Can You Talk to God? — Yitro 5781
At the heart of most religious traditions, including Judaism, is a series of simple questions. Can you talk to God? If you can talk to God, how? Does God hear you? If so, will God answer?
One of my favorite movies, since the very first time I saw it, is the Kevin Smith classic, Dogma, which might seem like a funny topic for a Jewish podcast about the weekly Torah portion, and to be honest the movie doesn't age well, at least not all of it. Still, there's something very Jewish about dogma that keeps drawing me in. Thanks for listening, and Shabbat Shalom.
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There’s a series of questions at the heart of most religious traditions—how do you talk to G-d? Can you talk to G-d? Does G-d hear you? Will G-d answer?
One of my favorite movies, since the very first time I saw it, is the Kevin Smith classic, Dogma. Matt Damon and Ben Afleck star as two angels, cast out from heaven for their crimes, forced to live in permanent exile on Earth, who are exploiting a loop hole in Roman Catholic dogma in an attempt shed their immortality, die, and return to heaven as mortals. It’s an epic movie, with Chris Rock, George Carlin, Salma Hayek, Linda Fiorentino, and Alan Rickman all co-starring. The big casting reveal, though, is of course the role of G-d, played by 90s pop sensation Alanis Morisette, for a few moments at the very end of the movie.
The reason G-d doesn’t appear is two-fold. One is central to the plot, and not to this podcast, so if you’re curious, go watch the movie.
Early on in the movie, Alan Rickman’s character Metatron, an angel who functions as the voice of G-d. “Any documented occasion when some yahoo claims that G-d has spoken to them, they’re speaking to me.”
In the movie, the response is, “Why doesn’t come speak for himself?”
“Human being have neither the oral nor the pyschological capacity to withstand the awesome power of G-d’s true voice,” answers Metatron.
To complete the picture, at the end of the movie, Alanis Morisette, whose voice is undeniably beautiful, opens her mouth in the role of G-d, and let’s forth an unholy screech which explodes the heads of anyone who isn’t covering their ears.
I love Dogma because within Kevin Smith’s dark humor and satire are interesting reflections on religion, and religious systems in our culture. It’s over the top, to be sure. Some of it doesn’t age well, and the whole thing is steeped in Roman Catholic dogma, as the title implies, not Jewish tradition. Still, there’s something very Jewish about Dogma that’s always drawn me in, and it feels appropriate to bring the movie up this week, when we’ve finally arrived at Mt. Sinai where, for the first time, G-d plans to reveal themselves to Israelite people.
Exodus 19
On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai.
Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain,
and Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel:
‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me.
Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine, but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
Moses came and summoned the elders of the people and put before them all that the LORD had commanded him.
All the people answered as one, saying, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the people’s words to the LORD.
And the LORD said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.”
Then Moses reported the people’s words to the LORD, and the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow. Let them wash their clothes.
Let them be ready for the third day; for on the third day the LORD will come down, in the sight of all the people, on Mount Sinai.
You shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, ‘Beware of going up the mountain or touching the border of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death:
no hand shall touch him, but he shall be either stoned or shot; beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.”
There are two important points to this scene, in mind. One is the distance placed between G-d and the people, who are commanded to stay off the mountain, not even touching its border, lest they be put to death. The second point is the preparation G-d requires of the people, three days of cleansing and purifying in order to be ready to receive G-d.
So the Israelites are commanded to prepare themselves for G-d’s big reveal, and spend three days doing so, at Moses’s insistence. At the end of the three days, G-d descends to dwell on the mountain, in an explosion of smoke and lightning that makes the earth tremble. Moses ascends to speak again with G-d, and returns with a set of commandments, not yet inscribed on tablets, but memorable all the same:
Exodus 20
God spoke all these words, saying:
I the LORD am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage:
You shall have no other gods besides Me.
You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the LORD your God am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me,
but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
You shall not swear falsely by the name of the LORD your God; for the LORD will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.
Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that the LORD your God is assigning to you.
You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house: you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female slave, or his ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance.
“You speak to us,” they said to Moses, “and we will obey; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.”
Kevin Smith didn’t make up this idea of G-d’s voice exploding the heads of humans, he drew it from the religious traditions at the heart of Jewish, and Roman Catholic, traditions.
So, if we can’t hear G-d’s voice, where does that leave us, in our quest to talk to G-d?
For much of my childhood, my father was active in the American Society of Friends, or Quaker community. Quakers hold meetings for worship, where one of the central tenants is that rather than actively seeking out and speaking directly to G-d, as most religious worshipers do, one should sit quietly, contemplatively, and wait for G-d to speak to them. In a typical meeting, from time to time, people stand up and share something they feel moved to say, and the rest of the time everyone sits, simply preparing themselves for something that might never happen. It’s not unlike the Israelites in this week’s Torah portion, preparing themselves to be present as G-d descends on Mount Sinai, and honestly, it’s not unlike the movie Dogma, where the characters who do eventually hear G-d’s voice prepare themselves, in a manner, to hear it.
I don’t want to leave you with the idea that you can’t hear G-d’s voice, though, and luckily there are plenty of instances in Jewish tradition where G-d does speak, directly. Some of them come earlier in the Torah, but my favorite, and the most meaningful, in my opinion, to the question in the title of this episode, comes from the prophet Elijah, who receives the classic answer we’re probably all looking for, no matter what question we’re asking.
I Kings 19:11
There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by the power of the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind—an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake—fire; but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire—a soft murmuring sound.
When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his mantle about his face and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice addressed him: “Why are you here, Elijah?”
Shabbat Shalom
