They asked, "If so, will the righteous find something of this hidden light when they study Torah?"
He replied, "They will find and continue to find."
They asked, "If so, what should the righteous do when they find some of this hidden light in the Torah?"
He replied, "They should reveal it in the way they live."
(Martin Buber, Or Haganuz [as translated by Dennis Ross])
I believe that light still shines.
I believe that it is within our potential, nay, our obligation, to seek out that light.
I believe that Torah, real Torah, is revealed through our words and actions.
I believe what Martin Buber wrote is true, that "The primary word I-Thou can be spoken only with the whole being." (I and Thou, p. 11). That is, we can only engage Torah with our fullest, whole-est selves.
Which means we can only engage God with our fullest, whole-est selves.
Which means we can only reveal God's light, the light of Torah, when we live our lives fully and whole-ly and holy.

I believe we can.
I believe we should.
I believe we must.

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