Missionaries of Faith

Recently, a group of my friends were discussing their upcoming summer plans. I overheard many of my Jewish friends making plans to travel to various summer camps and beaches for the hot summer months and could easily relate, as I am preparing to do the same. The responses from my Christian friends, however, really caught my attention.

“I’m spending one month in Tanzania and spreading the gospel to the hapless villages there,” said one of my friends.

“I’m traveling to Russia and volunteering with the Vocational Bible School to repair one of the orphanages there,” added another devout Christian.

“I’m flying to Haiti with a church group to rebuild the fallen communities and teach the Bible,” mentioned another friend.

While my religious friends have the same opportunities to explore summer camps and shopping centers over their summer breaks, they have chosen to represent their faith internationally and overseas. Rather than spending their money on new summer fashion trends, they have spent their entire year hosting fundraisers and awareness projects in hopes of buying plane tickets to volunteer at their particular locations. Some of them travel with church groups or their families, and others are solely by themselves in devastated countries. Whether their journeys are organized or spontaneous, my friends have been enthusiastically anticipating the mission’s trips that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Considering that the primary purpose of mission’s trips is to spread the gospel in order to spiritually save the souls of others, I wasn’t surprised that my synagogue doesn’t offer such experiences. Judaism does not emphasize the idea of sharing texts in the Bible to surrounding third-world countries, nor arranges volunteering opportunities in Tanzania or Russia to promote G-d. I know this because I’ve tried looking for an experience like that of a mission’s trips. I’ve researched every Jewish and Interfaith program for opportunities to share my faith with those in need of spiritual healing. I’ve called numerous faith groups, varying from student cultural programs to the Jewish federation, but have yet to find the ideal mission’s trip for me.

I am truly in awe of the numerous churches and Christian centers that offer students with the opportunities to travel world-wide to promote their faith. Pastors and administrators spend endless hours and effort organizing successful journeys in order for their congregants to step outside of their comfort levels and see their faith shine through in every country. Since the concept of mission’s trips has been created and pursued, Evangelical Christianity seems like the fastest growing religion today. Even after all the flights are booked and the money is raised to travel, the foundation of mission’s trips still remains clear: faith is needed all around the world.

There must be some aspect of volunteering internationally that bothers Judaism, but I have yet to see any problems with putting a little fundraising effort into a life-altering idea. Along with churches, there are Jewish communities all over the world that could use some spiritual healing. Synagogues promote the concept of “Tikkun Olam,” or preparing the world, by placing a few recycling bins in their front lobbies or hosting a canned food drive. While I applaud these local efforts, I have yet to ever leave my comfort level in regards to representing my faith. The idea of “Tikkun Olam” has no given boundaries, and we can create the impactful experiences that not only sustain our faith, but take it to an even greater level. Like Evangelical Christianity, promoting our faith is not limited to any one zip code. We can begin slowly, first sharing our faith to local communities, then stepping outside the comfort and boundaries of our current cities to spread our morals all over the world. Judaism can reach every corner of the earth if there are enough faithful people to travel beyond their comfort levels and cover those distances. Any Christian missionary could tell you that the goal of spiritually enlightening people has a far greater effect than the unfamiliarity of the particular country. Nothing stands in the way of a motivated, faithful Christian missionary who wants to cater to a community in need of spiritual healing. I can only pray that Judaism will have the same mindset one day. Along with Evangelical Christians, we all have the ability to be missionaries of our faiths.

Though my synagogue does not spread Judaism to Tanzanian communities, I only hope that one day, we will reach that destination. We have every opportunity to promote our faith in every community, nationally or overseas, but must have the same motivation and courage to take our faith to that level. We cannot allow financial and mental issues hinder us from sharing our faith to the world. We can either choose to remain active in our local communities or be inspired to take our faith to the next level, but until we make that choice, the world will continue to be in need of spiritual healing. Communities could always use a few more missionaries of every religion, and we have the ability to represent our faiths everywhere. Only then will the world truly be a brighter and more faithful place in which to live.   

Eternal Faith

Today, life can change in the blink of an eye. One day, you could be content and overjoyed with what you own and the next day be left with absolutely nothing. While there are no distinct reasons for the changes in life, it is up to us to make the best of those situations.

Just two weeks ago, my good friends had everything they needed and appreciated the blessings brought in their lives. They had lived happily with two loving parents and a firm relationship in G-d just two weeks ago. This family was optimistic and kind hearted, with no reason to feel empty or doubtful of theology. Then suddenly, with no preparation or sign, life changed for this family in the blink of an eye. Just one week ago, a sense of emptiness fell over my friends’ home, and due to various health issues, my friends lost their mother and are now counted among the other “mourners of Zion.”

Since the funeral, one, reoccurring thought has crossed my mind every time I see them: Where was G-d during all of this? What did my friends do to deserve the sadness brought into their home? Why must they feel this sudden suffering in just one week? How do we, as the friends and family, sustain enough faith in order to encourage mourners to keep faith?

While I usually turn to the book of Job for comfort, the verses just seemed so nonchalant in regards to this particular tragic situation. Usually after a loss of something minor, I would think of the famous verse in the first chapter, “Adonai natan v’Adonai lakach, y’hi shem Adoni y’vorach,” or “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord,” but G-d couldn’t have just “taken away” the beautiful mother of my friends so causally. It’s safe to say that though I am naïve, I do not understand the thoughts that must run through G-d’s mind before giving and taking.

While I struggled with my faith under these circumstances, my two friends remained unusually optimistic. I’ve seen more smiles than tears, more memories shared than silence, and more laughter than fits of anger. Of course there was initial sadness that a wonderful life was lost, but now, there is more happiness when thinking about the wonderful life that has lived, and will continue to live through the optimism inside my friends.

Rather than turning to atheism, my friend taught me a valuable lesson from this tragedy. She encouraged me to never feel regretful in life and to never take anyone for granted. Life can change in the blink of an eye, but the memories and love you feel with people are everlasting. She even trusts G-d to help her carry her mother’s legacy forward, while others would usually turn to doubt. Just one week ago, I was inspired by someone who appreciates life even after the shock she experienced. Today, I feel blessed.

Since then, I have yet to find any theological answers about the mysteries of life. I have yet to find the cures for cancers, illnesses, and other medical procedures that change lives so quickly. I have yet to miraculously relieve the state of shock that was suddenly brought into my friends’ home. I have, however, formed a new respect for the optimism expressed by the friends and family of these mourners. I have felt a new level of pride for my local Jewish community that gathered every night of the week to form a minyan, or a stable support system, for this family. While we all grieve for this loss, we all still carry a sense of hope that our optimism can assuage the shock and sadness that entered our lives just one week ago. Perhaps rather than relating the verse in Job to one person, we can relate it to the feeling of happiness that affects us every day. Perhaps G-d gives us instant and evident happiness on some days, and happiness that we must delve into further on other days. I realize that this past week, the happiness wasn’t as evident as a materialistic pleasure or the joy of having everything we needed two weeks ago, but the indirect happiness was found through the strong community formed around this family, and the sense of optimism and hope discovered within it. Never again will I take anyone in my community for granted.

From this moment forward, I can only pray for more comfort and love to be sent to my friends’ home. I pray that G-d will send clarity and reason to this family, as to why such shock entered their lives and continue to remain present in their lives. I pray that we will take the wise words of my optimistic friend and never take anyone for granted. Lastly, I pray that we, the Jewish community, will be able to find happiness even in the darkest of times, creating optimism and hope for the future. As I take comfort in knowing that there is not only a reason for every event that happens in life, but also a community that will support each other during those events. Life can change in the blink of an eye, but faith, hope, and optimism found within a community are everlasting.           

Song of Songs 6:10

Who is she that shines through like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, radiant as the sun? -   Song of Songs 6:10

Song of Songs, or “Shir Hashirim” is a love story with a variety of interpretations.  Some say it’s a passionate poem between a man and woman that marks the standards of every unbreakable relationship today. Other spiritual scholars describe this book as a detailed relationship between G-d and Israel or Jesus and his church. For me, however, this book can be brought much closer to home.

Chapter 6 revolves around the concept of beauty. Today, in our generation, it is rare to find beauty as raw and pure as described in this verse.  There’s the external beauty displayed on reality shows and pageants that some consider the ultimate and only form beauty, but Song of Songs dives into every perspective of this physical and spiritual trait.

Who is she that shines through like the dawn…

I truly once believed that every person was created to be beautiful in his/her own way. Today, however, that statement is just a far-fetched idea. Our generation has embarked upon so many undesirable situations and has been persuaded by the negative approaches to them. I’ve watched so many innocent girls lose their beauty and grace merely because of their actions and choices. Sadly, it is rare to walk into a room filled with women and find one who “shines through” in regards to pure beauty in its every existing form. This feat, however, is not impossible.

In history, there are women that were depicted for their external and internal beauty and shined through the flawed people that surrounded them. I remember learning about exceptional women such as Princess Diana of Whales, whose actions benefited those in need and created her incredible, unbreakable reputation even after her tragic death. Her external beauty barely compared to her selfless heart that lived for healing others. It has been a challenge for women to shine through in life the way she did, but there are still other women in both history and modern day that strive and succeed to illuminate every dark situation. Only eleven years ago, my aunt Ruth Shapiro devoted endless hours and effort to ameliorating the world, inspiring a new generation of young leaders to be involved with their communities as well. Women like the royal British princess and my benevolent relative have shone through the moments in life where we lived in darkness, and created the bright “dawn” that reminds us all that life is beautiful and worth living. 

Beautiful as the moon…

Naturally, women have the tendencies to worry about their outer appearances. First impressions today are no longer about personality and internal kindness, but rather external traits that will most likely fluctuate within the upcoming years. Make-up, varying in colors for the consumers’ conveniences, has become the latest “nutrient” for women’s bodies and the mandatory purchase before walking in public. I, along with King Solomon, the author of Song of Songs, don’t view make-up as beautiful, but rather a crutch that only prevents women’s G-d-given beauty from shining through them. Nowhere in this precious biblical love story does it mention the need for concealers and hair mousse. Nowhere in this romantic poem does it require women to cake make-up onto their faces, but rather, accept themselves as beautiful exactly the way they are. Unfortunately, women have relied upon these expensive crutches to the point where any natural beauty has already been permanently hidden. Every woman was created with the potential to grow as “beautiful as the moon,” but many lack the confidence to even hobble, let alone walk, without the faux beauty crutch.

Some women, though, still wear their natural beauty with pride. They are able to walk outside not only without makeup, but with the realization that they do not need it to be beautiful. Those particular women, though shrinking in number, possess an inner purity that reflects their outer beauty. I’ve been quite fortunate enough to meet and grow to love some of these women, whose hearts are priceless and eternal, unlike makeup. These women are naturally as beautiful as the moon, one of G-d’s first creations. While it seems as though women were designed more intricately than astronomy, G-d’s intentions of creating both human beings and the moon were identical: to enhance the world with natural beauty and grace. By accepting exactly who you are without adding unnatural details, you are glorifying G-d’s sole purpose for creating the world. I am inspired everyday by the women with the confidence and the awareness of the truth: they are beautiful just the way they are.

Radiant as the sun… 

While it is common to come across women with accentuating features and external magnificence, it is rare to find a woman with a graceful internal essence. Along with a caring heart and pure modesty, the most influential women I know are the women who are able to smile even in the darkest of times. Today, it is not the large issues that prevent optimism, but rather the petty, worthless inconveniences that can easily be disregarded. It is rare to come across a woman who can light up a room with her positive outlook on life and smile at those who cannot access that kind of internal electricity. Moreover, it is the optimistic women who undergo the most inconveniences in their lives, but know how to put their lives in perspective and count their blessings. I am grateful to know such women personally, and I’m inspired everyday by their optimism. Every woman has the potential to be as “radiant as the sun,” they just need to smile first. The petty, temporary inconveniences in life do not override the infinite blessings that surround us. Every woman has the potential to live with a “positive jooka,” or a radiance that not only illuminates a room, but inspires other people to smile as well. Perhaps if we were exposed to more “positive jookas,” or radiant people, the world would indeed be a brighter place in which to live.

While I can think of a various women who meet every aspect of this verse, the first and most personal woman who instantly comes to mind is my incredible mother, Barbara Goldberg. As mentioned before, beauty has become rare and precious today, and I am so grateful that I am exposed to the innermost purity and radiance every single day. My mother has the ability to illuminate every situation, varying from business meetings, family outings, first impressions, and even my occasional “worst days ever.” My mother has the “positive jooka” that everyone admires, and her optimism inspires me to reconsider my own outlook on life and recount my blessings. With gorgeous features that do not require any makeup to enhance, my mother is naturally stunning, but unlike other stunning women, she has enough confidence to walk outside exactly the way she looks, without changing any aspect of herself. While many people have the natural instinct to gossip or complain at any time of the day, my mother has a naturally pure mind, which not only prevents negativity from leaving her mouth, but also prevents pessimistic thoughts from forming altogether. Her pure mind is truly incapable of devaluating life and only focuses on beautifying it, and her pure heart is an “open door policy,” to tend to those who need the warmth.  While none of G-d’s creations were intended to be perfect, my loyal and faithful mother, Barbara Goldberg, is as close as they get. She meets the standards for standing in “tzelem Elokim,” or in G-d’s image, just as the Creator intended for his creations to stand. Just with her personality alone, my mother has the ability to ameliorate the world, inspiring one heart at a time. With a natural beauty like the moon and radiance as recognizable as the sun, my mother has the potential to make this world an even better and brighter place. Just by waking up every morning and smiling every day, my mother fulfills this biblical verse in Song of Songs. While King Solomon was probably unaware of the remarkable women that could meet the standards of his devotional writing, I am fully aware and constantly inspired by the particularly beautiful woman that lives within the four walls of my home. I know that the historical Princess Diana would have been thrilled to meet a Floridian version of herself, and I know that Ruth Wagner Shapiro was and is proud to have a sister as benevolent and as beautiful as my mother. Today, I represent the benefactors of my mother’s internal and external beauty, and have been honored to call her my mother for the past sixteen years of my life. Happy Birthday, Mom, you are truly beautiful and loved.

The Future of the Conservative Movement

Lately, I have come across many articles and lectures regarding the future of the Jewish Conservative movement. Rabbis in the community have recently felt the need to address the issues of tradition vs. change in our religion, how to maintain our and preserve our faith while staying aware of the many faiths around us, and how to gather all the generations to their synagogues. While these issues are evident in the Orthodox, Reform, and Reconstructionist communities, they appear the most problematic in the Conservative movement. Among all the branches of Judaism, the Conservative denomination is definitely one of the weakest in regards to membership enrollment, financial stability, and assertive decisions on the future of faith.

I am not here to denounce my own denomination of Judaism, but rather to focus on the roots of the main issues of the Conservative movement. I am an active member at my synagogue where I experience the modern issues brought before my congregation and watch my rabbi handle and address them. The ritualistic peeves, or in my opinion, the positive changes such as musical Shabbat services and triennial Torah readings do not determine the future of Conservative Judaism, but merely benefit the goals and intentions of these changes.

For the typical synagogue president, the main, unavoidable problem in the Conservative movement is the lack of young, active members. Once students enter college, they are exposed to the various spiritual and ethnic groups on campus and visit their synagogues at home less and less frequently. By the time they graduate college and start working lives of their own where financial stability is the largest concern, paying synagogue dues does not override meals and apartment bills. In fact, even if there was enough money for a young single to pay for synagogue membership, would the thought of paying so much money toward a facility where s/he feels no connection whatsoever motivate that person to belong to a Conservative synagogue? You’ll sooner find that single at the local thriving Chabad house instead, where s/he can feel a connection to Judaism while enjoying the meals (and liquor) that are free of charge.

Another aspect that prevents young members from committing to synagogues is the lack of warmth and spirituality. While unaffiliated Jews understand that the Orthodox movement is religious and definite in the unbreakable ritual laws and the Reform movement is far more liberal, the Conservative movement is left somewhere in the middle. The average Conservative commentators and rabbis have grown indecisive over the years in regards to what laws we can and cannot abide by, what ritual practices to emphasize and which changes to succumb to, and how to make synagogue services more enjoyable without losing the traditions of Shabbat. For the average unaffiliated Jew, the atmosphere of a Saturday morning service is rather cold and filled with “No, your non-Jewish boyfriend cannot step onto the bimah,” or “Sorry, here we do not host interfaith music ceremonies.” While no two conservative synagogues are identical, both exude the vibe that the Conservative movement may be open to new ideas, but the answer to any severe changes is “no”.

We, as faithful people, must understand that the only gateway to gathering the younger Jews of the community, the future of Judaism, is promoting spirituality over ritualistic practice. While both rituals and community should be valued, it is pivotal to recognize that a sense of community is more necessary for the single Jew. The average unaffiliated Jewish single with a jaded connection to religious procedures needs to know that in the Conservative movement, it’s ok to not immediately understand every little detail. It’s ok to be confused at first, for everyone in that sanctuary is still learning and will continue to learn for the rest of their lives. It’s ok to find your sense of spirituality while keeping traditions alive. It’s also ok to face the inexorable modern world and all of its advantages in order to take your sense of spirituality with you. Most importantly, it’s ok to not understand the rituals but even better to learn the meanings of them from the synagogue experience. The Conservative movement revolves around teaching, evolving, and learning, three things that could easily be improved in our synagogues. No one truly knows that it’s ok to be confused at first because no one really ends up teaching the ones who are. The Chabad rabbi’s walk up to visitors individually and light-heartedly encourage them to be involved in the services, while at Conservative synagogues, visitors watch the services pass them, due to the lack of warmth around them.

I am still an active Conservative Jew and see hope for this particular denomination. The hearts of all the faithful Conservative Jews are in the right places; we just need to cater our hearts to those who may not have been born into the ritualistic practice that we consider second nature to us. Compared to the other denominations, the Conservative movement is still considered caught somewhere in the middle traditionally, but has the potential to thrive spiritually. As an Egalitarian movement, we have come a long way in regards to modernization, but the road leading to full synagogue membership has not ended quite yet. To gather all the Jews, young and old, affiliated or unaffiliated, spiritually connected or lost, we must open our doors and our hearts before placing the walls of rituals and traditions before us. We must create a warmer atmosphere and welcome all kinds of people with open arms. We must ensure those who feel uncomfortable that having faith is not a talent that only the experienced worshippers can obtain. While we should definitely value our Halachic bonds, the priceless effect of a “kehillah” or community, must take precedence.  In the Conservative movement, along with every movement actually, spirituality should not be a devalued aspect of every community, but rather a primary factor among all the generations that choose to dwell together in search of the connections to their faiths.  Only then will we see a true impact for the future of Judaism.

  

Broadcasting Faith

                                       

Recently, I was granted the opportunity to recline on the couch and watch a good, uninterrupted half hour of television.  Now, I’m not much of a TV fanatic, but occasionally a good half hour to park my brain in front of a screen is necessary. I can honestly say, however, that since that evening, my brain has yet to “park” anywhere.  In fact, that one evening of social media actually stirred some extra thoughts.

While aimlessly skimming through channels, I was not expecting anything surprising or unusual to appear on screen. I barely paid full attention as the various reality shows passed before me, until I froze suddenly, remote control in hand. On the television screen in front of me, in bright yellow lettering read “Trinity Broadcasting Network,” the umbrella company that sponsors the infamous “Holy Land Experience” in Orlando. My face literally brightened at that moment. There was no turning back then.

As an Evangelical TV station catering to all sects of Christianity, Catholicism, and Messianic Judaism, the Trinity Broadcasting Network certainly works assiduously to please everyone. With various interviews, praise and worship services, and online streaming webcasts, the mysterious religious station somehow manages to satisfy the average Jesus believer. Apparently, this one television station has creatively “saved” hundreds of unaffiliated Americans into the Christian faith in less than an hour, and while I may not be one of those people, I certainly appreciate the overall effort. The talk show host actually once pointed to the camera and prayed for all the viewers in the middle of her interview, creating a warmer atmosphere on screen. TBN has definitely mastered the personal outreach; I felt pretty special that night.

While the Trinity Broadcasting Network does not target toward my religious beliefs, nor do I feel any impact from the biblical and spiritual messages themselves, I applaud the intentions of this religious station. Evangelical Christianity is perhaps the largest growing movement in America due to the many interpersonal outreaches that occur daily. There are over thousands of missionaries that travel to the world to preach their faith; who knew that some of the most acclaimed preachers just proselytize from a television screen? Is there perhaps a more genuine, personal outlet to outreach your faith than on global television? Has social media become the most effective gateway to sharing your religion to the world?

 While many religions fervently believe in pure biblical orthodoxy, admirable intentions, and kindness, there are also the inexorable issues brought to every faith: financial stability, membership, clergy relationships, and effective outreach.  At the end of the day, every practicing religion needs to be active in this society to stay alive. We, as faithful people, need to accept and focus on the modern factors that stabilize our faiths today in order to see our values spread all over the world tomorrow.

I personally consider a friendly conversation or a warm gesture as a sign of outreaching our faith. We informally outreach our faith to others just by the simple acts of kindness we do every day. Holding a door for someone behind me or giving to charity, however, won’t necessarily promote my faith to keep it alive. I understand that there are simple ways to broadcast my faith, even by adapting to the modern, secular world. To be honest, I have proudly “liked” all the Jewish facebook groups online, I make phone calls to my Broward community annually, and I have even downloaded the latest application on the iPhone, the “iSiddur.” Social media is the future, and I must keep awareness of that if I want my religion to be a part of that future.

While it may not seem like it today, Christians have once needed gateways to promote their faith in public. Today, there would be no one take part in the international missions trips, the church services, and the ministries if there weren’t any websites to learn about the faith. Besides the fact that every religious center needs to stay strong financially, these places need to put their names on the map in order to spread their faiths and values to large congregations.

Religion is no longer limited to paper; just about every biblical text can be accessed online. Worship services can be viewed on live webcasts, pastors and rabbis can text blessings to congregants, and faith is debated over the internet. The world today has embraced social media, and we must follow the world in order to spread our values. If economic times were easier, I would recommend that every dominant religion runs its own television network. How cool would it be to simply click a TV channel and see your faith in action? As long as the adaptation to social media doesn’t devaluate the genuine values in every religion, I think a little more universal outreach is what every faith needs to succeed.

 The world is changing and progressing every day; the values beneath biblical orthodoxy and the Scriptures can easily be promoted to society in whatever forms of communication needed. So while I may not particularly agree with everything preached on every religious channel, I truly applaud the concept of faith being outreached into my own living room through television and other sorts of social media. I have no doubt Evangelical Christianity will continue to grow, thanks to outreach channels like the Trinity Broadcasting Network. I can only hope that every faithful group will find a network of some sort to spread their ideas and beliefs to the world. Religious awareness and coexistence are not out of reach; we just need to figure out the most effective ways to create and outreach both. Perhaps becoming aware of the modern world around us, first, will help us all accomplish this awaited goal.                                                        

A New Hope

When some hear the word “Messiah,” light illuminates their faces. Others hear the word and fall to their knees in prayer.  Just about everyone I’ve met, however, feels relieved and at peace with themselves, for the  arrival of the Messiah, whoever it may be, sure sounds wonderful for the world we live in today. I, on the contrary, cringe at the thought.

Why am I so opposed to peace miraculously brought to the world? Moreover, why do I passionately disagree with all the Messianic prophecies in my own Jewish Scriptures? It’s not that I prefer endless world conflicts over peace, nor do I ignore the words written in every holy book, I just refuse to blindly believe in an unknown being to accomplish everything that we can do today.

In the Jewish faith, the upcoming Messiah must be entirely human, from the paternal line of King David, and bring eternal peace to the world in his (or her) first (and only) coming. Therefore, according to Jewish texts, the Messiah today is still unknown, which decreases my faith this non- existent, detailed person. The details according to the texts, however, increase my faith in the pure humans that exist in our communities.

Synagogues, churches, mosques, even Buddhist temples all gather to promote peace, to credit something greater for the peace that already surrounds them. We, as faithful people, preach and pray for one person to come and enlighten the world; we truly accept that one selected, humble person will just bring about peace at an unknown time or place. By doing so, we feel comforted that perhaps the peace we’re looking for will arrive sooner if we worship or promote this bizarre concept. Feeling comforted by this unproven idea, however, proves our reliability for things in the world, this case being world peace, to be accomplished for us. Faithful people have certainly become lazy these days.

Truthfully, the Jewish texts have proven that this long awaited peacemaker can’t be Jesus of Nazareth. We can’t expect to see the Lubavitch Rebbe riding through town on a donkey anytime soon. Even the Dalai Lama, though an inspirational leader, doesn’t apply to the Messianic prophecies written all over the Old Testament. This doesn’t stop us, though, from blindly parading the idea of eternal peace everywhere we go. I suppose it comforts us to praise an unknown being that is claimed to help us all get along one day. Since some believe that one man will unite the world, we act as though we are utterly incapable of connecting with others. We’ve been motivated to perfect ourselves in time for one person to arrive and perfect everything else. With the concept of a Messiah, we are literally relying on an unknown future to be built in front of our eyes, rather than building the world in which we live today.

Not all of us, however, accept blind faith. Rather than futilely reclining and waiting, some move forward in repairing the world just in case no one does it for us. We don’t realize, though, that these people have already begun taking small steps to complete the mission of one Messiah: bringing eternal peace to the world. In fact, these individuals may just be the only “Messiahs” we’ll ever witness in our lives. And while these people may not have the ability to instantly create lifelong peace in the Middle East, they put in all their effort to create something close enough; their intentions alone are far more pure than any prophesized text.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many religious activists who do remarkable things. The most faithful people I’ve met spend all their time serving G-D and those around them, which inspires me every day. We, as faith activists, just need to double check our intentions behind our deeds.  Are we catering to the world purely for the betterment of the world, or to speed an entrance of an unrealistic miracle? Will opening the door for the person behind me please the Messiah? Or will it make the person walking behind me feel grateful? Which one is more realistic and impactful at that moment? Perhaps if we focus our actions towards improving the world today, we will be taking steps toward eternal peace, because at the end of the day, would the Messiah have arrived on time to hold the door open?

Unfortunately, I cannot prove that a Messiah is merely imaginary comfort, nor do I know if one will actually arrive. I do know, however, that I will forever look down upon the concept of one selected man accomplishing something we all have the capability to create ourselves. Eternal peace exists just outside our front doors. We can memorize the kindness in our hearts much more effectively than the Messianic texts. We do not need to wait for a debatable prophecy to arrive to create world peace; we could begin the small steps ourselves. We could all, in fact, be our own Messiahs.

My opinions may be unorthodox, but let’s face it; while a rebuilt temple sounds nice, creating peace in our own communities is just so much more worthwhile. Chris Tomlin and Phil Wickham can easily sing about creating peace just as beautifully as their previous Messianic tunes. The mitzvah mobiles could illuminate a motivational message on their trucks rather than a Messiah picture. Promoting peace today is so much more effective than promoting a debatable idea. Promoting the world to accomplish the unthinkable is much more powerful than wistfully praying for the unthinkable to be done for us.  

Life is too short to rely on debatable Messianic hope; let’s create our own. Let’s focus our intentions to making this world, today, a better place. I’m sure any Messiah would be happy to see faithful people coming together to accomplish a global, worthwhile mission. Though we are simply people, we can find the motivation to create something greater for our world today, and in the future. And we have already begun.

The Dalai Lamas of Our Faith

This past October, I was blessed with the opportunity to hear true words of wisdom. At Temple Emanu-El in Miami, I watched as the most acclaimed figure in Buddhism sat in front of a panel of various religious leaders to impact over four hundred audience members with his insight. After some welcome speeches from the religious studies directors at the Florida International University and an exquisite music piece, the crowd rose and applauded for this petite, humble man who walked into the sanctuary. He casually strolled inside and waved to the other scholars on the dais as though he wasn’t the ultimate pope of Buddhism. The audience and I, however, could not contain our excitement, for it is not every day that His Holiness the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso flies in from Tibet to speak to us.

The virtuous Dalai Lama, though reserved and soft-spoken, discussed a pivotal topic that related to all of the various people sitting on the bimah and in the audience: the significance of world religions. As the 14^th leader in line of Ashoka Moriah himself, the Dalai Lama expressed his daily religious morals with a sense of compassion and pride.

“The morals [of both Buddhism and monotheistic religions] are similar: compassion, teaching and peace. Whether it’s one or no god that promotes this, these values are cherished in most every religion,” he said.

Whether it’s his purity and devotion toward spirituality that inspired me or just his long tunic-like robe that gave him a wise appearance, the Dalai Lama captivated my attention just by that statement. In almost every religion in the world, teaching spiritual values takes precedence over everything. I know for a fact that in my own religion, Judaism, the theological teachings of the faith itself override the actual practice. And once the knowledge of our religions is gained, the practice becomes meaningful. With meaning behind our action, compassion and good intention ensues, and with good intentions and compassion, we could all have the power to strengthen our faiths.

The Dalai Lama then continued to cover the anticipated topics, including his personal experiences with spirituality, but what fascinated me the most was his outlook on life.

“If I see something selfishly and only through one perspective, I look again. Faith, too, has more than one dimension. There are many dimensions at which to look at life when dealing with faith, but you need an open mind to create unity; that takes over thousands of different dimensions to see.”

That idea got me thinking; do we as faithful people separate ourselves because of our beliefs? Do we only see our faith and others’ through one dimension? I’m sure all the faith activists and pacifists in the world first began seeing faith all around them from only one perspective, but obviously that was an ephemeral phase. While it is wonderful to gain all the knowledge possible on our own separate faiths, we should probably face the obvious truth: creating unity among all religions requires more than one faith alone.

I’m sure that the Dalai Lama wasn’t born and raised with the knowledge of every existing religion; however, he chose to explore and understand the other religions that were represented on the dais with him. He realized that in order to create unity, he would have to step out of the comfort of the knowledge of his own religion and recognize others around him. Since he has chosen to recognize, understand and respect other faiths in the world, the Dalai Lama is today an acclaimed spiritual leader in not only Buddhism, but through every perspective of faith. By choosing to use the knowledge of his own religion to gain knowledge on others, he has moved one step toward unity.

Though the Dalai Lama may be wise beyond his years, we can begin the same steps to forming religious unity in our own communities. We can start with the small steps. My faith could take this goal and easily pursue it in our lives. Let’s not just claim to have a wonderful relationship with the Christian and Islamic faiths, but rather, step out of the comfort level of our prerequisite knowledge and learn. Open a New Testament or a Koran; see what unites our Scriptures. Before we say that we understand Buddhism just like the Buddhists do, let’s study its complex values together, with them. Before we place a defensive wall in front of our faith, let’s embrace the fact that there are faithful people all around us, and through the Dalai Lama’s teachings, we can realize that we’re not all that different. Through understanding each other and accepting that we’re all faithful, we can all respect each other. We could, in fact, be the Dalai Lamas of our faiths.

As a faithful Jewish teen, I’ve committed myself to learning about my faith, while understanding it through every perspective. I also know, however, that I will always be exposed to every other faith in the world, and unity is really not impossible. Rather than looking at life through only one dimension of faith, that being Judaism, I’m committed to learning about the faiths that surround me. If I read a different scripture with a closed mind, I read it again. If I see an interesting worship center, filled with faithful people inside, I disregard my comfort level and walk inside. In the future, if I feel myself defending my faith without recognizing the other faith's perspective, I will (try to) close my mouth and listen first. These are the steps I have already begun to take to reach unity. For at the end of the day, faith has the capability to bring us all together.  

From this lecture in Miami, I realized that a good spiritual leader does not have to be religious, but rather a knowledgeable, respectable person. With an open mind, you, too, could be the next Dalai Lama. With an open mind, you and I, together, could explore the thousands of dimensions of faith. And together, we can create unity.