A Journey Toward Holiness: Rosh HaShanah Sermon.22

 A Journey Toward Holiness

Rosh Ha-Shana 5783 Sermon

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

September 26, 2022

Using their own—and totally unscientific—methods, the ancient Rabbis calculated that on this day, 5783 years ago, God began creating the world.

Whether you agree with this number or not, the assumption behind the Rabbis’ account is that there is a God. Their conclusion faced little argument at the time. Belief wasn’t a matter of opinion, but rather, fact. Arguments and wars weren’t about whether you believed in God or not, but rather which gods you believed in. 

Since that time, however, our own observations, supported by science and reason, have come to cast doubt on God’s presence in the universe.

Yet, despite all arguments to the contrary, for more than 3600 years now, the Jewish People have insisted that in fact God does exist. They saw God’s hand everywhere: in larger and smaller everyday events, in nature and history, in ethics and morality, and in the governance of our own personal lives.

I admit, sometimes it’s difficult. We’ve looked far and deep into space and have found no evidence of heaven or angels. Down below, on our own home planet, we see undue pain and suffering. Tyrants seem to thrive, while for many, freedom and justice are, at best, a far-off dream. More and more we find ourselves asking where God’s compassionate hand is.

It is hard to believe in a God who seems distant or even absent from our lives. Judaism forbids creating any visual image of God, leaving us free not only to imagine what form or shape God might have, but also, ultimately, to ask whether God exists at all.

For some who do believe, God can be found in miracles they’ve experienced. As they see it, nothing happens by chance; everything happens for a reason or purpose. Life itself—birth, death and everything in between—is proof of God’s Presence. 

Curiosity and skepticism, however, appear early. We start asking questions when we are very young: Is God as big as a tall building? Does God have human features—as often portrayed in ancient and medieval art? 

Questions demand answers, and for me there are several.

I see God first of all in Nature. 

Once, years ago, when our children were yet very young, we took a trip to the Grand Canyon. Our son, Yoni, then 3 years old, looked at the steep and rough-hewn walls of the canyon, its almost-immeasurable depths, the amazing colors and the tall trees that seemed dwarfed from our perspective high above their canopies. Overcome, he exclaimed, “God must have worked very hard to create this!”

I see the ongoing work of Creation all around me. The mountains that seem to call and challenge us; the oceans with their non-stop heart beat; the colors of the sunrise and sunset; the chatter and song of all life around us—I feel God’s force within all that, Creation expanding from a single moment of light-burst to an infinite and diverse universe filled with possibility and actualization, a world that each of us is a part of, each with our own voice and role.

It's when I am surrounded by Nature that I feel most at peace. With artificial barriers gone, I am in harmony with all that exists, free—at least for a while—to hear God’s voice and personal message to me.

I find God in the universal laws that exist throughout nature: Life and death, growth and decay. These cycles appear everywhere, constant and eternal. 

Fractals, never-ending geometric designs, prove similar across nature and time. Pinecones, the marks on a tortoise’s shell, the swirling patterns at the heart of a sunflower disc, a rose bud opening, snowflakes and even tree bark, all appear to carry resemblance to each other. There seems to be infinite variety in nature, and yet through it all there is a uniformity that must be proof of one source, one beginning, and one designing mind behind it all. 

I find God’s Presence in Nature.

But I also see God’s hand in history. Though sometimes it’s hard to notice in the minutiae of everyday events, the larger arc of world events offers proof of a system of ethics and morality—of the existence of good and bad; of the ultimate victory of holiness in its battle against evil. At times the universe may seem uncaring, even amoral. But when viewed through the lens of justice and righteousness, a universal law emerges. The fall of tyrants and dictators is inevitably predictable. Similarly, freedom’s progress, albeit slow and often stalled by selfishness and greed, is also constant and unstoppable. It seems that the laws that govern the course of history also derive from one source. Justice and compassion are attributes of God that sometimes are eclipsed by human works and misdeeds, yet that reveal God’s intentions in no uncertain terms.

I see God’s power in the survival of the Jewish People.    Our history is riddled with exile, oppression and destruction. And yet, despite it all, we are still here. We may be one of the smallest ethnic groups—less than one quarter of one percent—of the world’s population—but we are among the longest-surviving people and culture, and certainly among the most successful. This may be due to our stubbornness—we ARE a stiff-necked people, even Moses recognized that. But I see more in this statistic. We’ve always understood our survival as tied by a Covenant to God’s protective nature. Empires have come and gone, individuals and institutions have tried to destroy us and take away our souls, and yet—'Am Yisrael Chai—the Jewish People still lives.

I see God’s Presence in our history.

I see traces of God the Creator in our creative impulse. Art, music, literature—from basic drumbeats and a shepherd’s song to symphonies and sublime art-songs; from primitive portraits of the hunt on cave walls to stunning works of art hanging in homes, museums and chapels—all come from a deep need we all have within us: to create, to bring order to chaos; like God, in whose image we are all created, to give form and shape to the formless void. 

Our thirst for knowledge is part of our humanity, yet for many, it is also synonymous with our need to understand God’s ways. Doubt and skepticism are NOT a sign of lack of faith—they are in fact the mark of a free and open mind. Curiosity is the gateway to a longing that exists deep within us—not only to grasp the mechanics—the facts and numbers—behind the world’s existence, but also to understand the meaning and reason for it all. 

All that we do and become is a journey toward holiness. When we let the voiceless call emerge from the depths of our soul. When we let our yearning turn into music and great art. When we open our hearts to the needy and oppressed. When we show love, caring and compassion to one another. When we pray and offer gratitude both for what is and for what yet might be. God exists in the moral choices we make.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether Creation began 5783 years ago or at some incalculable moment in the infinite past. Science and reason do not stand in opposition to faith. Rather, they march hand in hand, helping us overcome despair and hopelessness, enabling us to sense awe and holiness in our life. 

May our prayers and meditations today and always shine a bright light upon our path. May ignorance and fear be dispelled by learning and exploration, and bigotry driven out from this world through acts of loving-kindness. And may we, through our prayers and the work of our hands, continue to be the best proof of God’s existence in our lives and in the life of the universe around us.

L'shana tova tikatevu—may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for life, blessing, and a good New Year. 

© 2022 By Boaz D. Heilman