
When I watch the world’s strife parade across my computer screen I long for the days of flaming firepans and budding branches; of revealed answers. Like with Korach. An argument arose, Korach’s clan pitted against Moses and Aaron. Each side made its claim to leadership. And how simply God set the matter straight by accepting Aaron’s fire offering, by making Aaron’s staff bud green, by swallowing up the ‘bad guy’ into the pit of earth. I long for a God with such communication skills! A God who lets you know exactly what S/He means. But we do not have such signs today. And so what is God communicating in His incognito?
In my stretch for an answer, I am reminded of the Rabbi who explained how there is a place for even atheism in the world. When pressed by his perplexed students as to what he could mean, he answered, ‘One must be an atheist when a person comes to them asking for assistance. Lest one answer, ‘God will help you.’ At that moment there is no God who is responsible; rather it is you alone who are called to help.’
Or,
No Budding Branches
Are there no more
budding branches?
No revelations
No flagrant answers?
No firepans flamed
By fuel of God?
No loom laced by Grace?
No Force unflawed?
Just string, swinging
slack without meaning?
Is there now nothing
Where once there was Being?
Is there now hollow
Where once hallowed stood?
And if so, then why, when,
and for, pray tell, what good?
For who will feed the famished
and who the houseless home?
If there is no God to nod
To grant, to give, to loan?
Let us beat the flaming fire pans
Into a tool to service man
To instruments for healing wounds
To stay the plague
To light the gloom
Take your censors
To censor self
Improve the planet
Increase global health
If God be hidden
Then let God’s deeds
Be done by man
To fill world’s needs
Let us cease our strife
Let compassion live
Perhaps
God let God die
That we may
Give