Part of being an active Jew is characterized by our willingness, or lack thereof, to engage in the struggle to bring God’s presence into our lives. I know that this is not something that people always like to hear. Often people are looking to “instantly connect” to God as fast as they connect to friends on Facebook. And when this connection proves more challenging, many often stop trying.
While this kind of instant connection would be nice, in order to truly connect, in order to genuinely nurture our souls and connect with God in our lives, we have to work at it. For Jews, it has been this way from the very beginning. That is why we read of Jacob’s wrestling with God in Genesis Chapter 32, resulting in Jacob’s name change to “Yisrael” (“the one who wrestles with God). As the children of Yisrael, we must strive to be “God wrestlers” ourselves because this is where the connection to God’s presence can be found-in the wrestling, in the struggling, and in the growing.
The following essay is a wonderful example of this “God wrestling.” Written from an Orthodox perspective, by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo, this provocative article came across my Facebook page a few weeks ago. Below is the introduction:
Don’t be shocked. But I need to be honest. I am contemplating taking off my kippah. No, do not worry. I have no intention of becoming irreligious, or even less religious. Far from it. In fact, I want to become more religious and have come to the conclusion that my kippah prevents me from doing so.
All my life I am trying to become religious, i.e. genuinely religious, but so far I have bitterly failed. Oh yes, I am observant, even “very observant.” I try to live by every possible halacha. It’s far from easy and boy, do I fail!
But that is not my problem. My problem is that I don’t want to be observant. I want to be religious, and that is an entirely different story….
To read the rest, click here:
Then ask yourself: In what ways do I struggle with my Jewish life, with my choices and practices, with my own sense of religiosity? Do I embrace that struggle, or do I shy away from it because it is simply too difficult?