Stand in unison to help Pittsburgh heal

The attack in Pittsburgh was the most violent attack on Jews in the history of America. More than 11 people might have been murdered had it not been for the towering courage of the police who always run into blood. I ask you to pray for the injured and pray for the families of the victims and pray for the souls of those who sleep now forever under the wings of God's protecting care in Heaven.

I also want you to do something to help heal all the broken hearts among us. If you are Jewish, and especially if you are not Jewish, I want you to go to synagogue services Friday night or Saturday morning. When you arrive, introduce yourself to the rabbi if it is not your synagogue and deliver this message, "You not alone."

I know there are many rallies and vigils planned, and they are all fine. But they are filled with more speeches than prayers, and what we need now is more prayers than speeches. Besides, it was a synagogue that was attacked, and synagogue members are scared. They are scared like that eight-year-old girl hiding from the gunman in Pittsburgh who asked her sister, "Are they coming here next?"

On June 17, 2015 the Mother Emanuel church in Charlestown, S.C., was bathed in the blood of nine fatalities when they were also in the midst of prayer and Bible study. They were supported and surrounded by Bible folk from around the country and it helped them heal after their carnage. We are all of us Bible folk, and Bible folk need to stick together. We need to stay prayed up.

Houses of worship will remain targets of hate not only because many of them are unprotected, soft targets but also because we are the people who teach the only antidote to this poisonous hatred. We teach that all people are made in the image of God and therefore all people are sacred.

The ancient rabbis taught that because of the infinite sanctity of each human life one who takes a life is like one who killed the entire world. Eleven worlds were killed at Etz Hayim synagogue. The rabbis also taught that anyone who saves one life is accounted by God to be like one who saved the entire world altogether. It is time to save our worlds, but to do this we must be partners with each other and we must be partners with God.

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"Partners"

Before there was anything, there was God, a few angels, and a huge swirling glob of rocks and water with no place to go. The angels asked God, "Why don't you clean up this mess?"

So God collected rocks from the huge swirling glob and put them together in clumps and said, "Some of these clumps of rocks will be planets, and some will be stars, and some of these rocks will be ... just rocks."

Then God collected water from the huge swirling glob and put it together in pools of water and said, "Some of these pools of water will be oceans, and some will be clouds, and some of this water will be ... just water."

Then the angels said, "Well God, it's neater now, but is it finished?" And God answered ...

"NOPE!"

On some of the rocks God placed growing things, and creeping things, and things that only God knows what they are, and when God had done all this, the angels asked God, "Is the world finished now?" And God answered:

"NOPE!"

God made a man and a woman from some of the water and dust and said to them, "I'm tired now. Please finish up the world for me, really it's almost done." But the man and the woman said, "We can't finish the world alone! You have the plans and we are too little."

"You are big enough," God answered them. "But I agree to this. If you keep trying to finish the world, I will be your partner."

The man and the woman asked, "What's a partner?" and God answered, "A partner is someone you work with on a big thing that neither of you can do alone. If you have a partner, it means that you can never give up, because your partner is depending on you. On the days you think I am not doing enough and on the days I think you are not doing enough, even on those days we are still partners and we must not stop trying to finish the world. That's the deal." And they all agreed to that deal.

Then the angels asked God, "Is the world finished yet?" and God answered, "I don't know. Go ask my partners."

-- From "Does God Have a Big Toe" by Marc Gellman.

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including "Religion for Dummies," co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman.)