the Superbowl of Faith

I’m sure most pulpit Rabbis will be racking their brains to connect this weekly Torah portion to the super bowl. Saints don’t really have much clout in this religion and bears were just a minor participant in the plague of wild beasts read two weeks ago. Thankfully, I have no pulpit. What I will tell you, however, is a little story about Nachshon ben (son of) Aminadov. When the Jewish people dramatically found themselves pinned between the sea of reeds and the marauding army of Pharoh, there were few options. Moshe prayed, but found his prayers rebuffed by God as ineffectual without the partnership of action. So in jumped Nachshon ben Aminadov, up to his neck, and the Red Sea split. This begs the following question, “where was Moshe? Why didn’t he jump in first?” Surely, if what was expected of the Jewish people was a great act of self-sacrifice (cf. Masada), although we may not be able to conjure up such notions of martyrdom, that generation was undoubtedly capable. They would have clearly given their lives to sanctify the glory of the Almighty. Rather, there must have been another calling. The test was the DNA of all of God’s challenges – the very question of human existence: do we have the wherewithal to live according to what we know to be true. It wasn’t enough to jump into the torrential deep. The test was whether we could enter the raging waters with utter calm and conviction of the Almighty’s providence and salvation. This is the great test of Jewish faith. Could we internalize and make manifest all that we experienced with every plague, every miracle in Egypt? Did we allow God’s interaction to penetrate our thick skin and render our hearts his? Could we take a spiritual experience and live it to its fullest? In that regard, Nachshon took the helm. He recognized more clearly than anyone else what was expected and possessed the mettle to comply.

The Midrash comments that the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt without any condition, needing no merit of their own. The prosecuting forces in the spiritual heights were allowed no argument. But at the Red Sea, their complaints were heard – did the Jews merit such a miracle, such a salvation? Why, they had succumbed to idol worship no different than the Egyptians. This was clearly a test of our resolve, clearly an opportunity for the Jewish people to prove their distinction, their repentance and their greatness. From the depths of iniquity, greatness can rise. When we find it and live it, the world will bend to serve us. As the Midrash records, every body of water in the world split at that time – your lemonade, your bathtub, your water-ice – it split. At the point of partnership between the Almighty and His bride, the natural laws are redefined to reflect the spiritual truths of creation.

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos,

Rabbi Lynn & the MLF gang