Two young boys had earned themselves a name in town for being sticky-fingered; if ever something went missing, they were always the first suspects.
One morning, the local rabbi approached the mischievous pair:
He looked at the first one very sternly and thundered. Where is G-d? The kid went white and ran out of the room. “Quick, let’s get out of here!” he called out to his friend, “G-d is missing, and they are going to blame us for it”!
It’s a little bit of humor that carries a lot of truth: indeed, God created a world that so conceals His presence, that we can easily “steal him” and simply deny His existence.
A great Jewish leader put it best, when as a young child he was once offered a gold coin if he could reveal where God was. Without skipping a beat, he responded:
“I’ll give you two gold coins, if you can tell me where God is not!”
As children, we thought that saying “it was an accident” was all we needed to shake off accountability. But eventfully we outgrow the accident excuse. Indeed, this is a true realization for everything in life; nothing happens by mistake. That piece of art or designer clothing – you may not appreciate the style, but it certainly wasn’t an accident.
I remember, as a teenager, visiting the Louvre Museum in Paris and wondering why so many people were spending long periods of time just staring at the art. I honestly couldn’t understand what was wrong with them – why, I managed to get through the entire museum in no time at all.
The universe is no different. The designer created it with intention, and as with all art, it takes some effort on our part to acquire a taste for it. The more we study, the more we understand, and ultimately, the more we can appreciate the incredible artistry that is our lives.
So, where is God, you ask? Quite simply, wherever you let Him in.
Rabbi Mendy
