The Hebrew View of
Two talks given by Rabbi John D. Rayner in 'Thought for the Day' on BBC Radio 4 on 11th and 12th September, 1972
b 1.
THE BREAKTHROUGE
God of pity and love, return to this earth. Go not so far away, leaving 'us to evil. Return, 0 Lord, return.
Come with the day.
Game with the light, that men may see once more
Across this earth's uncomfortable floor The kindly path, the old and loving way. Let us not die of evil in the night. lot there be God again.
19’;
there be light.
In these words an American poet, Robert Nathan, has expressed, not only the mood of the present season in the Jewish calendar — for we are, as it happens, in the middle of the Ten Days 01‘ Penitence, culminating in the Day of Atonement - but I
something which gay; people feel nowadays. We are no longer quite so‘ sure about God as we used to be. Even if we still believe in him, he seems "far away". And not only bécause' it from time to time we wish that the old assurance would
rem,
would relieve us of the anxiety of doubt, but because we have a "hunch" that the well-being of mankind may depend on it — that, without God, we might "die of evil
in the right".
minds hgck 9&1; we believe in God again? Perhaps it would help us to turn our to those .who first discovered him. They were the Hebrews: the historians, legislators
and prophets who wrote the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament. Not that they were the first to worship divine powers or beings. All peoples had done that since before the dawn of" civilisation. 0n the contrary“ what distinguished the Hebrews is that they gejected all these deities of pagan worship in favour of a single God who combined in himself all the powers attributed to them, and more. And this made a world of difference. The One God of Hebraism differed from the
many gods of Paganism as chalk from cheese. He was not merely wiser and stronger, but all-knowing and all-powerful. He (iidn't nereiy control more of the universe; he controlled all of it and was, in fact, its .Creator. He was different in ldfxd. As one of the Psalms put it, "All the gods of the other nations are mere,idols‘, but the lord made the heavens" (96:5).
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Today we take all that for granted. In so far as we believe in God at all, it is the One God with the capital 'G'. 'But at the time, it amounted to a revolution. It was one of the great breakthroughs, perhaps the greatest, in the history of human thought.
And it opened up immense new vistas, as the coming of dawn liglts up
a darkened landscape.
So many things followed from it. For one thing, the universe became - a universe: no longer a battleyound of conflicting forces but an orderly whole, obeying a single set. of laws; and no longer hostile to man, but friendly, since its Creator was
That is why the Hebrews could rejoice in nature and write poetry about it: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament
believed to be benevolent.
proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:2).
-2'in For another thing, manldnd became - mankind: no longer separate species but, principle, a single family of equals, co-ordinated horizontally becéuse subordinated
vertically to One God. Eor, as one prophet said, is he not the God of the Ethiopians, the Philistines and the Syrians 3g 3%, _a_§_ the God .of the Hebrews? (Amos 9:7); arid, as another said, "Have we not all one Father? Has not One God created us?“ I
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THE IMPLICATIONS
"Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." This verse from Deuterononw, recited by observant Jews every morning and night, sums up the revolutionary break-
through achieved by the ancient Hebrews. From it, as I said yesterday, followed the unity of the universe and the unity of mankind; dg‘ geregt But it also followed that the One God who c_rea_§qi the universe must be or: with from the universe. He may not be identified with any of the forces of name any physical thing, living or inanimate. That would be to debase him, and to revert to Paganism; and the Prophets fought relentlessly against it. God is immeasurably exalted even above man, the crown of his creation. "For as the heavens are higher I
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Is. 55:9).
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With this affirmation, the 'othemess' of God became complete. His stature had been raised from that of a petty Pagan deity to - infinity. Of course, to say that is not to say what God is like. It is, rather, to say what he is ggi like. But it
was a huge step forward; and it had this important implication, that the very afi'teupt to describe God positively is bound to be futile. His éssential nature can no more be 'captured' in theological jargon than in a man-made figure of wood and stone. He is too great for that, and our minds too small. But though we cannot goggeive God, we can e'xmgegce him; and the ancient Hebrews did. You need only read the Psalms to see how strongly they felt his nearness. They experienced him, moreover, as a person, even though they knew that in reality he must be more, fai‘ more, than a pérson in the human sense; that to describe him as a King, _
Shepherd or a Father is to use metaphors which must not be taken literally. Here is the great paradox which lies at the heart of the Hebraic conception. of God} On the one hand it pushes the 'othemess‘ of God to the very limits of hfiman thought, and refuses to make any compromise with it; on the other hand it affirms with equal conviction, that man can enter into a personal, I—Thou relationship with
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Judge,
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"The Lord is near to all who call upon him" (Ps. -145:18). He dwells in the inaccessible heights of holiness, but also "with himlwho is of a contrite and humble
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spirit" -VIa.57:15)..
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This personal experience of God combined with the Hebreré: reflection on the meaning of their history to impress upon them another truth of the utmost importance: God. He doesn't govern the world that the One God is, first and last, a ‘
arbitrarily or capriciously, but according to a moral law which man, too, can learn
-3to understand.
He is a God of justice.
The ancient Hebrews expressed this by
saying that he rewards and punishes. We should perhaps be inclined to say, rather, that he has made the world in such a way that, in the long run if not in the short run, goodness leads to welfare and evil to disaster. But while the Hebrews emphasised God's justice, they emphasised at least as much his love; and after Old Testament times this emphasis was carried even further? both by Judaism and, in its different way, by Christianity. But how does God's love show itself? The Hebrew Prophets and their successors, the Pharisees and Rabbis, would have said something like this. First, in the {Mary fact that he created man in his imge. Secondly, in God's mercy; for though he makes
stern demands, he also makes allowance for man's wealmess, and his forgiveness is generous. According to the Rabbis, God says: "Open for me one gate of repentance by as little as the point of a needle, and I will open for you gates wide enough
for carriages and coaches to pass through" (Cat. R. 5:2). But above all Judaism sees God's love in his activity in human history, in the great events which see the defeat of evil and the triumph of good, such as the Exodus from Egypt. God. it is true, doesn’t impose his will. He leaves men free. That is why evil often has But though he doesn't force us, he :eaches us. And it is in his teéching, his revelation, his Torah as it is called in Hebrew, that we see the Eta—f token of
its way.
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his love.
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THE 33 EAK'BEQUGH
God of pity and love, return to this earth. Go not so far away, leaving us to evil. Return, 0 Lord, return. Come with the day. Come with the light, that men may see once more Across this earth's uncomfortable floor The kindly path, the old and loving Way. Let us not die of evil in the night. Let there be God again. Let there be light. In these words an American poet, Robert Nathan, has expressed, not only the mood of the preSent season in the Jewish calendar - for we are,
as it hapgens, in the middle of the Ten Days of Penitence, culminating in the Day of atonement — but something which
Egg; people feel nowadays.
We are no longer quite so sure about God as we used to be. Even if we still believe in him, he seems "far away". And from time to time we wish that the old aszurance would return, not only because it would relieve us of the anxiety of doubt, but because we have a "hunch" that the wellbeing of mankind may depend on it - that, without God, we might "die of
evil in the night".
93g we believe in God again?
Parbaps it would help us to turn our minds back to those who first discovered him. They were the Hebrews: the historians, legislators and pn3phets who wrote the Hebrew Bible, known to Christiaqiwagwthe Old Testament. Not that they were the first to ocrvsac‘im c. we: worship saperhame§19s~sugenaamfiguriwéags. All peoples had done that since before the dawn of civilisation. 0n the contrary, what distinguished the Hebrews is that they Eggected all these deities of pagan worship in favour of a single God who combined in himself all the powers attributed to them, and more. _
.
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And this made a world of difference.
The One God of Ebbraism
differed from the many gods of Eaganism aé chalk from cheese. He was wit mereh7 Wiser and stronger, but all—knoaving and all—powerful. He didn't merely control more of the universe; he controlled all of it and was, in fact, its Creator. He was different in kind. As one of the Psalms puts it, "All the gods of the other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens" (96 :5).
Today we take all that for granted. at all, it is the
901$,
In so far as we believe in God
God with the capital 'G'.
amounted to a revolution.
It was one of the
But at the
glib
great breakthroughs, perhaps
the greatest, in the history of human thought.
And it opened up immené‘étz
Qistas, as‘tbe coming of dawn lights up a darkened landscape. So many things followed from it. For one thing, the universe became — a universe: no longer a battleground of conflicting forces but an
orderly whole, obeying a single set of laws; and no longer hostile to man, but friendly, since its Creator was believed to be benevolent. That is why the Hebrews could rejoice in nature and write poetry about it : "She heavens declare theélory of God, and the firmement proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:2). For another thing, mankind became — mankind: no lolnger separate species but, in principle, a single family of equals, co—ordinated horizontally because subordinated vertically to One God. For, as one prophet said, is be not the God of the Ethiopians, the Philistdunes and the Syrians is 3.13311 §§ the God-of the Hebrews’KAmos 9:7); and, as another said, "Have we not all ohe Father? Has not One God created us?"
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£;;QHE I FTICATICKS ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One."
jhis verse
from Deuteronomy, recited by observant Jews every morning and night, sums up the revolutionary breakthrough achieved by the ancient Hebrews. From it, a; I said yesterday, followed the unity of the universe and the unfimy of mankind.
But it also followed that the One God who created the universe must be Qifferent from the universe. He may not be identified with any of the fprces of mature or with any pbggical thing, liag
inanicate.
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That would be to debase him, and to revert to Paganism; and the Irophets fought relentlessly againsqg' God is immeasurably exalted
gxgg above gfig, the gfiggg of his creation. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than_yourxays, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (IS. 55:9). Jitb this affirration, the 'otherness' of God became complete.
His stature had been raised from that of a petty Iagan deity to — infinity. Of course, to say that is not to say what God is like. It is, raher, to say-what he is £23 like. But it was a huge step forward; and it had this important implication, that the very attempt to describe God positively is bound to be futile. His essential nature can no more be 'captured' in theological jargon tbap in a man-made figure of wood and stone; He is too great for that, and our minds to small. But though we cannot conceive God, we can exper'ggce him; and the ancient Hébrews ggg. You need only read the Lhalms to see how strénsly they felt his nearness. They experienued him, moreover, '“ N v 2: " , as a person, even though they knew that in reality he must be more, far more, than a person in the human sense; that to describe him as a King, a Judge, a Shepherd or a Father is to use metaphors which must not be
taken literally.
Here is the great paradox which lies at the ML» 196% of the Hebraic conception of God. On the one hand it pushes the 'otherness' of God to the very limits of human thought,
with mt;
aaefuses
to make any compromise
on the other band it affinns with equal conviction,_hein-e£ autbefiéée-efifieiififiee* that man can enter into a personal, I—Thou relation—
ship with him.
"The Lord is near to all who call upon him" (Is. 145:18). He dwells in the inaccessible heights of holiness, but alsa "with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit" (Is. 57:15). This personal experience of God combined with the Hebnews'\ref1ection on the meaning of their history to impress upon them another truth of Ebe m:most importance: that the One God is, first and last, a Egggl God. He doesn't govern the world arbitrarily ggé capriciously, but according to a moral law which man, too, can learn to understand.
justice.
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The ancient Hebrews expressed this by saying that be rewards and punishes. fle_sbould perhaps be inclined to
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say,tbat be has made the world in such a way that, in the long run if npt in the shbrt run, goodness leads to welfare and evil to disaster.
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But While the Hebrews emphasised God's justice, they emphasised at least as much his love; and after Old Testament times this emphasis was carried even further, both by Jédaimm and, in its difierent way, by
Christianity.
How does God's love Show itself? The Hebrew ira“bets and their suceessors, the Pharisees and Rabbis, would have said something lit: this. First, in the very fact that be created man in his imageartéefi—is7—es—a
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open for you gates wide enough for carriages and Kfiflflflx coaches to pass through” (Cant. R; 5:2). But above all Jédaism sees God's love in his activity in human history, in the great events which see the defeat of evil and the triumph of good, such as,_i$-aaeéeaG—%ése&,_the _Sxodus from Egypt, and, Wm mighf afl‘, 4" nu: +im , tL &uf "t vf Hiblcr impose his will.
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He leaves man free.
That is Why evil often has its way. But though he d -u u a force us, he teaches us. And it is in his teaching, his revelation, his Torah as it is cakled in Hebrew, that we '
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see the chief token of his love. / Today as in ancient ti thé most , ~ puzzle Pjiiigga’fieed is not out od's nature; that vill alWéys remai; elusive; but to ry to under— ~ ~ // s and his will, a than to do it. If all of us Je‘s' Chr sfiians//§d/// d //y /// I$slims, apalv ourselves eérnes‘ ~ $1.1]??Ce will retur . L'aybe the ,4b nee of God will ave bean “71 :3 only eclipse. Hayye/gar longing will/
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Let us no 'die of evil in ting/night. Let ther‘n be God again. Let there be light. I
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