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Prayer Is Not Enough
To Bring On Miracles
RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT
Special to The Jewish News
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Friday. February 13. 1987 -
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Illle
often read that
modern man has no
faith. This is not true.
He has too much faith too
much faith in prayer and what
it can accomplish.
In this week's sidrah we read
of the first crisis that con-
fronted the Israelites after the
Exodus from Egypt--the
thrilling and unforgettable
episode of the crossing of the
Red Sea. On reaching the
banks of the Red Sea, the Is-
raelites see behind them, in
full pursuit, the hosts of the
Egyptian army. On the one
hand, the treacherous waters
of the sea; on the other, their
former masters. What is there
to do? Where are they to turn?
How are they to react to this
crisis?
Moses is terrified and lifts
his hands in prayer and asks
for divine assistance. The an-
swer comes back to him from
God, "Why do you cry unto me?
Speak to the children of Israel
that they may move forward"
(Exodus 14:15).
This is the mistake of hu-
manity. Man turns to God and
prays for a miracle. God, how-
ever, turns to man and says
you do not pray for a miracle,
you work for a miracle. It is for
you to initiate, not for you to
finish perhaps, but for you to
begin the process. And do you
know what happened? The
Midrash teaches that the Jews
began to move forward into the
water, until the waters
reached their nostrils and
then the miracle occurred and
the sea split for them. Not sim-
ply because they prayed, but
because they moved forward
with God; not simply because
they hoped, but because they
acted, did God bring about
their salvation. Man must first
toil and work and then God will
send his blessing. Our sages
teach, Tzaddik gozer, ve-ha-
kadosh barukh hu mekayem
man must propose and God will
dispose.
How many of us repeat this
very mistake of our ancestors
in our daily lives? We often
think all we have to do is pray
to God and sit back and wait for
a miracle just because our
cause is just and our goal noble.
In our personal religious
lives we say, yes, I would be-
lieve if only I saw a single
miracle: a sickness cured, a
death deferred, a tragedy av-
erted. We wait by the shore for
a sea to split, but nothing hap-
pens. For this is not how a
miracle is born-if only we
moved first of our own accord,
the miracle of life's meaning
would be open before us.
When it comes to the reli-
Morton F. Yolkut is rabbi at
Cong. B'nai David.
gious education of our
youngsters we also often opt for
the easy way out. We stand by
the shore and pray to God, "If
only my child would become a
knowledgeable and reverent
son or daughter of the Jewish
people." We turn to God in a
spirit of dependence and say,
"Please perform a miracle for
me. I cannot force my child to
attend religious school, but
won't you instill him with Your
reverence and Your wisdom?"
But suddenly we hear the only
solution: Take the first step
forward toward your child's
spiritual development and the
miracle of the future genera-
tion will open before you.
The great chasidic master
Moshe Leib of Sasov was once
asked. If all creations had a
Beshalach
Shabbat Shira:
Exodus
13:17-17:16,
Judges 4:4-5:31
purpose, and all attitudes their
reason for being, how could he
explain the need for atheism?
The rabbi answered. "For
everything else we do in life we
know we have to work, but
where God is concerned we
think all we have to do is pray.
No, here we must be atheists,
here we must be non-believers
Gott vet nisht helfen, Gott vet
nor zu-helfen God will not help
you, He will only assist you."
Yes, we often talk of our de-
pendence upon God and
sanctimoniously proclaim,
"God will help." We seem to
forget that God also depends on
us. And this is the important
lesson taught to Moses. "Why
do you cry to Me? Speak to the
children of Israel that they
may move forward."
Only after our ancestors
moved forward into the raging
sea, were the waters divided
and they crossed in safety. Yes,
God will help! But it is only
after we work with resolve and
devotion that His miracle is
realized.
SYNAGOGUE
111=111
■ 11MOIMIM
Melave Malkah
At Young Israel
Young Israel of Greenfield
will hold its annual winter
Melave Malkah, 8:30 p.m. Feb.
21, at the synagogue. Hyp-
notist Jim Hoke will entertain.
The menu will feature a
spaghetti bar and a sundae
bar. New members will be for-
mally welcomed.
There is a charge. For reser-
vations, call Young Israel,
967-3655.
Young Israel plans to pur-
chase a new Sefer Torah. For
information on purchasing let-
ters, call the synagogue.