I don’t believe in that kind of God: Blessing, Free Will & Making Choices

My wife has been baking sourdough bread this summer. She does it not only because she enjoys baking (and we all enjoy eating). She does it because it gives her days structure and purpose. She does it because it reliably delivers. Choices are minimal. Actions set processes into motion. Feed the starter at certain intervals. Measure the starter. See if it floats. Mix and knead and score and bake. Precision, yes. Creativity, okay, but whoa there, not too much. There are rules, and following them brings predictable and desired results. Results we can see, smell, feel, hear, and taste.

Life ain’t baking, though.

Being an adult human is hard. It’s hard because: choices. And it’s meaningful because: choices. You’re not a baker. You’re a cook. This summarizes my gut feelings about being a Reform Jew.

Broader American culture, steeped in Puritan ideas about religion and spirituality, tends to characterize Judaism as a religion of L-A-W: Rules, regulations, and restrictions. The God I encounter in the Torah is (unfairly, I think) portrayed as all Fire-and-Brimstone, devoid of compassion.

When I read the Torah, I see a cast of complex characters, some of whom I’d want to emulate, and some of whom are… problematic. God and Moses included.

In this week’s Torah reading (it’s called a parsha in Hebrew), Moses continues his long speech to the Jewish people as they take a pause in their desert…