“Sing to the Eternal One with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the lyre. It is God who covers the skies with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes the mountains green with grass, who gives animals their food, and who even feeds the raven’s young when they call out for nourishment. The Eternal One neither esteems the might of horses nor delights [primarily] in the strong legs of human beings. The Eternal One delights in those who show reverence, who put their hope in God’s unfailing love and mercy.” (Psalm 147, Verses 1, 8-11).
There are a number of passages in the Tanakh that express this belief in God as the Creator of the world who is the source of rain and food…and hope and love.
On August 21, many people flocked to the locales in the United States where they could witness the full extent of the total solar eclipse. Clouds and rain on that day obscured the view of a major celestial event in some places. In other locations, like in Charleston, South Carolina harbor, a thunderstorm skirted the viewing area during the long-anticipated moment of totality. Those who did not venture hundreds of miles for a “front-row seat” for the eclipse found some sense of involvement in the day with their pinhole projections, the use of telescopes or binoculars to view the unusual crescent sun, or taking the kitchen colander to create multiple images of the partially obscured light source in the sky. The eclipse provided us all with a day when our divisions were briefly eclipsed as we all become curious human beings, overcome by our amazement. Even if we just uttered the word, “Wow!,” that was a prayer in and of itself.
In the lead-up to the eclipse, there were online discussions about which blessing to say for an eclipse. Some said it is the one that is recited for hearing thunder, which praises God “whose power and might fill the world.” Others asserted that it was the general blessing for creation’s wonders, which gives blessing for God as the “One who made the works of creation.” One prayer seems to respond to short term occurrences in nature, while the other acknowledges long-term miracles.
We know from living in Las Cruces that rain can be a blessing when it ends a span of days with no drops from the sky. We also experience too much rainfall at one time as an obstacle to our intra-city travel, and as a potential cause of unwanted damage to homes and property.
I was once in the presence of a major civil rights activist from Alabama, a pastor who was speaking at a Martin Luther King, Jr. event soon after the 2004 tsunami. In his remarks, he proclaimed his conviction that God had sent the tsunami for a reason. My clergy colleague sitting next to me turned to me and said, “Did he just say what I think he said?” I could only respond, “Yes….he did. And I am surprised.”
Too much rain, as we can see from the damage and challenges in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, is a result of the forces of nature at work. Many scientists would surmise that the excessive rain is directly related, at least in part, to human interaction with the natural world.
So where might God be in the tragedies and challenges unfolding?
We are taught that reverence for God requires of us respect for creation and for all human beings made in the divine image. The news reports of individuals seeking shelter inside and outside their homes in Houston, the scene of residents of a nursing home, sitting in a common room with water that had risen up to their waists, and the expressions of friends, colleagues or family who are regularly “checking in” on Facebook, Twitter or via other modes of communication, can touch us in a way that makes us realize that, if we were in such a position, we would hope for help from people who know us and from those who don’t know us, but whose hearts are so moved to reach out with much-needed assistance. Perhaps that help is a manifestation of the hope that God can provide, where we are acting as agents of the divine.
And, more than that, our amazement at the universe and our compassion when nature presents obstacles to our well-being are both expressions of the love of creation and our fellow human beings that Judaism teaches us to develop and maintain deep in the core of our souls.
So let us reach out (see information about where contributions can be sent elsewhere in the newsletter) to people in the aftermath of this devastating Hurricane. And, as we consider ways in which we can engender hope and love in many ways, may the time of repentance and return that Rosh Hashanah brings help us to build bridges to all people, so that they will feel hopeful, safe, warm, and loved. L’shanah Torah Tikateivu - May you all be inscribed in the Book of Life for goodness, blessing and peace in the year 5778 and beyond.
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