Faith or Action?

Yitro
Exodus 18:1 - 20:23

Précis: Following last week’s trip through the Red Sea, Moses is reunited with Jethro (“Yitro”), his wife Zipporah, and with his two sons. Jethro gives sage advice to Moses about delegating responsibility, and Moses appoints assistants (judges). The Israelites come to the foot of Mount Sinai where, in the definitive transcendental experience, they experience Revelation, as the “Ten Utterances” (Commandments) are spoken to the People by the very Voice of God.


Exodus 20:2 "I the Lord am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage."

It is often said that Judaism is a faith and a way of life. Let’s take a closer look at this concept, because it says something that is indeed profound. While some religions suggest that faith alone is needed for salvation, Judaism is a faith which demands observance of a plethora of actions. In other words, it suggests and demands a comprehensive way of life: actions, attitudes, as well as belief.

On one hand, some Jews seem believe that Judaism means we can observe all (or some) of the detailed commandments of Torah, even if we lack a faith in a Supreme Being. They may be cultural Jews, agnostic Jews, ethnic Jews, or even gastronomic Jews. On the other hand, many believe that not only do we need to observe the commandments, but we also need to have faith and belief in a well-defined God.

The Ten Commandments begin with an affirmation of God's reality, from which flows our moral obligations. Jewish texts demand both faith and action. The first “utterance” (commandment is perhaps an improper translation) ends with the resonant phrase, "from the house of bondage (mi-beit avadim)." Rashi stresses: in Egypt, the Israelites were slaves (avadim) to Pharaoh; now they are the servants (avadim) of God, as the Torah says later: "For it is to Me that the Israelites are servants: they are My servants, whom I freed from the land of Egypt, I the Lord their God" (Leviticus 25:55).

The issue of faith or action is honed by Rashi’s comment: we are freed from slavery in order to submit to God’s commands. We are not, however, substituting one slave master for another: with and through faith, we are free to accept God’s commands (however we might interpret them).

Shabbat Shalom!