By Rabbi Bradley Artson, provided by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, for MyJewishLearning.com
Truly Present To God And People
We can learn from Jacob's encounter with Esau to meet others as we would meet God.
Religious thinkers throughout the ages have pondered the question, "How do people have the audacity to stand in the presence of God?" Finite in power, wisdom and longevity, human beings are paltry and insignificant when compared to a supernova or to a galaxy, let alone to the eternal Creator who fashioned those marvels. How, then, do we have the temerity to place ourselves before God, to address God, and to argue with God?
The same question might also be leveled toward the paradox of standing in the presence of another human being. Each of us is a universe in miniature–replete with our own depths and eddies, our hidden doubts and fears and talents. None can ever fully know themselves, let alone claim to truly know another person. So how do we summon the nerve to address each other with intimacy and familiarity?
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