Close To Torah

King David tackles a vital question in this Psalm. In the previous Psalm 8, David expressed the fact that all one needs to do is view the magnificent world with intellectual honesty and he will see Hashem’s Greatness and Design. The scoffers claim that the world does not show them any evidence of God.

Hidden Presence

The word that means world in Hebrew is “olam”. This word comes from the root, “nelam, hidden and concealed.” Hashem has created a world in which His presence is concealed. Our job is to seek Him out. If we put in the effort, we will clearly find Him. Those who are enemies of Hashem certainly can utilize their freewill and live life in denial of Him as well. The perspective is yours to choose. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808 – 1888) explains the opening verse of this Psalm to be expressive of this idea. “Lamnatzeiach (a song) al mus (about the hidden) l’ben (status of the sons of Hashem, the Jews)” The secrecy of the world, and Israel’s sometimes compromised position which has been raised as a challenge by the gentiles, will be answered by Hashem. All that happens is in order to bring the world to perfection and reveal Hashem’s Majesty. The remainder of the Psalm expresses how Hashem will judge and repay each nation and enemy of the Jewish people with intricate Divine Precision.

Perspective

Whether one sees Hashem’s presence in the world depends on one’s integrity. When someone has a premeditated agenda and does not want to see truth then nothing can get him to change that view. When the atheistic Russians first accomplished sending a man into space orbit, he came back with the report that they were looking for. Yuri Gagarin (1934 – 1968), the famous Russian cosmonaut who was the first man to ever orbit the earth returned from orbit and declared his proof for the absence of God. “I went all the way up to the heavens and I didn’t see God up there and so now it has been confirmed.” (Some scholars question whether this statement was actually made by him and instead attribute it to a Russian leader at the time.) Yuri died at the age of 34 when his trainer jet crashed. His meager 1 hour and 48 minutes in space would be his claim to fame (and apparently the justification for many people’s anti-god lifestyle).

When the American astronauts of Apollo 8 caught a glimpse of Earth from the moon, they made history. Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders were in awe of the sight. They began to recite the verses from Genesis Chapter one, “In the beginning God created….” The experience allowed them to see God’s Greatness first hand. The picture that they snapped in 1968 became known as Earthrise and is considered the most influential environmental photograph ever taken. Their perspective was that space is amazing and brings us to revere the Creator of the World.

The difference between Apollo 8’s conclusion and Mr. Gagarin’s worldview is what determined what each one would see. Gagarin saw space as another opportunity to deny God; Apollo 8 saw space as a time to commune with and recognize God.

Interesting Follow Up

Incidentally, the crew of Apollo 8 read from the Book of Genesis as they orbited the moon on December 24, 1968. The event was broadcast over national television and was the most watched program at the time. A certain viewer and famous atheist activist named Madalyn Murray O’Hair was enraged by the expression of religion relating to the Moon exploration and attempted to sue the United States government for violating the First Amendment. The suit was dismissed by the Supreme Court because of lack of jurisdiction. In 1969, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp which commemorated the Apollo 8 flight around the Moon. It featured a colored detail of the Earthrise photograph, and the words, “In the beginning God…” For those who wish to see Hashem’s presence in the world, one must simply look around and experience it.

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Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Emunah, Faith in Hashem, Yuri Ga