Jews are currently in the afterglow of Shavuot, when we commemorate the great revelation at Sinai, where the entire nation of Israel—millions of men, women and children—heard with their own ears the mighty voice of God thundering from the mountain and giving them the Ten Commandments.
Toward the end of this week’s Torah portion, Naso, we read how Moses received communications from God once the Sanctuary had been built.
“When Moshe would come into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of God communicating with him from above the cover of the Ark of the Testimony from between the two Cherubs. This is how He would speak with him.”
The great biblical commentator Rashi shares some seemingly contradictory inferences from the language of this verse. On the one hand, the last phrase, “He would speak with him,” teaches us that only Moses heard the voice of God, and not even his brother, Aaron, was able to hear it. On the other hand, the phrase “the voice” indicates that this was not just an ordinary voice of God, but that it was the voice of God, the very same voice that boomed from Mount Sinai at the giving of the Torah. But if it was such an ear-splitting voice, heard by millions at Sinai, why would only Moses hear it now?
To this, Rashi explains that while it was the magnificent Godly voice in all its glory, it nevertheless did not go beyond the sacred Tent of Meeting. As powerful as it was, it stopped short at the door, and no one outside could hear it. Not even Aaron.
What an unnatural phenomenon! The mightiest voice on earth was heard loud and clear inside the Tent of Meeting, while just a few feet away, on the other side of the door, it was completely silent!
What a profound and critical message. The voice of God is indeed powerful and glorious, but if you want to hear it, you must enter the Tent of Meeting, the House of God.
My friends, if you truly want to hear God speaking to you, then you must come inside the sanctuary. You cannot remain outside the synagogue forever, otherwise, you may never hear it.
People are always asking, “Why doesn’t God resonate in my life?” or “Why don’t I recognize the Almighty’s unmistakable footprints in the sands of my journey?” And my answer would be, “Did you enter the sanctuary, or did you choose to remain outside? Did you give God the opportunity to speak to you, or is He speaking to an empty seat?”
Of course, God is all over, and we can often perceive Him in the sunrise, sunset, majestic mountains or uncanny “coincidences” of life. But those are exceptional moments that don’t happen every day, and we may wait a lifetime for those extraordinary experiences.
But inside the House of God, His voice is heard loud and clear. His teachings reverberate regularly if we are present.
Yes, I’ve been a congregational rabbi for many years, but I am not here to make a commercial for synagogue attendance. What I am telling you is that in my decades of experience, I have seen Jews get inspired, see the light and hear the voice that speaks to them personally. And it has moved them immeasurably.
There is no question that there are numerous avenues of meaningful Jewish involvement that one may seek out to live a committed and satisfying Jewish life. But to be inspired, one needs to “hear the voice,” one needs to be touched in a way that other endeavors will not allow. To feel that one’s relationship with God is real and leave behind all the doubts and uncertainties that plague so many, one needs to be convinced beyond just the philosophical arguments. We need to hear it—personally, loud and clear. We need to feel it in our bones.
Over the years, I have seen countless Jews who began attending synagogue in midlife and whose lives were changed for the better. They came, they saw, they heard, and they never looked back.
Some years ago, I launched a “Bring a friend to shul” campaign. There are so many people out there who would love to come, though they may feel uncomfortable. Sitting next to a helpful friend can make all the difference.
May we all be open-minded enough to give it a chance. The voice is there. We just need to go inside to hear it.