大象传媒

From Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski, rabbi of Golders Green Synagogue and CEO of University Jewish Chaplaincy:

A

聽man was walking by a cliff and loses his footing. Screaming, he tumbles聽over the edge and closes his eyes, expecting to plunge to his death. But as聽he falls, by a bizarre chance, he gets blow onto a tiny ledge hundreds of feet聽above jagged rocks. He opens his eyes and shouts again and again 鈥榟elp,聽help 鈥� is anyone out there?鈥� Suddenly a low, deep voice calls out 鈥楾his is聽God. Jump from the ledge鈥�. The man does nothing, but the voice calls again,聽鈥楯ump from the ledge鈥�. Our friend looks up and says, 鈥榠s there anyone else聽out there?鈥�

This story probes a tension that I suspect many of us feel from time to time.

The notion of a higher power 鈥� God 鈥� is difficult. There is much suffering聽and injustice and the idea that there is a good God who allows all this to go聽on can be hard to swallow. But when there鈥檚 a problem 鈥� someone鈥檚 ill or聽the going gets tough 鈥� lots of us discover that we believe in something and聽pray or donate in the hope that things will work out.

Of course, God is either there all the time or not at all, but when I鈥檓 in聽distress, it鈥檚 my emotional side that cries out to be fed. Calling out to God 鈥撀爄n whatever way 鈥� touches a need to make sense of the world, to seek聽reassurance that pain or illness isn鈥檛 random and purposeless, but part of聽some higher plan, even if we don鈥檛 know what it is.

The trouble is that we may often want to run things our way with God鈥檚聽help. So when God asks our chap on the ledge to do actually something, he聽wonders whether there might be a safer alternative.

There鈥檚 a Jewish way to steer between these extremes. It鈥檚 developing the聽attitude of gratitude 鈥� realising that every day is a gift from God. Daily聽Jewish prayer includes a short phrase that captures this idea beautifully.聽As we wake up, we say a few words 鈥� 鈥榤odeh ani鈥� 鈥� thanking God for giving聽us another day. Modeh Ani 鈥� I thank you, living God for restoring my soul聽in compassion; great is your faithfulness. It鈥檚 brief, it鈥檚 safe, and it keeps us聽connected even when we鈥檙e not standing on a ledge.