Thursday, July 30, 2015

Faith and Fear: Reflections on My Recent Month in Israel

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.