Little children have this idea that if they cover their eyes, since they can’t see, nobody can see them either. That is ok for children. But when adults act this way, we have a problem. Trying to ignore the obvious is not a sign of virtue or maturity.
The story is related about a meeting between the fifth Chabad Rebbe and a thought leader of the “progressive Jews” in Russia. After the meeting they asked the Rebbe what his view was of the other fellow. He replied, “He is so insistent on not believing, that had he been present at the splitting of the sea, he would have persistently tried to attribute the miracle to natural causes.”
This Shabbat we read about the Revelation at Sinai. Hashem made Himself known to us. He demonstrated that “the L-rd is our G-d, there is no other beside Him.” From that point on the Jewish people are a believing people. We saw G-dly revelation. We perceived G-d communicating to Moses. We saw the miracles, the sights, the sounds, and we experienced Divinity. Since then, the default state of the Jewish people is to believe in Hashem.
For a Jew to claim disbelief, is like the child who covers their eyes and thinks nobody can see them. There are so many experiences in life that point to the existence of G-d that one must take great pains to ignore the obvious. Yet, so many, otherwise, smart people hide behind the cloak of agnosticism. Like the child who hides behind their fingers…
The Torah is a living Torah. Each year as we read it, we are meant to live with it and internalize the messages contained therein. This Shabbat, as we read about the Giving of the Toran, let us proudly embrace our truth, a truth that everyone else in the world knows about us, that “the L-rd is our G-d, there is no other beside Him.” If we already acknowledging that, we might as well embrace the responsibility that comes with that knowledge, living a life that is illuminated by the light of Torah and sharing that light with the whole world.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin