The weekly portion is full this week. It highlights many important lessons including the remarkable story of The Binding of Isaac, known as The Akedah. As you well know, it’s a story about a test of faith. If you open to Genesis 22, you’ll read a great story and finish it with a sense of wonder about the events described there. You may also begin to ask yourself questions about your own level of faith. Before you do, give yourself credit for the faith you do have.

            Today, faith can be like a product you buy off the shelf. Some people have it, others don’t. Some spend more on it and some spend less. And, without it, some say, you must not be living right. Judaism doesn’t have a lock on faith and it doesn’t require a wholesale (or retail) purchase of it, either, like some product on the shelf. In Judaism, faith can come later. In Judaism, mitzvot (deeds) come first. Here’s proof: when the Israelites stood at Mount Sinai to receive the commandments, they said, “Na’aseh v’nishma,” we will do and we will hear. Translations further explain that these words mean, “we will faithfully do,” or, “we will do and we will obey.” However the word “nishma” is translated, it shouldn’t take away from the fact that the order of the two words puts deeds before hearing, obeying, understanding, or faith. As a result, our tradition teaches us that faith comes through doing. Deeds come first.

            Now, let’s ask: Why do we do mitzvot at all? Are they a matter of faith? Eventually. A mitzvah is done for many reasons. In our age of modernity, a mitzvah may be performed because of one’s personal connection to the Jewish community in which one lives, and the obligation to participate in it. Then, a mitzvah is not just a matter of personal inclination; it’s also consistent with the expectations of oneself as a Jewish person in a larger and Jewish community. This can be the reason for one’s participation in Jewish ritual on Shabbat or holidays, and in Jewish ethical deeds in business and between family and friends.

            Someone once said to his rabbi, “I’ll light the Sabbath candles after I learn everything I can about them and the Sabbath day.” The rabbi replied, “Light the candles first and make a habit of it each week. The understanding will come through the doing.” Surely, the rabbi reflected on the Torah experience of the Israelites when they stood at Sinai, and made their passionate plea to faithfully do and then understand.

            In our world, today, we aren’t qualified to do anything without first passing an exam to demonstrate our knowledge, or pay a fee to prove our professional status. It’s hard to understand how God could give the Israelites the whole Torah, without any fee, examination, or proof that they would make good guardians of such sacred teachings.  But God did. The Israelites made a commitment to do it and to study it. And, they made another commitment. They promised God to teach their children Torah, so that its sacred teachings would be present in the world forever. To this day, we not only teach it, we do it and live by it so that they can learn from our example and do it for themselves and their children.

            I’m not worried about faith. I worry about participation in Jewish life. Faith can sit on the shelf, because faith isn’t enough to make a difference in the world without deeds. Deeds, mitzvah, volunteers, time, energy, and commitment will make a difference and meet the demands of a loving God who entrusted us to be partners with God. I believe that when we make a difference with our deeds, then faith will surely follow.

            From my desk to yours, Shabbat Shalom.   

__________________________________________________

Contact Rabbi Lyon