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THE IMPORTANCE OF THE IDEA OF GOD

The following blog is dedicated to Rosh Hashana 5770. It is from a Confirmation Speech given in the spring of 2001by Daniel Rojay who was sixteen years old at the time.

"A little bit of Prophecy"
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE IDEA OF GOD
by Daniel Rojay

What do we mean when we say God? What comes to mind? My father says the word God is a Germanic word that cannot convey the Jewish concept of "that which cannot be spoken". But on Cape Cod, as in the rest of the English-speaking world, the word "God" is the term of choice when referring to the Almighty. Too seldom do people contemplate how the use of the word God affects their emotional response. Does Dios, for example, or Adoshem evoke a warmer, more loving impression than the Germanic word God, a word of power and force. I ask this question in order to explain that the word God in my title should be understood to be a nebulous word, representing many facets.

The importance of the Idea of God .................. As we arrive at a new millennium the question on the lips of many is; does God exist? Does he exist or she exit or does it exist. It occurs to me that empirical proof is impossible one way or the other. My parents disagree on the answer. While my grandmother is sure, my grandfather only smiles in reply. But we all know one thing for certain; the Idea of God exists and has existed in most societies since the dawn of man.

The cover story for NEWSWEEK this past month is titled "God and the Brain". The article suggests that part of the brain is wired for spirituality, for belief in God. On the other hand, an imminent psychologist and friend of my father's says that the Idea of God is the result of conditioning and environment.

If we are born with spirituality, is it because God literally instilled it within us? What if the root of spirituality stems from fear and the desire for supernatural assistance? Should we call upon the Lord out of fear saying, "Oh God, save us" or should we call upon the Lord in love and adoration.

It is easy to assume that if the 20th Century had held more belief in the Idea of God, its many tragedies would not have occurred. This is said with my belief that the Idea of God is a good thing.
Surely the 20th Century demonstrates the tragedy of Godless ideologies. When Nietzsche spoke of "the death of God" did he know what disasters lay ahead?

The European soil that gave rise to Fascism and Communism had for centuries nurtured an aristocracy devoted to the Idea of God. An aristocracy that was the cultural descendent of emperors and kings who proclaimed themselves Gods, an aristocracy that insisted upon its divine right to rule.

The common man, looking to the aristocratic example, believed in God in a simple, trusting way; but most aristocratic regimes were corrupt and hypocritical, separated from a true Idea of God. The worst of these in Western history was that of Isabella and Ferdinand, the monarchs who instituted the Grand Spanish Inquisition. Excesses such as theirs' finally brought the aristocratic system down, undermining those who had believed in the aristocratic Idea of God. Did Hitler and Stalin arise out of this dissipation of faith?

After World War I, it was believed by many Europeans that man could go onward into the future without the Idea of God, needing only science, materialism and machinery. An Idea of God was no longer necessary. If you simply start with the year of my father's birth, 1939, you can conclude that they were right; an intervening God was on vacation.

There is a strange disconnect in America from these events. Unlike Europe, Religion in America has been and is thriving; I said Religion in America is thriving but what about the Idea of God. Is this idea thriving also? All one has to do is drive the roads of Cape Cod to be filled with doubt.

Religion in America is in most ways a mirror of our society. There is much concern about money and position. The Number One self-help book on the New York Times best seller's list is THE PRAYER OF JABEZ: BREAKING THROUGH TO THE BLESSED LIFE. Businesspeople say it has increased their profits; single women say it has found them boyfriends; and pastors say it has enlarged their congregations. I wonder if anyone has used it to pray for wisdom. Does this obsession with money and position connect us to the Idea of God? Why should we be connected to this idea? Why is this idea important in our lives?

You know, living on Cape Cod induces a strange sort of Parochialism. My mother says once we cross the bridge and enter into our quaint little cocoon we find ourselves in a place where not much goes wrong, natural beauty abounds, the roadways are lined with homes that look like set pieces. Our lives here make it hard to imagine someone in Kosovo, or Rwanda turning their face heavenward and crying out, "Oh, God, oh God, please help me." From here the poverty and wretchedness of the Mississippi Delta seems to be on another planet. Closer to home, a drive through Mattapan jars us. So why do we, the children of abundance and good fortune, need the Idea of God, the idea that there is something greater than ourselves, a sort of metaphysical referee who keeps on the winning side.

There is an idea afoot in America today that the "right kind" of people are entitled to decide the fate of others. Should we really trust them to decide the fate of others? This is why the Idea of God is so important; it is important because it gives pause to the powerful, the indulged, the spoiled and the arrogant. But this crowd is seldom stopped by the Idea of God unless that idea is firmly held by the whole population. Now here is a most important question; is the Idea of God held strongly enough by average Americans today to hold in check the greed and selfishness that permeates our society?

What are we to do? We must embrace that which is beyond ourselves to find our way. But what must we embrace, and where do we find it?

It is Torah* that distinguishes us as Jews. At the time of Moses the Idea of God was celebrated in Baal, the great bull of Babylon, in the pantheon of Greek Gods and often with human sacrifice. But the Jewish Idea of God took shape as Torah.

As Jews, we have in the Torah a blessing for ourselves and all mankind. Through Torah we have remained a singular people who have beckoned all peoples to civilization and good behavior. The Torah has helped us to set an example, an example that has cost us dearly but an example that has brought blessings to all. Even the Shoah** with its unspeakable tragedies, has caused Europeans to examine their souls as they never have before. And in our own country the Torah, as reflected in the ideals of civil rights and justice, has helped to change all Americans.

So I come back to my heading, The Importance of the Idea of God. Surely, even one who is not a believer in a literal God can understand the Importance of the Idea of God. This idea is profoundly necessary in today's America, a country that has enjoyed a leisurely ride to the top of the roller coaster where we now find ourselves waiting, holding our breath, leaning forward to peek into the abyss. Perhaps there would not be so much "fear and loathing in America" if more of us had filled our portfolios with trust in the Idea of God. This investment is one that has paid dividends to our people for millennium. A decade ago my grandfather bought a large block of Chrysler stock. As you may know since the merger, Chrysler hasn't done well. I recently asked him what his stock was worth and he said, "About enough to buy a bicycle." That is the way of the world; but the Idea of God and its representation in our blessed Torah never looses its value.

In closing, let me tell you that on every Shabbat*** since I was a small boy my father has asked me two questions. The first is, "Where is the beginning and the end of time?" and the second is, "Where is the beginning and the end of space?" I would think to myself, "If I got to the end of space........ what would be on the other side; and if I got to the end of time....... what would happen next?"

Of course, no one can answer these questions; but the contemplation of these questions can acquaint us with the indefinable, the indefinable essence that is the Idea of God. And when as a small boy I would say to my father, "I'll never be able to find the answer." He would reply, "Daniel, the search, the search is everything."

Let us all commit our lives to this Holy Quest, the search for the Idea of God.

*The first five books of the Bible------the Law.
**The Hebrew word for the Holocaust (Holocaust is a Greek word).
***The Sabbath, which begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday.

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Be sure to watch David Rojay on The Dan and Dad Show each Saturday night at 9:30 on Channel 17.  Read THE LONG BRIDGE RUNNER and A RED STATE HERO by David Rojay on capecodtoday.com.  Check out David Rojay on YOUTUBE.  For more information, Google “David Rojay”.