The 13 Principles of Jewish Faith - Principle #3: It's Not My World - Rabbi Akiva Fox

continuing with the third fundamental of faith that a Shem is not a body I know goof Valachi goo goo marcg a goof and you can't use bodily perception bodily vision or you can't imagine or compare anything with a finite existence to a shams existence now this has a very practical application something I believe at least it's very important that we understand over here sometimes people have complaints sometimes people have things that disturb them about what they would like God to be if you would make a list of all the things that we as people would like God to be for us we would have a list that would take days to write well I personally would like to be you know a god that's merciful and it gives me a lot of money and he makes good food and you know and if you ask a child God did that make you know he gives me a switchblade and a skateboard and all you can have a list out the door now if you stop for a second and you say now let's make a list of what God wants from you Oh second I don't know if he wants anything for me I mean it's got a lot of people out there there's rabbis you know he doesn't necessarily want anything from me but it's not true the truth is if you want to make a list of what you want from God you have to assume that God has a list of what he wants from you but let's stop for a second and analyze this we all have a list of what we want from God and in a certain sense sometimes you hear people complaining like why did this happen now again when you hear somebody say that you have to empathize and sympathize that he may be going through horrible times never judge a person for saying that there's no way that we as a as a friend or as an acquaintance or whatever you can never look down on somebody who says that because you have to understand they're going through a hard time but let's try to let's try to imagine that when somebody says you know he didn't get the parking space that he wants this is why is God doing this to me so again his perception he says God should have done a and B and instead he chose this so I'm upset because God I thought you could do better this is something that we have to learn not to do because God is God God is beyond our understanding God is infinite just because it doesn't work out the way I wanted to see it just because in my finite perception this didn't go well doesn't mean that God is bad doesn't mean that God is punishing but there's a much bigger picture so one of the explanations or the things that we need to internalize about this fundamental is that we cannot use our own perception of the world that were in to limit God and his kindness and his goodness and say listen ash em either you get me the parking space or it's over you don't really exist no it doesn't work like that there's God and God is so beyond there's such a huge picture out there that you have to understand we're in the picture we don't draw the picture we cannot tell god what to do or hint them what to do or expect him to do certain things because that would work out perfect for me because we are just humans we're finite we're so limited we have so little so if it doesn't work for the way me and you want to see it we have to understand that's because God is God God is not me so part of this fundamental teaches us that we have to understand there's a bigger world out there God is big God is controlling the world when you say to yourself a sham but why did you do that God why did you do this in a certain sense it's good to say that because that means in the back of your mind you know God is there you believe in Hashem and you don't understand why he did it but now we have to remind ourselves we don't have to understand why we will not always understand why because God is God and he chose to do whatever he chose to do if you think that in your finite perception you could have done a better job than God then I'm going to ask you the following question let me ask you how would you control starvation in Nigeria or what about Middle East peace do you think you have an inkling is how to control that what about the Zika virus that's going out there how would you take care of that or what about AIDS that's rampant in the whole world or cancer do you have a way that you don't have a cure oh my gosh how could you be a god God is infinite and he can do all of these things and all of these things at once so until you're ready to take over God's position and let him retire and say Shem I could have done it better you couldn't because you are so limited me and you were finite so it's important to remember this if we have questions okay you'll have questions but don't expect an answer and don't expect an answer right away and don't expect that God should come down to the world that you live in and the way you want to live and say do for me no God is Hashem we do for him ask not what God can do for you ask what you can do for God like to end with a story there was a lady that I knew she was a Holocaust survivor her name was mrs. Spiegel aleja Sean may she rest in peace she was a very special lady a very strong lady she went through many many difficulties in life concentration camps she lost her entire family a very very bitter painful life and one time she told me something that really shocked me she said to me I have a lot of questions for God I have a lot of questions I want to know why he took my husband wanting know why he took my family and my friends in my community i do but i don't need the answers now I'm fine I'll live a happy existence I'm happy being happy but when I come to the next world after I pass away then I know a Shem will answer me God will explain what happened I don't need the answers right now you could have questions but in a sense that enhances your faith it brings out your faith because you know God's there you know he does things for a reason but we don't understand the reason and the reason we don't know the reason is because we're not God God is infinite the reasons are infinite there's a big picture don't limit your vision to that small picture that just perceives the world as what i want to see there's so much out there there's so much more going on sometimes we can connect to it sometimes we can relate to it sometimes we can see it and sometimes we don't but when the time comes in the next world that's when we'll understand what was really going on I believe that this is one of the explanations in thee and I've said this to my parents into this mrs. spiegel's family what we say in asia's hile the song that is sung for the Jewish woman of Valor it says by piss cockily I'm a crying and she laughs thinking about the last day her last day and I understood this or my heart understood it for this woman who laughs and she's happy that when the day will come on her last day in this world she'll know that she'll get the answers but until then she doesn't need the answers she's happy because she knows I'm in your hands ahem I surrender to your vision to your will because I know that there's much more that I can ever perceive and that is what we need to do this is one of the things that we learn from this fundamental don't look at the world with the limited perception with the physical perception of the world that we want look at the world perceive God's hand in the world as much greater much more much more powerful much bigger and therefore by doing so we will understand that God is so much we are so little and there is so much more going on in the world for me just to sit and complain don't be the old man on the couch the potbelly who watches people walk by and complains and creches about each one why does that guy have to walk so fast what's the problem with him he's got issues I could tell don't be like that don't look at the world and complain about everything look at the world and say there's a reason we don't know it we might not understand it but a sham he knows the reason it's much deeper much bigger than I can ever understand but that's fine as long as I know god you're taking care you