When you say “God,” what do you mean? Is it the same as I mean? Is it what the Torah means?
Has your understanding of God transformed as you have? Does it change depending on what’s happening
in your life? Your mood?
The Jewish concept of God is vast and subtle. It has evolved through the centuries and,
what’s more, it evolves through the year.
At Passover, we call God “Redeemer.”
At Rosh HaShanah, “Creator.” At
Yom Kippur, God is “Judge.” And often,
God is “Sovereign,” “Lover,” “Shepherd” or “Rock.”
We never believe that God is any one of these alone. Rather, these are aspects of Divinity to
which we relate in the moment. God is
Judge when we need to be judged. God is
Rock when we need something substantial in our lives. God does not change, but human needs of God
do.
Mishkan HaNefesh, like Mishkan Tfilah before it, uses
“Integrated Theology.” That is to say
that it presents a range of God-ideas, traditional and transcendent,
anthropomorphic and mysterious. From
page to page, each takes its turn. It is
certain that some prayers and poems in the new machzor will not satisfy
you. And it is also certain that some of
them will thrill you – regardless of your vision of God or the God-language you
employ, and regardless of whether or not you believe in God.
Integrated Theology does not mean “that one looks to each
page to find one’s particular voice.”
Rather “that over the course of praying, many voices are heard, and
ultimately come together as one.
As a worshipper, I must be certain that I am
not excluded; yet, it is not my particular belief that needs to be stated each
moment. As worshippers, we realize
that our community, however diverse, includes me—but it is the community that
matters most.” (Rabbi Elyse Frishman, “Entering
Mishkan T’filah,” CCAR Journal)
Flipping through Mishkan HaNefesh for Rosh HaShanah, here
are some of the metaphors I encounter for God:
“God of all who in every way works
wonders” (21)
“Adonai who spins day into
dusk.” (23)
“Sovereign of the Universe” (25)
“Living Source” (97)
“Straightener of Bent Backs, Source
of strength for the weary” (125)
“Beloved Friend” (139)
“Oneness that exploded into cosmos,
spun the double helix” (139)
“Infinite” (143)
“Engineer” (171)
“Power of All” (205)
Some of these may appeal to you; others will not. Some may surprise or even offend you. Regardless, if a name for God catches your
attention, pause to consider it. What
does it mean? Why does it move you the
way it does? When might it be useful? What value might someone else find it in?
The purpose of prayer is not to reinforce our conceptions of
Self and the World, but rather to have them enlivened. In Frishman’s words, “prayer must move us
beyond ourselves. Prayer should not reflect me; prayer should reflect our
values and ideals. God is not in our image; we are in God’s. Our diversity is
God. The integrated theology in Mishkan T’filah [and Mishkan HaNefesh as
well] suggests that it is the blending of different voices that most
accurately reflects God.”
When all members of the community are represented, so too
are aspects of God.
