What is a valid basis for religious practice?
- What does your current religious practice look like?
- How did you arrive at that practice?
- How does your understanding of God influence that practice?
- Are you happy with it?
(ט) אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת נֹ֔חַ נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹקִ֖ים הִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹֽחַ׃
(9) This is the line of Noah. Noah was a righteous man. He was blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
(יד) וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֨ן הַחַרְטֻמִּ֧ים בְּלָטֵיהֶ֛ם לְהוֹצִ֥יא אֶת־הַכִּנִּ֖ים וְלֹ֣א יָכֹ֑לוּ וַתְּהִי֙ הַכִּנָּ֔ם בָּאָדָ֖ם וּבַבְּהֵמָֽה׃ (טו) וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ הַֽחַרְטֻמִּים֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה אֶצְבַּ֥ע אֱלֹקִ֖ים הִ֑וא
(14) The magicians did likewise with their spells to produce lice, but they could not. The vermin remained upon man and beast; (15) and the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God!”
אֵין לו דְמוּת הַגּוּף וְאֵינו גוּף,
לא נַעֲרךְ אֵלָיו קְדֻשָּׁתו.
He has no bodily form, and no body;
His holiness has not been ordered for him.
(כו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹקִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(26) And Gods said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.”
(ה) לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יי אֱלֹקֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃
(5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the LORD your God am an jealous God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל... אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּנַי, כָּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָאתִי בָּרָאתִי זוּגוֹת, שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ זוּגוֹת, חַמָּה וּלְבָנָה זוּגוֹת, אָדָם וְחַוָּה זוּגוֹת, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהָעוֹלָם הַבָּא זוּגוֹת, אֲבָל כְּבוֹדִי אֶחָד וּמְיֻחָד בָּעוֹלָם.
"Listen, Israel: YHVH is our God, YHVH is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4) The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, note that all I created, I created in pairs. Heaven and earth are a pair; the sun and the moon area pair; Adam and Eve area pair; this worldand the world-to-come are a pair. But My glory is one, and unique in the world.
(כב) [...] שֶׁעַל כָּרְחֲךָ אַתָּה נוֹצָר, וְעַל כָּרְחֲךָ אַתָּה נוֹלָד, וְעַל כָּרְחֲךָ אַתָּה חַי, וְעַל כָּרְחֲךָ אַתָּה מֵת, וְעַל כָּרְחֲךָ אַתָּה עָתִיד לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
(22) [...] Aginst your will you were created, and against your will you were born, and against your will you live, and against your will you die, and against your will you are destined to give account and reckoning before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
(ו) וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר יי ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יי ׀ יי אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת ׀ (ז) נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה
(6) YHVH passed before him and he proclaimed: “YHVH! YHVH! God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, (7) extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin;
(1) Job again took up his theme and said: (2) By God who has deprived me of justice! By Shaddai who has embittered my life! (3) As long as there is life in me, And the Lord’s breath is in my nostrils, (4) My lips will speak no wrong, Nor my tongue utter deceit. (5) Far be it from me to say you are right; Until I die I will maintain my blamelessness.
(18) YHVH cares for the needs of the blameless; their portion lasts forever;
Chevruta
What life experiences have you had that shaped how you understand God?
What life experiences have you had that made you doubt what you believed about God?
Has anything you've learned tonight challenged your previous beliefs about God?
Group Discussion
Does it matter whether we believe?