Beyond Belief

We believe the world was created by an intelligent designer, that the world was brought into existence to fulfill a purpose, and that everything that transpires is by divine orchestration. But for most of us, belief alone does not translate into living with genuine faith. Many individuals of faith still worry about the events in the world. They follow their desires and make minimal to no effort to adhere to the purpose that G-d intended for the world.

If faith signifies a firm conviction in G-d, then is it fair to say that anyone who isn’t comforted by G-d’s presence is lacking faith?

The answer is that faith is the awareness of G-d on an intellectual level, but for faith to translate into something that transforms the way we feel, we need to learn to trust G-d. Yes, we are aware of G-d, but do we trust Him?

Complete trust is only attained through development and practice. As human beings, we naturally become anxious in situations beyond our control. Mere knowledge can only impact us as much as studying an exercise routine will help without actually working out.

Shabbat provides the perfect setting to cultivate this trust. We begin with Kiddush, a proclamation recognizing the creation of the world. We create an isolated environment through the 39 categories of forbidden actions to promote an atmosphere in which we are compelled to rely on something other than our work. We resist the temptation to acquire more and more through creative labor and take a step back to internalize the true source of everything we have. By actively refraining from work that we feel is within our control and allowing G-d to take over, at least for Shabbat, we can train ourselves to truly be comfortable with the understanding that G-d is orchestrating everything according to plan.