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Finding Meaning
in Jewish Text
33
OW do we understand the
response. In the Shen2a prayer, the
nature of our Jewish voices
declaration, "Hear Oh Israel, the Lord
— when they are heard,
our God, the Lord is One," is fol-
when they are silent, when
lowed by a paragraph full of active
and how they change? Studying
commandments. They include to love,
midrashim (commentaries) on God's
teach and speak with our children,
voice can be a helpful vehicle for bet-
wrap ourselves in signs of our tradi-
ter understanding ourselves. The texts
tion, write down our teachings and
can provide powerful messages that
surround ourselves with reminders.
have relevance for our
Like God's voice, our own
daily lives.
voices are signs, which if
When the people of
followed closely, could
Israel await the revelation
lead to behavioral changes.
of God's word, they hear
The members of this small
loud blasts of the shofar,
community responded to
thunder and lightning.
their Jewish voices by
God's first words are "I am
learning more about
the Lord Your God." One
Judaism so that they can
question asked by the
reach their children. The
Rabbis is how God could
parents, mostly self-taught,
have spoken His most
run a Hebrew school for
important words amidst
10 children.
DINA
such noise and cacopho-
Other midrashim com-
ny? One midrash (Exodus
SHTULL-LEBER
ment on how the Israelites
Rabbah 29:9) comments
could have heard God's
Special to
that when the Holy ., One
voice and remained alive.
The Jewish News
gave the Torah, the birds
Exodus Rabbah 5:9
did not chirp, the sea did
explains that God's voice
not roar, creatures did not speak —
went forth to each and every Israelite
the whole world was hushed into
in keeping with his/her capacity to
breathless silence. It was only then
acknowledge God's presence — to the
that the voice went forth. In other
elderly, to the little ones and to the
words, God knew that silence was
women. The hearing of God's voice
necessary for His words to be heard in
was an individual and private experi-
the proper way.
ence. Commenting on the verse, "And
Likewise, we often need to wait
all the people perceived the thunder-
for the noise around us to subside
ings (Exodus 20:15), the Rabbis asked
,,
why the word "thunderings was plur-
before our voices can be heard.
al when there was only one voice.
Sometimes, the Jewish voice is loud-
er amidst silence. I recently had an
They answered that God's voice
opportunity, together with Project
mutated into seven voices, and the
seven voices into seventy languages, so
STaR students, to study Jewish text
all the nations might hear (Exodus
with members of a small Jewish
Rabbah 5:9).
community (Sault Ste. Marie). For
During our visit to this Jewish
those with minimal Jewish back-
community, we also had an opportu-
grounds, the experience of living in
nity to visit Jewish prisoners in a_
_a remote town allowed them to first
state facility. The Jewish voice of
hear their own Jewish voices. The
the prisoners was a sacred sound
silence prompted the need to be
amidst the noise of the surround-
heard, to study and to learn who
ings. Prisoners allowed themselves to
they were as Jews. One woman
hear God according to their own
from an Orthodox Jewish back-
capacity. Each hears a different
ground discovered a previously dor-
voice, but they react together to
mant feminist voice as she struggled
experience the God they hear. They
with her desire to say the Kaddish
hold their own weekly Friday night
prayer for her deceased mother.
services. They reach each other
The revelation of God's word was
Hebrew in organized classes held
intended to produce an active
twice a week. They seek out Jewish
books;
they study. The prisoners
Dina Shtull-Leber ofAnn Arbor is au
found
God
in a place where many
adjunct faculty 172 ember of Project StaR,
think
God
is
silent. It was perhaps
a graduate program in Jewish Commu-
the initial silence that helped them
nal Service sponsored by the University
hear the strong voice of God within
of Mich. igan School of Social Work in
them and around them.
cooperation with the Frankel Center for
Song of Songs (5:16) describes the
Judaic Studies.