A Uniquely Jewish Disease

Have you ever met a Christian who said, “I was born and raised Christian, but I’m now an atheist. However, no matter what happens to me, and even though I don’t believe or practice, I will always be a Christian”?

Of course you haven’t, because it doesn’t exist.

A Christian who believes is a Christian. If they don’t believe, they’re not, and that’s it.

There’s a uniquely Jewish disease called Emunah, faith.

No matter how far a Jew might be. No matter how much they don’t believe. No matter how irreligious or anti-religious they are, a Jew will always be a Jew.

You don’t need to believe me for this.

Who do you think said the following:

"If one little Jewish boy survives without any Jewish education, with no synagogue and no Hebrew school, it [Judaism] is in his soul. Even if there had never been a synagogue or a Jewish school or an Old Testament, the Jewish spirit would still exist and exert its influence. It has been there from the beginning and there is no Jew, not a single one, who does not personify it."

Does it sound like a Rabbi or Rebbe? This quote is from Hitler, may his name be erased.

Have you ever met someone who fits this profile?

I have met many.

And if the Jewish soul is so powerful without being fed the food of Torah and clothed with the holy mitzvos, imagine how much more powerful it could be with just a bit of nurturing?

So what should the atheist Jew do? Well, they can either continue to ignore the fire burning from within, or they can do a mitzvah.

They might start with a mitzvah that speaks to them, like studying Torah, giving tzedakah, or buying Jewish books for their home. From there, they might try some mitzvah traditions that have linked thousands of years of Jews, like putting on tefillin, lighting Shabbos candles or keeping a kosher diet. They might light a menorah or eat some matzah on Passover, even while they are unsure if G-d exists. After all, if G-d doesn’t exist, what’s the harm in a mitzvah?

We are all on a journey.

We start in different places, have different experiences, have different put stops, and sometimes wander. The sure thing, though, is that we will all make it to the destination.