Page 41 - Jewish News_November-2020

COMMENTARY November 2020 41A

Participating in the making of history God, G-D, Adonai, Hashem

By Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz, Community Chaplain
make these agreements successful. An any Jews write G-d rather ing on context. Note that the Amidah
interesting point from the text of the than God. Does Jewish law prayer, the core of every Jewish wor-
UAE Agreement noted by Middle East Mrequire the dash? Surprising- ship service, begins by praising “the A memory
pundit David Makovsky is the state- ly, the answer is no. Then why do some God of our ancestors, the God of Abra-
ment that Arabs and Jews “stem from Jews employ it? That’s an interesting ham, the God of Isaac and the God of
the same ancestor, Abraham” and both and instructive Jacob.” Why doesn’t the text more eco-
are indigenous to the Middle East. This query. nomically just say “the God of Abra- THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
statement refutes previous Arab allega- Jewish law ham, Isaac and Jacob?” Because even
tions that Jews are alien in the region. prohibits the era- though all three were created by an
Finally, the leaders of Israel, UAE sure of seven He- identical Creator, each patriarch repre- A Federation Tribute is a heartfelt way
and Bahrain all agreed that these peace brew names for sented a new generation and, therefore, to honor the memory of someone
agreements would not have occurred God considered experienced God and His imperatives
without the involvement of President to be especial- from different perspectives. special—and to let their families
Donald Trump and his team. It hap- ly holy: Elohim, As philosopher Walter Kaufmann know you care.
pened because President Trump was Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz El, Eloha, Elo- asserted, ”The only God worth keeping
willing to challenge the 50-year-old hai, Shaddai, Tzevaot and, most prom- is a God that can’t be kept. The only God
conventional wisdom of the so-called inently, the Tetragrammaton, הוהי (Yud, worth talking about is a God that can’t
experts that peace must start with a Heh, Vav, Heh). be talked about. He cannot be spoken To order,
Palestinian agreement, after which Since הוהי is considered the most of, but He can be spoken to. He cannot call Bonnie at
the Arab countries would make peace. personal name for God, it, unlike the be seen, but He can be listened to.” 941.343.2115
Since the Palestinians have been in- others, isn’t even pronounced. Rath- Those using names for God,
transigent, President Trump rejected er, an alternate, less theologically whether in Hebrew or English, who be-
that approach and started with the Arab charged designation such as Adonai lieve they fully know who God is, are
states. Hopefully, when the Palestin- (“My Lord”) or Hashem (“the name”) misguided. Whenever I write the word Or visit
ians see that their erstwhile allies are is voiced instead when it appears in the God, I always feel certain inappropri- jfedsrq.org/tribute
enjoying peace and prosperity with Torah or liturgy. ateness because these three letters are
Israel, they will join the process. While these names are prohibited inherently incapable of capturing Him.
David Chaifetz is a board member of from erasure when written in Hebrew At least using G-d acknowledges, to
The Jewish Federation of Sarasota- (primarily on parchment for sacred some extent, the inadequacies associ-
Manatee. use), they are not subject to halachic ated with using a reference that will
interdiction when rendered in other always resist comprehension.
languages. I’m grateful that my religious
Are you a voter? divine nomenclature, regardless of any heritage doesn’t demand that God be
Nevertheless, reverence for Jewish
thoroughly graspable. Maimonides
one simple mitzvah accomplish? Can it language, prompts a large number of certainly appreciated the value of such
truly change the trajectory of our rela- Jews to refrain from writing the word unknowability. In his Guide for the
tionship with G-d? God at all or only with a dash. What Perplexed, he posited a “negative the-
Does G-d really care if we put a makes the dash significant? ology” in positing that the closest we
penny in the charity box? Does it mat- When, at the Burning Bush, Mo- can come to construing God is only by
ter if we light Shabbat candles before ses asks God to reveal His name, God indicating what He is not, i.e., God is
sunset? How about tefillin? Does it re- replies, “asher ehyeh asher,” usually not a plurality, God is not corporeal.
ally matter if we put them on? Do our translated as “I am what I am” or “I When we claim to conclusively know
mitzvahs count? will be what I will be.” The meaning who and what God is, we limit His pos-
Well, it is quite similar to how we of God’s name is alluded to but not sibility.
vote. Our votes are counted even if clearly elucidated. In other words, we For Jews, God’s ineffability is a
we did not vote with the correct intent can equate God with ideals like con- source of humility, wonder and curios-
or even if we are not a seasoned and science, morality and justice, but His ity. But though God is beyond words,
knowledgeable voter. On the contrary, essence will, ultimately, be elusive; we can still increasingly come to know
as long as we vote, our vote is import- that’s the way it should be. Him in our thirst for knowledge, quest
ant and counted. To suggest God’s identity can be for righteousness and capacity to real-
The Talmud, in Tractate Kiddush- reduced to any term or name, including ize the unique divine stamp implanted
in, states that “Ha’maaseh Hu Ha’ikar” the Tetragrammaton, is to diminish our within each of us.
(the action is the main thing). Our ac- Creator. Yet, even though names will Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz serves as the
tions and mitzvahs are counted wheth- always be inadequate, they are the only Community Chaplain and Director of
er observed with the proper feeling or linguistic means we possess for desig- JFCS’s Jewish Healing Program and
not, whether we understand what we nating God. the Director of Spiritual Services for
are doing or not. As long as we do the Furthermore, even when we use Aviva – A Campus for Senior Life. His
mitzvah, it counts. It matters. the same name for God, there can be position is underwritten by The Jewish
Yes, our mitzvahs matter! Even differentiation in meaning depend- Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.
the “little ones” add up to millions of
mitzvahs and tip the scales for positive
energy, goodness and G-dliness in the
world. Each mitzvah causes a ripple ef-
fect. The cumulative energy of all our
individual mitzvahs together create a
win for the world.
But when it comes to a relation- Join us in our campus re-imagination... jfedsrq.org
ship with G-d, He wants the mitzvahs
on His terms – with unity, together-
ness, brotherhood. He yearns for His Show us what you’re grateful for!
children to behave in a way that their ConneCt
actions bring them closer together. Post on social media what or who
So while the American election may Join us as we reimagine our 32 acre campus. you are grateful for and use

We are JFED Proud & Strong!
be highly charged and, unfortunately, with your Jewish Community the hashtag:
divisive, let us ensure that our cumu- THE LARRY AND MAR Y GREENSPON FAMILY CAMPUS FOR JEWISH LIF E
KLINGENSTEIN JEWISH CENT ER | 5 80 MCINTOSH RD, SARASOTA FL 34232 | 941-371-4546 | JFEDSRQ.org
lative mitzvahs, unlike the votes, are #JFEDgrateful
accomplished in harmony with each facebook.com/jfedsrq
other, all of us working together to-
ward the same goal of bringing peace
and goodness to the world. Contact us to learn more.

Howard Tevlowitz Kim Mullins Ilene Fox Rich Bergman
Major Gifts
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