Religious Woke-ism


I was reminded in an email today that Jews are about community. We must stick together in pain, success, loss, religion, even politics, be they right or left, right or wrong for the health of Israel. It’s about doing what we do together or, as I call it, going along to get along. But that seems rather lame. Especially in the light of so many Jews who do not support Zion at all. And in the light of those who have never read the Tanakh but swear that they are keeping the commandments given by God to Moses, when really what they call Torah is that which has been handed down by “holy men” and sages, perhaps modernized to fit the needs of society today. But that seems rather woke, and pardon me for saying so!

I mean, how can I enjoy a Shabbat meal keeping my mouth shut at the table with 10 other people who believe the government of Israel needs to be done away with and don’t mind saying so? When I hear friends spouting socialist ideas that they think are best for Israel, shall I keep quiet and let them carry on with their dangerous ideals? Shall I pretend to agree? So is this what it means to be a good Jew? So inside I am boiling over and I daren’t do anything about it! And I ask myself, since when was keeping peace with people who declare war against everything you believe in, the right thing to do? I say let there be a flaming argument, let there be war amongst friends before we head off as a mixed multitude to fight a real war!

I took a short class in Gemara about 15 years ago. It was definitely interesting, but I remember Tuesday night discussions at our synagogue in Tacoma, Washington where we looked at topics like stealing, lying, etc. The night we read about finding an item of value, lost by its owner, we read several rabbinic opinions. One stated that if the item was found on a beach with sand, there was no need to return it, even if you saw it fall from the hand of the one who lost it. There were at least two other opinions, but, this stuck in my mind as finding a loophole to be dishonest. The explanation was that since the person would never return to look for it, knowing full well that the tide would bury it, then it was right to keep it. Finders keepers, even if you knew who lost it!  And that didn’t set well with me.

Many of us believe that we came into this world with a sense of right and wrong instilled in our souls! Innocence often disappears when we justify things. And yet there is a promise that the Eternal will place His Covenant in our hearts someday.

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith YHVH: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – Jer 31:33

What I said in my introduction about going along to get along, about people becoming more and more woke in this generation…how can this work out for a holy life? I think not!–unless if we all have the laws of the Torah written in our hearts? And clearly humanity is not there yet.

Can going along to get along ever lead to righteousness? It doesn’t, not when the heart is full of self-justification. Today’s world is full of this.
How about the narcissistic birthday party where a Jewish woman works all day Shabbat preparing the house and getting things ready for a several course meal with 30 + guests to come in the evening to celebrate her birthday? Where did the blessing of the Sabbath go? How can anyone know what is right, and what is wrong if self is in the center of the picture? If what is important is what is good for me?

The prophet Jeremiah is pointing to a time after a nationwide repentance when hearts are filled with the love of the Eternal and love for mankind. It may have to start on an individual basis.

But how do we get there? Some say: “that is why we have rabbis.” “To keep us on the derech.” Yes, that is what has been and will be for humanity until something happens to make it otherwise. In Bible times, there were priests and Levites who had officials who decided on cases and later there was a Sanhedrin set up to judge the people. Today there are rabbis for Jews and ministers for Christians, and of course, other religions have their methods for keeping their congregants in line.

But frankly, Jeremiah, we are not on course yet! And I wonder if we will ever be. How many years of trying to fit in are we going to see before the world self-detonates or something happens so that we will get it right? When will we seek our Creator with all our hearts, admitting that we have been off the derech for too long? As a people, we have followed many things that seem to be traditions at best. What is the will of the Almighty God of the Universe? How do we find it? Will we all die thinking that we are serving Him when we don’t even know His name nor what He originally said? What a surprise it would be to wake up in the hereafter and find that most of what we were taught stemmed from the sick imagination of mystics and self-proclaimed leaders!

Can we know YHVH for ourselves? I believe with all my heart that when we seek Him, we will find Him, and we will be attuned to His desires for us.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith YHVH, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end. 12 And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith YHVH, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith YHVH; and I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” – Jer 29:11-14


But the first step? Maybe go read the Bible through for the first time. Without commentaries.



Ariella Golani

¿Destino o Elección?

¿Tengo Libre Albedrío o Dios Me Hizo Hacerlo?

Alguien planteó la pregunta en un grupo de chat la semana pasada: si Dios tiene todo el conocimiento y conoce el futuro, ¿cómo podemos realmente tener libre albedrío? Esta pregunta se ha hecho una y otra vez desde tiempos inmemoriales. ¿Cuál es la respuesta? ¿Es siquiera importante que lo sepamos? ¿O es posible saberlo? Hay al menos dos posturas sobre este tema.

El Poder de Elegir después del Jardín





¿Significa el hecho de que Dios lo sabe todo que nos predestina a tomar las decisiones que tomamos? ¿Significa que de alguna manera dirige, para mal o para bien, dónde terminamos?

La excusa: “El diablo me hizo hacerlo” no está muy lejos de “Dios me hizo hacerlo”. Entonces, ¿tenemos libre albedrío? ¿Y es posible que el diablo, o como algunos dicen, la inclinación al mal, me haya hecho hacerlo? Si es así, ¿tiene realmente la humanidad libre albedrío? ¿Es posible resistir la inclinación al mal que está ligada a nuestro ADN… algo que comenzó después de que Eva y Adán comieron la manzana?

¿Trabaja el Eterno con nuestras debilidades? ¿Está Él allí para darnos sabiduría y fortaleza para escoger el camino correcto?

Cuando nuestros primeros padres eligieron comer del árbol, aceptaron el destino de dos naturalezas gobernando su carne. Lamentablemente, nuestra inclinación al mal se amplifica hasta la tercera y cuarta generación y, por ello, a veces parecemos destinados a hacer el mal. Pero esto no es, como explican algunas religiones, pecado original del cual no podamos salir; ¡podemos elegir nuestro camino fuera de ello!

La idea de que el Eterno lo sabe todo y tiene un plan divino… ¿significa eso que Dios nos controla contra nuestra voluntad y nos convierte en meros autómatas sobre un tablero de ajedrez? No me gusta esa idea.

La Biblia dice que Dios “conoce el camino que tomo” (Job 23:10). También muestra el desastre de hacer las cosas según nuestras propias inclinaciones. David siguió su inclinación con Betsabé y su arrepentimiento quedó registrado para nosotros: la decisión de David, aunque fue una decisión equivocada que produjo graves consecuencias, al final fue encauzada porque el Eterno conoce el camino que tomamos y guía y dirige incluso después de que se han tomado malas decisiones. Pero siempre hay consecuencias. Si ampliamos la perspectiva, ¿qué efecto tienen mis acciones en la vida de otros?… decisiones que ellos no tomaron pero cuyas consecuencias los incluyeron.

¿Fue la voluntad de Hashem dirigir a David a tomar a Betsabé? ¡Absolutamente no! Pero ¿sacó algo de ello de todos modos? Obviamente, muchos de sus descendientes, incluido el rey Salomón, nunca habrían nacido. Aquí está la confesión sincera de David:

Salmo 51:
“3 Porque yo reconozco mis transgresiones,
Y mi pecado está siempre delante de mí.
4 Contra ti, contra ti solo he pecado,
Y he hecho lo malo delante de tus ojos;
Para que seas reconocido justo en tu palabra,
Y tenido por puro en tu juicio.
5 He aquí, en maldad he sido formado,
Y en pecado me concibió mi madre.
6 He aquí, tú amas la verdad en lo íntimo,
Y en lo secreto me has hecho comprender sabiduría.
7 Purifícame con hisopo, y seré limpio;
Lávame, y seré más blanco que la nieve.”

¿Y qué hay de la venta de José por sus hermanos? ¿Lo planeó el Eterno? No exactamente. ¿Sufrieron todos por ello? ¡Por supuesto! Desde el punto de vista de José, él fue el inocente afectado por la decisión de sus hermanos. Claramente no fue su culpa. Entonces, ¿fue todo esto orquestado por el Maestro de nuestro destino?

La tragedia de la venta de José a Egipto sí salvó a muchas personas, como él mismo les dijo más tarde a sus hermanos. ¡Sí! No sabemos qué habría pasado si José no hubiera sido vendido, pero algo más podría haber sucedido porque la omnipotencia de Dios está por encima de toda nuestra simple lógica humana.

Si nuestro ADN incluye tendencias al bien y al mal, entonces ¿es posible escoger el bien y el camino de la vida y resistir el mal? Podemos, pero no siempre lo hacemos. Así que debe haber un plan B, que Dios ya conoce antes de que ocurra. Si elegimos correctamente la primera vez, quizá no tendríamos tantos caminos y túneles en el laberinto de la vida. Nuevamente, no lo sabemos, y hay mucha sabiduría en decir que no conocemos la mente del Eterno.

Deuteronomio 30:
“19 A los cielos y a la tierra llamo por testigos hoy contra vosotros, que os he puesto delante la vida y la muerte, la bendición y la maldición. Escoge, pues, la vida, para que vivas tú y tu descendencia;
20 amando al SEÑOR tu Dios, escuchando su voz y aferrándote a Él; porque Él es tu vida y la prolongación de tus días en la tierra que juró dar a tus padres Abraham, Isaac y Jacob.”

Todos hemos tomado malas decisiones, y algunos vemos que esas mismas decisiones nos han traído experiencias de aprendizaje y, de hecho, nos han colocado en un lugar donde podemos influir y recibir bien en este mundo. ¿Cómo se saca bien del mal? Solo Hashem lo sabe. Pero sucede. Job hizo la misma pregunta:

Job 14:4:
¿Quién hará limpio a lo inmundo?

Y sí, Dios tiene un plan, a pesar de todo lo que atravesamos, y al final todo se resolverá, con o sin nosotros, pero ojalá sea con nosotros mientras enderezamos nuestros pasos bajo Su guía.

Proverbios 4:26:
“Examina la senda de tus pies,
Y todos tus caminos sean rectos.”

Proverbios 4:27:
“No te desvíes a la derecha ni a la izquierda;
Aparta tu pie del mal.”

Pero ¿qué sucede cuando nuestro camino está claramente dirigido hacia algo en lo que no tuvimos nada que ver, como Job cuando todo lo que amaba fue destruido? Esto no tuvo nada que ver con sus decisiones. A veces esto sucede, ¿y entonces qué? ¿Cómo podemos decir que él tenía libre albedrío? ¿Cómo puede el Eterno ser justo y permitir algo así sobre un ser humano? Sabemos que Job fue recompensado a largo plazo y, sin embargo, parece que no tuvo elección en el asunto. Entonces, ¿qué? ¿Fue elegido? ¿Y para qué?

¿Esta Escogido? — El Pueblo Escogido

“Lo sé, lo sé. Somos tu pueblo elegido. Pero, de vez en cuando, ¿no podrías elegir a otro?” — Tevye en El violinista en el tejado.

Parece que los judíos han sido elegidos para sufrir desde tiempos inmemoriales. ¿Había una razón para ese sufrimiento? Individualmente parece muy confuso. ¿Sufrimos por los pecados de nuestros antepasados? ¡Aparentemente! Y, sin embargo, tenemos la promesa de que el hijo no será castigado por los pecados del padre (Deut 24:16). Extrañas consecuencias, aparentemente no merecidas. ¿Hay alguna salida?

Sí, hay casos en que las personas parecen ser elegidas como conejillos de indias, como en el caso de Job mencionado arriba. No lo sabemos en el momento y quizá nunca lo sepamos, pero estas cosas suceden y parece que no tenemos elección en el asunto, lo que vuelve a plantear la pregunta eterna:
“Si realmente tenemos libre albedrío, entonces ¿por qué me suceden estas cosas? Y si Dios es el arquitecto del destino del mundo, entonces ¿cómo encajo yo y realmente puedo dirigir mi propia vida?”

Ariella Casey

Por favor, compartan sus comentarios.

Destiny or Choice

Do I have Free Will or Did God Make Me Do It?

Someone raised the question in a chat group last week: if God has all knowledge and knows the future, how can we truly have free will? This query has been asked over and over for time immemorial. What is the answer? Is it even important for us to know? Or is it even possible to know? There are at least two views of this subject. 

Power of Choice after the Tree

Does the fact that God knows everything mean that He predestines us to make the decisions that we make? Does it mean that He somehow directs for bad or for good, where we end up? 

The excuse: “The devil made me do it.” Is not far off from “God made me do it.” So do we have free will? And is it possible that the devil, or as some say, the evil inclination made me do it? If so, does mankind truly have free will? Is it possible to resist the evil inclination that is bound up in our DNA…Something that started after Eve and Adam ate the apple?

Does the Eternal work with our weaknesses? Is He there to give us wisdom and strength to choose the right path? 

When our first parents chose to eat of the tree, they accepted the fate of two natures ruling their flesh. Unfortunately our inclination to evil is amplified unto the third and fourth generation and so we seem destined to do evil at times. But this is not as some religions explain, original sin and we can choose our way out of it!

The idea that the Eternal knows everything and has a divine plan…does that mean that God controls us against our will and makes us mere automatons on a chess board? I don’t like that idea.

The Bible says that God “knows the way that I take” (Job 23:10). It also shows the disaster of doing things the way we feel inclined. David followed his inclination with Bathsheba and his repentance is recorded for us: David’s decision, albeit a wrong decision which produced grave consequences, worked out in the end because the Eternal knows the way we take and guides and directs even after wrong decisions have been made. But, there are always consequences! But if we broaden the view, what effect do my actions have on the lives of others?…choices they may not have made but consequences that included them?

Was it the will of Hashem to direct David to take Bathsheba? Absolutely not! But did he work out something regardless? Obviously many of their descendants, including King Solomon would never have been born. Here is David’s sincere confession: 

Psa 51:”3 For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. “

What about the sale of Joseph by his brothers? Did the Eternal plan that? Not exactly! Did they all suffer for it! Of course!  From Joseph’s point of view, he was the innocent bystander affected by the decision of his brothers. Clearly not his fault. So was this all engineered by the Master of our Fate?

The tragedy of Joseph’s sale to Egypt did save many people as he later told his brothers. Yes! We don’t know what would have been if Joseph had not been sold, but something else could have happened because the Omnipotence of God is above all of our simple human logic. 

If our DNA includes tendencies to good and to evil, then is it possible to choose good and the path of life and to resist evil? We can, but we do not always do so. So there has to be a plan B, which God already knows about before it happens. If we choose correctly the first time, we might not have so many paths and tunnels in the maze of life. Again, we don’t know and there is much wisdom in saying we do not know the mind of the Eternal. 

Deu 30: “19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

All of us have made bad choices and some of us see that those very choices have brought about learning experiences and actually positioned us to be where we can affect and receive good in this world. How do you bring good out of bad? Well only Hashem knows! But it happens. Job asked the very same question:

Job 14:4: Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?

I can’t quit believing that God has a plan, regardless of all the stuff we wade through, and it will all work out, with or without us but hopefully with us as we straighten our steps under His guidance!

Pro 4: 26 “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

Prov 4: 27 “Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”

On the Other Hand

But what happens when our path is clearly guided to something we had nothing to do with, like Job when all he held dear was destroyed? This had nothing to do with his choices. Sometimes this happens and then what? How can we say he had free will? How can the Eternal be just and throw something like this upon any human being? We know that Job was recompensed in the long run and yet it seems he had no choice in the matter.  So what? Was he chosen? And for what? 

Chosen–The Chosen People

 “I know, I know. We are your chosen People. But, once in a while can’t you choose someone else?” Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof

It seems the Jews are chosen to suffer from time immemorial and was there a reason for this suffering? Individually it appears very vague. Do we suffer for the sins of our ancestors? Apparently! And yet we have the promise that the son is not punished for the sins of the father. (Deut 24:16). Strange, seemingly unmerited consequences. Is there ever a way out?

Right, so yes, there are instances when people are apparently chosen as guinea pigs, as in the case of Job above. We don’t know at the time and may never know but these things happen and it seems we have no choice in the matter which puts the eternal question back in place: “If we truly have free will, then why do these things happen to me? And if God is the engineer of the world’s fate then how do I fit in and can I really direct my own life?

Ariella Casey

Please share your comments

Frozen Skies, Israel’s Fate?

Freezing rain has come after blasting heat and drought. The cold is blown in by hurricane like winds. It is so cold it cuts right through us! The only place of comfort is to tuck myself in bed under a heavy comforter and an electric blanket. That is how I feel this winter after complaining of the constant heat and dry weather that shriveled most of the grape vines and even some of the fruit trees. Will they revive? Better yet, will we survive? Seems like an odd question for one who lives in a closed house with heat and air conditioning, yet somehow this cold cuts through even when the heater runs all day. Maybe this is not just about weather…

Maybe what is spelled out by the weather reveals the situation in the Middle East. The tight fisted wind and cold speaks of hopelessness, people who may be fighting to survive. I am not speaking of those who preempted this war. No! They should feel the full bite of the cold and misery but some are fighting for freedom and nobody seems to care. Thousands have died and all hands are slack. Seems they are giving up. And why shouldn’t they, except–it may be better to die at the cruel hands of the regime than live without freedom. What is freedom anyway? 

Will God help these people when America and all of Europe close their eyes to the suffering. But why was so much ado made over Gaza? Shall we speculate? Does Gaza offer something that the other nations want to control? Is Iran somehow not significant at this time? 

America usually has not fought for the causes of justice and righteousness, that is…not without a rich dividend and Gaza is a rich dividend. How so? Several things. 

  • A centralized footprint in the Middle East
  • An ideal port in the Mediteranean 
  • Israel’s Natural gas discovery off the coast of Gaza.

Maybe more deals are in the offing… 

But why trust America as someone who is going to haul us out of a jam? Is there no faith in the God of Israel anymore? 

Or is it that Israelis have allowed leadership to take over that has their own interests in mind? 

Why are we looking to the nations to protect and provide for us while we smuggly  refuse to help others in distress–Iran, Sudan…anybody else? Is it that we are as guilty as the other nations? Are Israel’s leaders trading off the divine principle of justice in exchange for whatever material and military benefits may be offered? And what about power and absolute power? What may become of us if we refuse to do what is right and good? 

May I ask again, why nobody did anything for several hours on October 7 when it was announced beforehand by several sources? What may have been the game that was being played? Do we have to get permission from America to defend our people?

May I continue to ask, even to an empty sky, why Israel did not go in and finish the job in Gaza right after the attack on October 7? Whom did we need to get permission from? Have we sold out so fully to Big Brother America that we cannot even protect our own children? Like the Bible says…”they have sold the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of shoes.” Amos 2:6-8.

So is there any hope for those of us who see these things? Should Jews really look to Israel as a safe place when the government turns around and taxes what we struggle to earn to pad their own pockets, using the excuse of buying better military equipment and  fancier jets?

What is the Almighty God of the Universe going to say to these leaders? Most of them deny His existence, whether by their actions in uniting with the nations for support or outright atheism. 

It is true that the world is not a safe place for Jews right now. And many are choosing the impossible dream of making Aliyah with the hope that they will at last find safety, but is this only a Pipe dream? 

And what of the prayers of the righteous? Do they go anywhere or perhaps are those righteous being separated by the Master of the Universe–Separated to save for a coming king who will set things right? But is this a Pipe Dream as well, or can we count on it. Sometimes it seems like the line from Shakespear’s famous Sonnet 29: 

 “And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope…”

But then, this is not what I believe, but I admit that I am tempted to feel this way. Where is Heaven at this time when so many have left all to come to the promised land? 

Ariella Casey

Las Oraciones del Exilio

Un joven rehén, encerrado en un túnel en Gaza, no sabía ni recordaba las oraciones diarias requeridas para todos los buenos judíos. Comenzó a hablarle directamente a Dios como a un amigo. Pronto sintió que estaba rodeado de luz y calor incluso en la oscuridad. Cuando fue rescatado, ¿qué ocurrió? Fue llevado a la compañía de judíos religiosos y “se le mostró el camino”. Pero ¿era realmente “el camino” cuando él ya había sentido personalmente la presencia del Eterno? Me pregunto si todavía sentirá los brazos cálidos del Eterno rodeándolo.
¿Acaso la repetición de oraciones diarias, previamente escritas, salvó a los judíos durante el Holocausto?
¿Acaso el aumento en la asistencia a las sinagogas, donde la oración es el tema principal, puso fin realmente a la guerra en curso desde el 7 de octubre?
Quizá cuanto más se siente la persecución de los antisemitas, más se ora. Pero ¿qué son estas oraciones, en realidad? ¿Memorizar oraciones que se repiten con frecuencia hace que el Cielo venga al rescate? Tal vez sí, tal vez no. Lo que parece suceder es que orar juntos une a los judíos en una causa común, pero ¿esa fuerza es solo la fuerza de la comunidad o es una fuerza y bendición dadas por Dios? ¿Y dónde comenzó todo esto? Yo llamo a estas oraciones: oraciones del Exilio.
¿Qué es la oración? ¿Pensamos que una oración escrita de forma ingeniosa y hermosa impresionará de algún modo al Eterno, cuando todo lo que Él desea es la expresión de un corazón humilde y contrito? ¡Adelante! Léeme los poemas de otra persona para impresionarme. ¿Ganará eso mi corazón?
Salmo 51:
“17 Los sacrificios de Dios son el espíritu quebrantado; al corazón contrito y humillado no despreciarás tú, oh Dios.”
Isaías 66:
“2 Porque mi mano hizo todas estas cosas, y así todas ellas fueron, dice el SEÑOR; pero a este miraré: al pobre y al quebrantado de espíritu, y al que tiembla a mi palabra.”
¿Pero qué hay de las oraciones memorizadas? ¿Tenemos ejemplos en la Biblia de personas que recitaron oraciones memorizadas y realmente fueron escuchadas? ¡Yo no encuentro ninguno!
¿Qué decían los patriarcas y los profetas a Dios cuando oraban? ¿No le pedían simplemente sabiduría o ayuda? ¿Dónde hay en la Biblia un ejemplo de oraciones poéticas y memorizadas como las que se usan en las religiones de hoy? No las hay. ¿Qué le dijo Moisés a YHVH cuando tuvo miedo de regresar a Egipto?
Cuando Moisés fue enviado a hablar con el faraón, se quejó de ser torpe en el habla. Rogó que lo libraran de la misión. Éxodo 4:10.
Cuando Elías sintió que era el único que quedaba en la tierra que no adoraba a los baales, ¿qué dijo? “He quedado yo solo…” 1 Reyes 19:10.
No encuentro en ninguna parte una oración en la que alguien en la Biblia cite las oraciones de otra persona.
¿La oración es una comunicación real con el Creador o es una forma de adular a Dios para obtener lo que queremos? ¿Estamos cumpliendo con nuestro deber cuando repetimos tres veces al día oraciones bellamente redactadas? ¿Realmente importa? ¿Alguna vez alguien fue escogido por Dios apoyándose en la comunicación de otro?
Al releer lo que he dicho, parece que condeno todas las oraciones comunitarias. Permítanme decir, por el contrario, que creo que el Todopoderoso escucha el clamor individual que hay detrás de estas oraciones. Él siente la necesidad del corazón que impulsa a las personas a unirse. Pero ¿no deberían nuestras oraciones individuales tratar más sobre la expresión de nuestras propias necesidades y pensamientos que sobre los pensamientos de otros? Y si oráramos más de esta manera, ¿no verían nuestras reuniones públicas más de la bendición del Cielo?
No digo que esté mal usar los Salmos y otros versículos bíblicos para enmarcar nuestro culto y nuestras comidas de Shabat. Estos versículos crean un marco para ese tiempo familiar especial de reunirse y disfrutar del recibimiento del Shabat. Leemos el Salmo 23, Éxodo 31, Éxodo 20 y partes de Isaías 56. Es aún mejor si se entiende el hebreo, para que las palabras tengan significado. Pero ¿cuánto más allá de esto necesitamos ir? ¿Cuándo pierde la oración privada su significado? ¿Está Dios realmente impresionado por nuestro conocimiento de cómo leer una oración en una lengua extranjera? ¿O preferiría escucharnos como un padre amoroso escucha a sus hijos hablarle?
¿Acaso la mentalidad de víctima de muchos judíos proviene de no conocer al Todopoderoso a nivel personal? ¿Por qué fuimos destinados al Exilio durante 2000 años? Cuando nos dejamos llevar por el paganismo, no escuchábamos al Eterno a nivel individual, y por eso nos expulsó de nuestra tierra. ¿Aprendimos alguna vez algo distinto que no fuera seguir los caminos y enseñanzas de otros? ¿Podemos aprender a ser pensadores en lugar de simples reflejos de lo que dijeron nuestros grandes líderes?
¿Conocemos a Dios solo de manera indirecta, a través de las palabras de sabios y otros, o es Dios un Dios disponible para todos nosotros? ¿Está Él presente solo cuando estamos bajo la autoridad de hombres sabios y eruditos? ¿Escuchará realmente la oración del corazón contrito y humilde? ¿Tenemos ese tipo de Emuná (fe) y Bitajón (confianza) que se aferra al Eterno en la oscuridad, sin soltar hasta encontrar la bendición?
Jacob se aferró al que luchó con él justo antes del amanecer, cuando se dio cuenta de que era un ser divino. Dijo: “No te dejaré si no me bendices”. ¿Podemos tener ese tipo de jutzpá con Hashem?
Ora hasta que la luz brille. ¡Sucederá!

Exile Prayers — Does God Hear Them?

A young hostage, locked in a tunnel in Gaza did not know or remember the daily prayers required for all good Jews. He started talking directly to God as to a friend. He soon felt he was surrounded by light and warmth even in the darkness. When he was rescued, what happened? He was brought into the company of religious Jews and “shown the way.” But was this really “the way” when he had  already felt the presence of the Eternal personally? I wonder if he will still feel the warm arms of the Eternal about him?

Did the repetition of pre-written, daily prayers save Jews during the Holocaust?
Did the increase in numbers of attendance at synagogues, where prayers are the main subject actually bring an end to the ongoing October 7 war?

Perhaps the more one feels the persecution of Antisemites, the more he or she prays! But what are these prayers anyway?  Do memorizing the frequently repeated prayers actually bring Heaven to the rescue? Maybe, maybe not. What seems to happen is that praying together unites Jews to a common cause, but is the strength merely the strength of the community or is it God-given strength and blessing? And where did this all start? I call these Exile prayers.

What is prayer? Do we think that a cleverly and beautifully written prayer will somehow impress the Eternal when all He wants is the expression of the humble and contrite heart? Go ahead! Read someone else’s poems to me to impress me. Will this win my heart?

Psa 51: “17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

Isa 66: “2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”

But what about memorized prayers? Do we have examples in the Bible of those who read memorized prayers and were actually heard? I don’t find any!

What  did the forefathers and the prophets say to God when they prayed? Didn’t they simply ask God for wisdom or to help them? Where in the Bible is there an example of the poetic memorized prayers that are used in today’s religions? There aren’t any. What did Moses say to YHVH when he was afraid to return to Egypt?

When Moses was told to go and speak to Pharaoh, he complained that he was a man of slow speech. He pleaded to get out of the mission. Exo. 4:10

When Elijah felt he was the only one left in the land who didn’t worship the Baals, what did he say? “Even I only am left…” 1 Kings 19:10.

I don’t find anywhere a prayer where someone in the Bible quoted the prayers of another person.

Is prayer about real communication with the Creator or is it about flattering God to get what we want? Are we somehow doing our duty when we repeat the nicely-worded prayers thrice daily? Does it even matter?  Was anyone ever chosen by God who relied on the communication of someone else?

In rereading what I have said it appears that  I condemn all the communal prayers. Let me say, to the contrary,  I believe that the Almighty hears the individual cry behind these prayers. He feels the need of the heart that drives people together. But should not our individual prayers be more about the expression of our own needs and thoughts rather than the thoughts of others? And if we prayed more in this way, would not our public gatherings see more of the blessing of Heaven?

I am not saying that it is wrong to use Psalms and other Bible verses to frame our worship and Shabbat meals. These verses set a framework around the special family time of coming together to enjoy that special time of welcoming of the Shabbat. We read the 23rd Psalm, Exodus 31, Exodus 20 and parts of Isaiah 56. It is even better if you understand the Hebrew so that the words mean something to you. Yet, how much beyond this do we need to go? When does private prayer lose it’s significance? Is God really impressed by our knowledge of how to read a prayer in a foreign tongue? Or would he rather hear us a loving parent hears their children speak to them?

Does the the victim mentality of many Jews perhaps come from not knowing the Almighty on a personal level? Why were we destined to Exile for 2000 years? When we got caught up in following paganism we were not listening on an individual level to the Eternal, so He sent us out of our land. Did we ever learn otherwise than to follow someone else’s ways and teachings? Can we learn to be thinkers rather than mere reflectors of what our great leaders have said?”

Do we know God only vicariously through the words of sages and others or is God a God that is available to all of us? Is he merely there when we are under the authority of wise men and sages? Will He indeed hear the prayer of the contrite and humble heart? Do we have that kind of Emunah (faith) and Bitachon (trust) that clings to the Eternal in the darkness, not willing to let go until we find the blessing.

Jacob clung to the one who fought with him just before dawn when he realized it was a divine being, He said: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Can we have that kind of Hutzpah with Hashem?

Pray until the light shines. It will happen!

Yours…

Ariella