Recently I was sitting and learning with my rabbinic cohort of colleagues at the Hartman
Institute in Jerusalem when we were informed that in five minutes there would
be a test-siren, just to make sure the system was working properly.
I
quickly called Deanna, who was in our apartment at the time, to let her
know. And sure enough the siren
went off five minutes later.
As
you might imagine, she was happy for the heads up. Last summer, of course, the sirens were not just a test.
To
state the obvious, Israel is very pleasant when there isn’t a war.
It
was a very different experience this summer. Much calmer than last.
We
took buses everywhere, had a chance to go to the beach in Tel Aviv, ate in
cafes and just to make clear, I also did a lot of studying, just like I was
supposed to!
At the Tomb of Abraham in Hebron
One
of the main topics our rabbinic cohort discussed was faith, mostly defined as
faith in God. You may or may not
be surprised to hear that this is a very complicated topic for rabbis and one
that many of us like to avoid.
What
we discovered, as we spoke and studied and went on a few field trips, is the extent
to which faith is connected to fear.
Noting the less fearful mood of this summer in Israel, as compared with
last summer, I nonetheless want to reflect on the connection, as we studied and
explored it, between faith and fear. Even during peaceful times, after all, fear is a part of
life.
