Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23) Do We Hide From Wonder?
The great revelation! This is the focus so this week’s famous portion. Moses’s father in law provides management advice to Moses as the portion begins. The Israelites encamp in the Wilderness and there we witness the great revelation of Torah. Regardless of your own theological beliefs, this is one of the most dramatic and meaningful stories of Torah. Our tradition teaches us that we were all at Sinai.
In keeping with that belief, that in some way, we all share in that moment, I could not help but think about how we see the divine revealed today? Do we wait for, pray for or hope for some dramatic Hollywood style revelation, or, do we suspend belief in the possibility of any type of divine act or presence? Do we hide from the possibility of an on-going revelation or do we see this belief acted out in some non supernatural ways? How can we, in our fast paced, scientific, privatized world be open to even the possibility that this act of sacred revelation remains a possibility?
In his book on Martin Buber’s thoughts on the weekly portions, Dennis Ross notes that this possibility for sacred interaction is always present in every encounter we have. “Buber”, Ross writes, “brings each of us to that mountainside that every day by teaching that whenever you and I speak as I-Thou, we speak with God, just as Israel did at Sinai”. (“A Year With Martin Buber”. p.73).
Our daily encounters with life, if we are open to it, give us the opportunity to embrace the sacred in life. Those quiet moments reveal the beauty and sacredness of our daily life. We do not need the grand gestures or supernatural moments. Rather, nature and our relationships are always there to reinforce what really is important in life. The secret seems to be that we must be open to seeing the divine in these moments of meaning. In this way, if our hearts and souls are open, we participate every day in Sinai. As one comment noted: “This is the simple direct message of Hasidism. The divine voice has never stopped speaking; Moses has never stopped teaching. Torah is given anew each moment, if only our hearts are ready to receive it”. (“Speaking Torah”. p.202)
May each of us have the courage to open our hearts and souls to the meaning of Sinai every day.
Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Richard F. Address
The post Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23) Do We Hide From Wonder? appeared first on Jewish Sacred Aging.