A Bisl Torah — Are You There, God?

Across the globe, it feels as if we are treading water. Part of us submerged, hearing more about who has Covid and the staggering consequences of the disease. And yet, part of us is out of the water, face towards the sun, seeing more people receive the vaccine, a symbol of hope that floating on the water’s surface may be closer than we think. But until that full reality comes to fruition, we continue to struggle out of the water.

This week, the Torah allows us to eavesdrop on a conversation between Moses and God. God reminds Moses that God’s revelation during the Exodus story is truly extraordinary. God says, “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as El Shadai but I did not make Myself known to them by my name of Adonai.” Meaning, with our patriarchs, God was revealed in one way and to Moses, another. To some of our Biblical characters, God speaks through a dream or prophesy. To other figures, God has direct conversations. But the lesson is clear: God reaches each of us through a different method of communication. Some exchanges are poignant, coherent, and resolute. Others feel hidden, confusing, left for indeterminable interpretation. And even through God’s inconsistency, there is a comfort in knowing that God is trying to speak with each of us. God wants us to know that through our struggles, we are not experiencing the world, treading alone.

Are you there, God? It may be hard to hear God’s voice through the cacophonous rumblings of our anxiety. The loud beating of our heart often takes precedence over the soothing lullaby God may be crooning. The persistent noise of the news and belabored pings on our cellphones may overshadow the ever-present signs that God wants us to see. God spoke to our ancestors with different messages through different mediums. But somehow, they heard. I must believe God is speaking to us. But are we present enough to be able to hear?

Dear God, let me feel you in the ways in which I need.
Quiet my fears. Still my ever-racing thoughts.
I am still treading water, allowing your sun to warm my face and fill my soul.
Hold me. Guide me. Help me to open my heart to what it is I am supposed to hear. Amen.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Nicole Guzik is a rabbi at Sinai Temple. She can be reached at her Facebook page at Rabbi Nicole Guzik.