Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.
Romans 13:8-9 (Christianity): “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. For all the commandments…are all summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Number 13 of Imam”Al-Nawaawi’s Forty Hadiths (Islam): “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”
Leviticus 19:33 (Judaism): “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself…”
Analects 12:2 (Confucianism): “Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state.”
Udana-Varga 5,1 (Buddhism): “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
Mahagharata 5, 1517 (Hinduism): “This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others what you would not have them do unto you.”
Baha’u’llah (Baha’i World Faith): “Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not.”
The Great Law of Peace (Native American Spirituality): “Respect for all life is the foundation.”
The common denominator in all of these faith-based writings can simply be put into one word: Love. And yet, when we look at the history of religious fervor and instruction we also see a world of hate. It is ironic that so many people can borrow concepts of God and unity and love and not follow the dictates of what they prescribe.
The history of our world contains descriptions of wars fought because of religious passion to the extent that all of its teachings are meaningless. People are killed; nations threaten each other, all in the name of God. And it is this same God that gave us the understanding of brotherly love as well as the flames of hatred and division. How is that possible? Perhaps it is possible because in our minds, God is considered to be aloof.
Early Biblical writings describe a personal God, concerned and participating in the actions of everyday living. From Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus, to Mohammed, God is directly involved in the happenings that enabled mankind to flourish and progress.
Today we seem to be all alone, drifting in an endless sea of moral decay. Wars are fought because of hate and it trickles down to our everyday existence. We find neighbor against neighbor, gays and straights fighting for individual acceptance and recognition, black verses white, religious intolerance because some consider themselves the true believers and those that differ are classified as non-believers.
The foundation for living a meaningful life was the foundation of Judaism and started over 3,000 years ago in the “Book” we refer to as the Torah, a document that was the guide for all ethics in the universe.
This text reminds us of the sameness of all human beings, and can be found in Genesis, Chapter One, “And God made humans in God’s image. And no matter what your concept of God is, it is clear that each of us, Jew and non-Jew, woman and man is created in God’s image.
In a world where basic human rights are too frequently violated, our Torah seeks to make this teaching into a sacred mandate. God is in all of us, even those who we appear to be Godless.
And Scripture continues to expand this idea as described in Leviticus commanding us to love each other as we love ourselves. Maimonides, the great physician and philosopher of the middle ages explains it as a matter of human right.
We go to our respective houses of worship expecting to hear words of encouragement and expressions of love and what we find, in some instances, are diatribes of hate and mistrust. We are told that if you don’t believe in a particular way then you cannot be accepted by God. We are led to believe that God only favors those who follow the dictates of one group over another. This certainly is not love for all and hatred for none.
Faith was designed to give us the ability to understand each other. It stands to reason that if we love God, a God whom we have never seen, then we certainly should love one another here in the flesh. To have faith is to believe completely that we were all created in the image of God and as such represent the true essence of Godliness. To have faith is to remain steadfast in our belief that God is the God of all people and that just as we are different so is God in our minds. There is no one concept that incorporates all that God is, nor can we truly comprehend the endlessness of God
Stand with a friend or relative and look in the mirror. What do you see? An individual as different from the next person looking in that same mirror. And if each of us is different, yet created in the image of God, then the answer to love can be found in our understanding of our difference and uniqueness. And then we must continue to search for God as we are forever searching for our place in the universe. And we cannot expect to find God if we can’t even find ourselves. Perhaps that is why God doesn’t seem to be part of everyday expressions.
A saintly sage once wrote that with faith there are no questions but without faith there are no answers. And as we read in Deuteronomy: “You shall find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” And finding God does not require denigrating others who believe differently but rather accepting that there are many paths to God, none more sacred than the other. And knowing that God is the ultimate provider of human existence makes it clear that He chose for us the various paths so that true understanding and belief can be shared to enhance our lives.
There is a classic Yiddish folk saying: “If God gave us teeth, He will give us bread.” Chew on that for a while and you will know that we all don’t have the same appetite or tastes or desires. God is not aloof. We just don’t seem to be able to reach out to grab His hand. Is that a reason to hate? No, it is a reason to learn from each other so that we can all appreciate the goodness of love for all and hatred for none.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Meaning of Faith
Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.
I am very fond of old time radio. I listen religiously to satellite radio because one particular channel plays radio programs from the “Golden Age of Radio.”
Naturally they bring back memories of my childhood. For example, I remember the coal truck delivering coal to our apartment building. The coal was burned in huge furnaces and the heat from the burning coal was transferred to each and every apartment through radiators. You could hear the steam escaping through the pipes.
There are many such memories: during the summer the Good Humor man would ride around the neighborhoods to bring relief in the form of ice cream pops or popsicles. Following him would be the ice truck delivering ice to people with no refrigerators. While he was delivering his ice we would sneak up to the truck and chip off a piece to suck in our mouths.
There were street games such as stick ball or curb ball. Some of my friends who had roller skates would get large orange crates and nail their skates to the bottom and create scooters to ride the streets.
It was a time of dreaming and innocence. It was a time of heroes like Joe DiMaggio or Yoggi Berra or Jackie Robinson. It was a time of unmentionable courage as everyone joined together to support the war effort. Rock and Roll was born. The corner candy store was our meeting place and all was well with the world, our little corner of the world, that is.
One particular program on satellite radio that caught my attention was one called Family Theater. It was originally started by a Catholic priest to offer faith and encouragement during the bleak times of the depression and the war. Eventually it became a program for everyone to listen to.
There was one story I heard recently on that program which I think speaks to who we are and what we are capable of being and of faith.
It was a story of a man who spent 35 years on one job and was getting ready to retire. Unfortunately his wife died before they could realize their dream, the dream they saved for over the 35 years, the dream of traveling around the world.
After his wife died he decided to move into a rooming house rather than live alone. The owner of the rooming house was a woman who had a son who desperately needed an operation to fix a back problem that prevented him from walking without pain. He became attached to the boy and would read to him and bring him little treats. And he had a co-worker, a young girl, always wanted to be an artist but could not attend art school because the scholarship she needed was not available.
I think you can guess the end of the story. He took the money he and his wife had saved and paid for the boy’s operation – he put the girl through art school and even donated the balance to the town fund raising effort for a new hospital.
Yes, it’s corny. The end of the story is easy to determine even before it’s told. But as I listened tears swelled in my eyes. I knew it was mushy and sentimental, but I couldn’t help but feel the pain of all concerned. And then I understood why it filled me with such emotion.
My youth returned, my childhood memories and I remembered those days. And as I thought about them I turned my attention to today. Here we are, at this time in our lives always asking for remembrance and kindness from God; asking Him to remember who we are and help us in our attempt at daily living.
Our purpose in life is not only its fulfillment but the opportunities presented to us to make life bearable for others as well. The every day experiences should teach us to realize that we are not alone in this journey of life. There are those less fortunate, those who depend on the charity of others to survive.
How many times have we witnessed poverty and homelessness only to turn our backs and pretend that it doesn’t exist? How many times have we had the ability to extend a helping hand only to withdraw that outstretched effort because of selfishness of indifference?
Memories are mostly fun because they contain only good thoughts. Memories are designed to enhance our faith in our ability to survive. After all we did survive the past and are now seated here in the present knowing full well that we have a future because of our faith in ourselves and in God.
However, there are those who renounce faith like it is some kind of yoke, a burden. There is the story of a man driving his car too fast down a treacherous mountain pass. The car goes over the cliff, and the man barely survives by reaching out and grabbing a clump of bushes growing from the side of the mountain wall.
Dangling in space, the man pleads with God. “Please help me.” God calls out to the man. “You want my help?” “Yes,” says the man, “Anything,” “Anything.” “I’ll help you on one condition” says the voice of God. Again the man repeats, “Anything!” “All right,” says God. “Trust me and let go.” The man hears the message, thinks about it for a minute. And then shouts: “Is there anybody out there who can help me?”
Yes, there is someone out there to help us and be with us and guide us and care for us. All it takes is a little faith and remembrance of those days gone by and the faith in those yet to be.
I am very fond of old time radio. I listen religiously to satellite radio because one particular channel plays radio programs from the “Golden Age of Radio.”
Naturally they bring back memories of my childhood. For example, I remember the coal truck delivering coal to our apartment building. The coal was burned in huge furnaces and the heat from the burning coal was transferred to each and every apartment through radiators. You could hear the steam escaping through the pipes.
There are many such memories: during the summer the Good Humor man would ride around the neighborhoods to bring relief in the form of ice cream pops or popsicles. Following him would be the ice truck delivering ice to people with no refrigerators. While he was delivering his ice we would sneak up to the truck and chip off a piece to suck in our mouths.
There were street games such as stick ball or curb ball. Some of my friends who had roller skates would get large orange crates and nail their skates to the bottom and create scooters to ride the streets.
It was a time of dreaming and innocence. It was a time of heroes like Joe DiMaggio or Yoggi Berra or Jackie Robinson. It was a time of unmentionable courage as everyone joined together to support the war effort. Rock and Roll was born. The corner candy store was our meeting place and all was well with the world, our little corner of the world, that is.
One particular program on satellite radio that caught my attention was one called Family Theater. It was originally started by a Catholic priest to offer faith and encouragement during the bleak times of the depression and the war. Eventually it became a program for everyone to listen to.
There was one story I heard recently on that program which I think speaks to who we are and what we are capable of being and of faith.
It was a story of a man who spent 35 years on one job and was getting ready to retire. Unfortunately his wife died before they could realize their dream, the dream they saved for over the 35 years, the dream of traveling around the world.
After his wife died he decided to move into a rooming house rather than live alone. The owner of the rooming house was a woman who had a son who desperately needed an operation to fix a back problem that prevented him from walking without pain. He became attached to the boy and would read to him and bring him little treats. And he had a co-worker, a young girl, always wanted to be an artist but could not attend art school because the scholarship she needed was not available.
I think you can guess the end of the story. He took the money he and his wife had saved and paid for the boy’s operation – he put the girl through art school and even donated the balance to the town fund raising effort for a new hospital.
Yes, it’s corny. The end of the story is easy to determine even before it’s told. But as I listened tears swelled in my eyes. I knew it was mushy and sentimental, but I couldn’t help but feel the pain of all concerned. And then I understood why it filled me with such emotion.
My youth returned, my childhood memories and I remembered those days. And as I thought about them I turned my attention to today. Here we are, at this time in our lives always asking for remembrance and kindness from God; asking Him to remember who we are and help us in our attempt at daily living.
Our purpose in life is not only its fulfillment but the opportunities presented to us to make life bearable for others as well. The every day experiences should teach us to realize that we are not alone in this journey of life. There are those less fortunate, those who depend on the charity of others to survive.
How many times have we witnessed poverty and homelessness only to turn our backs and pretend that it doesn’t exist? How many times have we had the ability to extend a helping hand only to withdraw that outstretched effort because of selfishness of indifference?
Memories are mostly fun because they contain only good thoughts. Memories are designed to enhance our faith in our ability to survive. After all we did survive the past and are now seated here in the present knowing full well that we have a future because of our faith in ourselves and in God.
However, there are those who renounce faith like it is some kind of yoke, a burden. There is the story of a man driving his car too fast down a treacherous mountain pass. The car goes over the cliff, and the man barely survives by reaching out and grabbing a clump of bushes growing from the side of the mountain wall.
Dangling in space, the man pleads with God. “Please help me.” God calls out to the man. “You want my help?” “Yes,” says the man, “Anything,” “Anything.” “I’ll help you on one condition” says the voice of God. Again the man repeats, “Anything!” “All right,” says God. “Trust me and let go.” The man hears the message, thinks about it for a minute. And then shouts: “Is there anybody out there who can help me?”
Yes, there is someone out there to help us and be with us and guide us and care for us. All it takes is a little faith and remembrance of those days gone by and the faith in those yet to be.
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