By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — The theology of Rabbi Shneir Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812) raises some fascinating questions about the nature of creatio ex nihilo—creation out of nothing. How can the theologian refer to God as “nothing,” when God is the totality of all things and infinitely more?
He answers that arguably, Creation is a mere afterglow of God’s infinite Power. From the perspective of the Divine, Creation is truly non-existent and has no independent ontology apart from God. If God withheld the gift of life even for one moment, the entire creative order would dissolve into a state of nonbeing and nothingness.
From the human perspective, we see ourselves in relationship to the cosmos in very different terms. The miracle of Creation derives from the fact that we existentially feel that our existence does not derive from God but from ourselves. Our earthly experience obscures our vision of God. God’s hiddenness serves to preserve our freedom of choice. If we realized the true nature of our world, we would never doubt God’s existence as the bedrock of all phenomenal reality. Thus, mystics of the Kabbalah sometimes refer to God as the HaAyin Elohee—“The Holy Nothing.”
Consequently, due to the way we experience the world, we act as though our reality exists independently of God. In fact, in this world, we alone have the ability to deny that God even “exists.” For all practical purposes, we function as though the cosmos does not derive from God but literally, “nothing.” Our vaunted sense of independence does not allow us to feel that God has any ontological reality—other than what we assign to God, assuming such a being even exists.
There is an old story that has been attributed to many Hassidic rabbis over the centuries. According to one version, while Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (1787-1859) was on his deathbed, he said to his students, “All I see around me is nothing but Godliness.” His students asked him, “Why don’t we see Godliness everywhere?” And the Rebbe cynically replied, “That’s because you see with eyes of flesh.”
Our collective and individual disposition toward all things that are temporal prevents us from seeing the nature of all existence for what it really is: a manifestation of God’s power and Presence. On the functional level, it is much easier to act as though God is truly “Nothing,” because we wish to keep God out of our lives. If God is truly the “ground of being” as Paul Tillich said, then we cannot ignore the moral and spiritual implications of living a God-centered life where we will gradually train our eyes in recognizing the holiness and beauty that permeates all Creation.
There is a Talmudic quote that reads much like a Zen Koan, “A thief, before breaking in, calls to God for help.” Although the thief has faith in a God that sustains all people and is responsive to prayer, his belief reveals that his God is an amoral force in the world, who is indifferent to the moral lapses of human beings. The problem of the thief is that he perceives God’s Reality as “Nothing.”
Martin Luther considered book of James as one of the most subversive “Jewish” books of the New Testament. More than any other NT book, James completely undermines Paul’s vision of Christianity as a religion that promises salvation provided people “accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.” James recognized the dangers of a faith that cannot inspire moral behavior. It is a pity that the Christian Church did not take to heart the essence of James’ original teaching:
So also faith of itself, if it doesn’t have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble.[1] Do you want proof, you ignoramus[2], that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead; so too, is faith without works also dead. (NT James 2:17-26)
On one occasion, R. Reuben stayed in Tiberias where he met a certain philosopher. Philosopher: What is the most hateful person in the world? Rabbi Rueben replied, “The man who denies the One who created it.” Then Philosopher countered, “How is it possible that God told Moses, ‘Honor your mother and father,’ ‘You shall not kill,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet’ (Exod. 20:12-17)?”Rabbi Reuben replied, “Know that a no person commits any of these infractions without first denying the First Principle (i.e., God), and a person doesn’t turn to a life of transgression unless he already denied the One who gave the above proscription.”[3]
Whenever we reduce our faith in God to that of a mere platitude, we run the risk of transforming God into a non-being and nothing. James also seems to be suggesting that it is more important to “Be-Living in God” than to be, “Believing in God.” Faith is real only when we learn to integrate it into our daily routine and relationships. Nothing less will do.
Notes:
[1] All actions—good and evil—derive from certain epistemic principles.
[2] An obvious slight directed at Paul, who believed that a Christian is saved only by his faith in Christ.
[3] Tosefta Shevuot 3:6.
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Rabbi Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom in Chula Vista. He may be contacted at michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com