Finding Your Voice: Understanding God

Class One of Elevator Pitches for God — Why "God" Is the Hardest Word in the Jewish Vocabulary

This is the first in a five-part series for paid subscribers, walking through the workshop I taught at Gates of Prayer this spring. Each week I’ll bring you the heart of one class — the texts, the questions, the conversations, and (when the room cooperated) the moments that made us laugh. By the end of the series, my hope is that you’ll have your own elevator pitch too.

The Setup

Picture this. You’re in an elevator. The person next to you sees the Star of David around your neck, and they ask — pleasantly, no agenda — “So, what does a Jew actually believe about God?”

You have thirty seconds before the doors open.

Do you have an answer? Or do you stare at your shoes?

I’ll be honest with you: I think I would talk for a long time. Long beyond the elevator ride. Long past their floor, long past mine, long past the moment when whatever charm I started with had curdled into a captive-audience theology lecture. Because here’s the truth — for most Jews, “God” is the single hardest word in our vocabulary. We are wonderful at culture. We can hold forth on bagels. We can monologue about Israel, about social justice, about whether the brisket needs another hour. But theology? That’s where the eyes drop to the shoes.

This class — and this series — is about getting our eyes back up.

If you are already a subscriber, you can keep reading. If not, I’d love to have you join me on ths journey!