Faith is Not a Dirty Word: Rosh HaShanah 2 5769

Around the time when I was a young child an interesting religious trend was developing among devout Christians in my community. Whereas in years gone by a person displayed their spiritual affiliation to the world by donning the traditional religious garb of their community, or perhaps by wearing a symbol of their religion around their necks, it was clear the time had come to modernize our efforts. And what better place to proudly display your religious affinities to the world other than by means of your car! I am referring, of course, to the now well-known “Jesus fish,” the popular car decal consisting of a metal fish with the name Jesus written inside of it.

Although many of us became familiar with this symbol simply by looking at the cars around us while we waited in traffic, the true sign that the “faith fish” had become a national craze was the fact that it was eventually immortalized in a Seinfeld episode. You probably know the one I am referring to; when Elaine is shocked to discover that the boyfriend she thought was entirely secular, not only sets his car’s radio stations to Christian rock but also affixes a metal fish to his car. It is a pretty funny episode, one of my favorites. But it is important for us to realize, that for anyone who chooses to display this symbol on the back of their car, it is most decidedly not a joking matter.

Make no mistake, this symbol of a fish, is a message of faith, not of folly. In fact this symbol not only refers to a famous passage in the New Testament, but for the individual who chooses to put it on their car it also stands for a personal acceptance of the creeds of Christianity. It is a way of reminding themselves, as well as letting others around them know, that their ‘faith’ matters to them.

As you might imagine, as soon as this trend took off, there were nearly immediate responses to the “Jesus fish” from those groups who were not dedicated Christians, but nonetheless wanted to display their own belief system on their car. And so there was the “Darwin Fish,” perhaps you’ve seen it? It is a nearly identical metal fish, except there are a small pair of legs growing out from its belly, and written inside this “highly-evolved” fish is the name Darwin. Although this is certainly an amusing response to the “faith symbol” of the fish, it too sends a clear message of belief: belief in the primacy of science, in the wonder of evolution. There was even an “Alien fish,” a fish symbol with two small antennae above it, and the desired effect was to turn the fish into a U.F.O. You get the idea, if there is a faith system you subscribe to, there is most certainly a “fish” that will represent it.

So naturally, there had to be a Jewish response as well. Does anyone here know what it was? That’s right it was called the “Gefilte Fish.” Like this one I have right here in my hand, a fish symbol with the word Gefilte written inside of it. Pretty clever right? That's But how does it make you feel to know that we Jews chose to respond to a proud statement of religious faith, or a bold proclamation of atheism with a cold piece of fish. We chose to respond to a statement of spirituality, with a spoof. Yes, the gefilte fish is a symbol of our culinary heritage no doubt, but it is hardly a symbol of faith.

This is what I wish to talk to you about today: faith. I want to explore why it is that we as Jews have grown uncomfortable with the word faith. I want to ask why is that we get the heebie jeebies when we listen to others clearly articulate their relationship with their religious beliefs? Why is it that we shy away from conversations about the God of the universe? As we will see, some of the answers to these questions make simple social and historical sense. But I think we will also see that some of our answers to these questions of faith have simply become excuses. Finally I want discuss a simple list of things we all can do to increase God’s presence in our lives, a presence that each of us is longing for, whether we know it or not.

In order to begin to answer some of these questions we must start with an understanding of the Jewish people and our complicated history. As we all are painfully aware, it hasn’t always been so easy for us Jews to show our faith to the outside world. In ancient times we were persecuted by the Romans and forbidden to teach the Torah in public. So our rabbis, like the great Rabbi Akiva, put their lives at risk by teaching their students in private. In the Middle Ages, Jews were made to deny their Jewish faith or face death and many were forcibly converted. To this day there are practicing Catholics of Hispanic descent who light candles each Friday night and have no idea why. Then there are the bitter and tragic memories of the Holocaust, when six million Jews were murdered whether they were believers in the Jewish God or not, they were slaughtered because of their faith.

Given our history as a people, it is entirely understandable why we would be a little wary of publicizing our religious faith for the entire world to see. And I want to validate that reason. It is not easy to be different. It is not easy to be the one who stands out from the rest. And if the Jews were the majority population here in the United States, instead of a small minority, I bet a lot more of us would have our faith affixed to our cars. But we all know that is not the case.

But I think there are other underlying issues which explain why we as Jews can sometimes feel uncomfortable with conversations about faith. It has to do with our cynicism for instance, and the trouble we have accepting other people’s faith at face value.

Take for example the case of the professional football player after he has won the Super Bowl. We’ve all seen this happen. The Running Back is congratulated by the on-the-field reporter for his stellar effort in the game and she says, “Well done! How does it feel to have won the big game?” He answers her immediately, without thought or hesitation, “First of all I would like to thank God, because without God, none of this is possible.” You all know what I am talking about it happens all the time, and be honest, when they thank God how many of you get those heebie jeebies that I described earlier?

You see when we hear these sports stars thanking God at the end of the game many of us cynically mock their faith. We say, ‘I’d be thanking God too if I made 4.6 million dollars a year.’ Or we say, ‘Sure he’s thanking God now, but I didn’t hear him praising God after he fumbled four times in the season opener!’ And I used to feel exactly like you, I used to react cynically every time someone else expressed their belief in God, that is until I heard a very good sermon one day.

My mentor and colleague Rabbi Alan Lucas once gave a sermon immediately following the Super Bowl in which he discussed exactly this phenomenon. Why is it that athletes thank God after the big win, and why is it that we Jews have trouble taking their faith at face value (and not simply belittling it by saying….as I did a few years ago after our Super Bowl loss to the Pats. . .so what…God’s not an Eagles fan?) Rabbi Lucas’ answer was a simple one. We are misunderstanding their words. We take their praise of God to be a statement of theology, when instead it is a statement of relationship. They are not thanking God because they believe that God forced the opposing quarterback to throw that interception. Instead they are thanking God for being present in their lives. They are giving praise to God because they feel as though God loves them, and that is nothing to be cynical about.

To put it another way, when an actress is on stage accepting her first academy award, and she thanks her loving husband, do any of us believe that she is thanking him because he chose the script for her, ran through the lines, or did her hair and make-up for the big close-up? No, of course not, we all know that she is thanking him because he has always been there for her. Because his love is a constant source of strength and support for her; and the same is true about God.

But all this begs two types of questions, the practical and the theological: First, the practical: Just why do I need a relationship with God in my life? What does a relationship with a Being who we can not see, or hear or feel bring to our lives? And now the theological: with all the sorrows that surround us in our modern world, believing is a difficult thing to do. What if we have doubts as to God’s role in our world? What if we have doubts as to God’s existence at all?

Allow me to try and respond to the practical question first. Last summer I worked in a New York City hospital as a chaplain. I simply can not describe the number of occasions when I sat with someone who was suffering, but despite their sorrow, their pain and their despair; they were faithful. They described their relationship with God as a source of light, when they were surrounded by darkness. As a feeling of comfort, when all they had was pain, and as a sense of support when no one else was there. And in the worst of circumstances, even when they were unable to speak, a silent squeeze of my hand told me how important a relationship with God was in their lives.

Now to the question of doubt: Can I have a relationship with God if I constantly find myself in doubt? The answer is most decidedly yes! What I am advocating this morning is that faith is not the same as theology. Theology is a whole other sermon all together! Instead, having faith means having a relationship with God, in times of assuredness as well as in times of doubt. A relationship with God can give you what theology sometimes can not: it can make mundane moments meaningful. It can turn our lives into lives worth living: and loving your life means so much more than just existing.

And it is not only our own lives that can be saved by a relationship with God; it is the life of the Jewish people as a whole as well. We can not afford to offer a generation of Jews a brand of Judaism that is devoid of faith. We simply do not have the luxury to say that our children will choose to be Jewish because they like our holidays, or our rituals. No, the time has come to refocus on faith. To come to grips with our religious tradition that is rich and fertile soil for the faithful and the spiritual to grow their roots. So now let me give you some clear examples of steps that each of us can take in the coming year to ensure that we are building a relationship with God, instead of ignoring it.

Firstly - this year we all should pray more. Now let me be clear, prayer means many different things to different people…for some people this is going to mean attending our morning and evening minyan on a more regular basis, and if you do, I bet you will feel your relationship with God strengthening with each and every Amayn. For others of us, I suggest that you find a moment each day to connect with God. Share your thoughts, your wishes, your worries with God. I think you will discover that even though you will not hear an answer, it will still feel good to be heard.

Secondly – this year we all should count our blessings more often (I mean this both figuratively and literally.) Figuratively we must count our blessings each and every day. When you tuck your child in at night try talking about all of the gifts that you experienced in that day. When you and your spouse say goodnight articulate all of the things that you are grateful for in this world. I am certain that you will feel God’s blessings more acutely in your lives if you only pause to take note of them. But let us also commit this year to saying our b’rachot, our blessings aloud. Let’s try to pause each time before and after we eat a meal and thank God that we are not one of the 862 million people in this world who are going hungry. Our Jewish tradition mandates that we take these mundane moments seriously, that we recognize God’s role in the miracle that is our lives.

Finally – this year we all should try and see God more often. We must look for and find the God that is present in the face of our neighbor. When we recognize the holiness in each and every human being, and when we treat that holiness with the kavod, the respect it deserves, we will find God in each and every interaction with our fellow person. Also, take note of God in the world around you. Notice the tiny blade of grass which pushes up to the sky within the crack on the sidewalk. Take note of God in the world as the leaves turn to red and orange and fall to kiss the ground. Take note of God in the tune of the songbird, in the smile of a stranger, or in those moments when we feel overwhelmed by love.

In short, this year have faith! Make a relationship with God a priority and you will make a more meaningful life for yourself. With so much in our world to be fearful of, does it really make sense to be afraid of a little faith?