Walking down the road, a young man noticed a elderly gentleman sitting by a rolling walker. The man, elegantly dressed, was peering at his watch and looking down the street.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
The man was noticeably disturbed.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
“No. No, my ride is late”
“Do you live in the area”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I also live here and would like to know if you would like to know if you’d be interested in coming to our synagogue to learn about Judaism.”
“Not for me. I am not interested. I don’t agree with your kind of people and way of life. Judaism is antiquated.”
“Really? That’s interesting. How can you then explain why Jewish people survived all these thousands of years while the ancient Egyptian, the Greeks, the Romans and Babylonian disappeared? ”
“A coincidence?.”
“Following these laws are one reason that we survived”
“And what is the other reason”
“G-d has protected us all these years.”
“Who says that G-d really exists? I don’t believe in anything I don’t see.”
“Do you believe in radio waves? You can’t see them but you know they exist because you can hear the radio. You know someone is behind the door if you hear someone knocking – even though you can’t see them yet.”
“If G-d exists, why does he allow such evil to happen in the world?”
“Let’s put that question aside for now. Do you believe that Picasso existed?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“There are paintings. There are newspapers and people who knew him.”
“Yes exactly how you know G-d exists. Just like when you see a painting you know there is a painter, when you see nature you know there is a creator. Look at a tree. You are an intelligent person, Do you believe that all the cells, and branches and fruits of every single tree are produced by atoms randomly flying around?”
“It’s more complicated than that. I don’t want to shake your faith.”
“Don’t worry. My main concern is truth. I don’t want to follow a faith is not based upon truth or logic. Please Go ahead, how do you explain that there are billions of people in the world and they all look alike?”
“…excuse me I must call my lift company to find out where is my car.”
“Do you want me to drop you off, My car is parked down the block.”
“No thank you. Please excuse me as I must make a phone call.”
[after the phone call]
“If you want to know why bad things happen to good people…”
“Yes.”
“G-d gave people freedom of choice. If every person who wanted to strike someone else, their hand would freeze, there would not be freedom of choice. But just like their is a nature in the physical world there is a nature in the spiritual world. A person does bad, bad will come back to them. A person who does good, good will come back to them. And it is all calculated. If a man is insulted. It might mean that he insulted someone else previously. Thus his punishment is a result of his action. Like a person who drops a vase on the floor and it shatters into pieces – he should not complain that it broke – because the gravity pulled it down. A person who did bad should not complain that bad was done to them – it is the nature of the world – do good and get good. and the opposite.
But even in this there is a calculation.
Moses asked G-d to show him his ways.
G-d showed Moses a scene. The first man came to a well and forgot his purse. A second man came and took the purse. A third man came to take a drink. The first man came to retrieve his purse and accused the third man of taking it. The third man denied it and thus the first killed the third.
Moses saw this and was perplexed of the justice of what had transpired.
G-d explained:
The first man stole the purse from the second man. The second man finding his purse took it. The third man had killed the father of the first man. The first man thus killed the third man avenging the killing of his father by the third.”
“So why do people suffer unjustly?”
“I am sorry to assume you must have had a difficult life.”
“No. As a professor, My life was quite good.”
“So why do you look at the bad in life. Look at the good. A person can see life as half full or half empty. Or the completely full – like it says in Pirkei Avot – who is rich? the one who is content with his lot.”
“All faiths are the same, they are based upon – faith in the person who started the religion . It is belief not logic.”
“Not really. You are correct that most Faith’s are based upon the belief in the founders words that they spoke with G-d. Judaism is different in that it not just Moses, our teacher , heard the voice of G-d giving the commandments, but all of the Jewish people. Millions of people heard, G-d giving of the 10 commandments with Moses.”
This conversation is based upon a true story. The Professor was a former professor of Bio-Chemistry in Oxford university.
My Rebbe used to say an explanation on the verse – “How great are your wonders L-rd. All you made with wisdom.” He said that it is a wonder how both the highly educated and simple person have equal choice in believing in G-d. At times a Highly Educated University Professor will not believe and a simple person will believe in G-d.
Do You Believe
Many a time a person says they do not believe in G-d, but they really do. It is not that they explored the question on a philosophical level and came to a conclusion. It is that they first thought it is inconvenient to believe in G-d because belief entails acting in a certain manner. They would rather not conform to those restrictions. Rather than to be bound by them they say they don’t believe, but really they believe.
In Pirkei Avot it states “Know what to answer a non-believer / heretic [in Torah].” This this doesn’t mean that you have to debate with them. It just means that you’ll know that which to answer a person who asks you questions regarding the Torah for your own sake. So that you will not have your faith in Judaism shaken by questions of heretics.
Some religions tell you to just believe and be saved. One must be very careful, because based upon one’s beliefs and actions will make the difference whether after life they will go up or down. The word “believe” lets you know this – in the word between the letters “be” and “ve” is the word “lie”.
Judaism – based upon Torah – is the only religion that millions of people heard G-d speaking to them to give a law – the Torah. G-d doesn’t change his mind. Most other religions were started by one man who said he had a prophesy from G-d. What do you believe more, if one person told you something or millions of people told you something?
The amount of current followers – as opposed to the amount of actual witnesses of the transmission of the law – is irrelevant to selecting the true belief system. Many people may chose to follow a religion because it is easier or more appealing to the eye.
Some religions say that “G-d changed His mind after the incident of the Golden Calf.” Obviously, He did not.
For three reasons
1. G-d did not change the Jews for another people because G-d knows all. He will not give a people a law if he knows they will not or cannot follow it.
2. After the incident of the Golden Calf – G-d instructs Moses to build a Mishkan / Tabernacle where He would dwell. If G-d did not forgive them – why would G-d dwell among the Jewish people?
3. G-d does not make up laws and then “change His mind.” G-d knows that the laws He gives are observable. If they weren’t he would not expect people to do them. The laws that G-d gave to the Jews are so fundamental – that He would not change them. Would any country do away with the law for cars to stop at a red light? G-d gave laws to the Jews rest on the Shabbat – to show the world G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Why would He want to nullify that?
The sin of the Golden Calf was the worst sin a person could commit – worshiping an object – whether living or not. Yet G-d forgave the Jewish people. So no other sin a nation or person could commit – would be as great. Meaning G-d would forgive any sin if the person does Teshuva / Repent sincerely.
After- Life
A person should clarify their beliefs. For in the end we will be held accountable. G-d gave us the tool to find the right faith – the honest and sincere pursuit of truth.