Learn Emunah!

All too often we hear of immoral behavior in the religious community. Whether it is cheating in business, lying, infidelity, abuse etc. it causes great pain and embarrassment to us all. The explanation to my [very puny] mind for these unfortunate phenomena is one and the same - PEOPLE DON'T REALLY BELIEVE IN G-D! Yes, they may dress the dress and talk the talk but but G-d is just NOT a living reality to them. If He were it would be IMPOSSIBLE to act in the way they do. Let us listen to the wise but stupid Professor Joel Marx - Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of New Haven writes:

“This philosopher has been laboring under an unexamined assumption, namely that there is such a thing as right and wrong. I now believe there isn’t…The long and short of it is that I became convinced that atheism implies amorality; and since I am an atheist, I must therefore embrace amorality…I experienced my shocking epiphany that religious fundamentalists are correct; without God there is no morality. But they are incorrect, I still believe, about there being a God. Hence, I believe, there is no morality.

He is wise because it is true - without G-d there is no morality. He stupid [sic - that's how I originally wrote it and decided it's cute so I'll keep it] because he believes that the entire universe with its billions of complexities was all by chance - and has has NO proof. It is IMPOSSIBLE to prove that there is no G-d. The only way one could prove that there is no G-d would be if G-d Himself would tell us that it is true :-). We experienced Divine Revelation so we must be "religious fundamentalists".

The partial solution is to teach EMUNAH!!! In our shuls and schools and yeshivos, the study of seforim that focus on emunah should be standard fare. EVERYBODY needs constant reinforcement in his beliefs.

The gemara says at the end of Makkos that the whole Torah is rooted in the mitzva to believe in G-d. MOST PEOPLE I HAVE MET IN MY LIFE DON'T HAVE THE FOGGIEST IDEA WHAT IT MEANS TO TRULY BELIEVE. EVEN SO-CALLED RELIGIOUS JEWS.

And therein lies the tragedy.

YOU can make the tikkun!!

Love and blessings!!!