In his book, God In Search Of Man, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel relays a Hassidic parable:
One day, a man was hiking on the cliffs overlooking the deep bay.
In the distance, industrial boats came and went.
Even though they looked tiny from this distance, the man knew that they were massive.
While walking, he came upon a young boy, who was standing at the edge of the cliff, gazing out into the bay, as if looking for something.
Concerned for his safety, the man asked the boy, “What are you doing so close to the edge?”
The boy smiled, and took out his red handkerchief, and began to wave it up and down.
Clearly he was trying to get the attention of one of the busy boats in the distance.
“I’m signaling to that big boat out there to sound its horn.”
“Those boats are too far away to see you,” said the man, “and the people working on them are super busy. Now, please, come away from the edge before you hurt yourself.”
Just then, to the man’s astonishment, a piercing fog horn sounded, as if responding to the boy’s frantic waving.
“That’s incredible!” said the man. “That boat is so far away, and you are so high up here. The odds of the captain looking up at you at the exact moment that you are waving your red handkerchief…and the captain responding like he did! How did you do it? How did you know that it was going to happen?”
To which, the boy responded, “That captain…he is my father.”
Rabbi Heschel’s parable seeks to give context to the question that the everyday theologian tends to ask.
There are seven billion people in the world.
Each one has their own dreams and problems, concerns, and gratitude.
What makes anyone think that God would pay attention to us? To you? To me?
The story seeks to convey a sense of Jewish faith: You have moments in your life when you yearn to connect. Sometimes these moments are sought out, other times they seem to happen to you. But when you do seek to connect, know, that like a loving parent, your efforts are matched by The Divine.
Think about it…
Shabbat shalom,