D’var Torah: Chol HaMoed Sukkot 2025/5786 חול המעד סוכות
Jane-Rachel Schonbrun, Director Camp Yavneh
On Shabbat Chol ha-Moed Sukkot, we read a section of Shemot featuring a powerful conversation between God and Moshe. As Moshe asks God for guidance, he pleads, “Let me behold Your Presence!” (33:18). God agrees to stay present with the Israelites through the desert, but qualifies this by telling Moshe, “You cannot see My face, for a human being may not see Me and live.” (33:20)
As kids are learning about God and the important role God plays in our lives, they often struggle with this idea, frustrated that they can’t see God, that God does not present in a corporeal or tangible way. Educators help kids grasp this concept in various ways: some compare God to intangible emotions like love, which they understand exists even though they can’t “see” it. And others encourage kids to look for God in nature’s miracles and wonders.
While these are both helpful concepts, my favorite way of helping kids “see” God is through other people. Martin Buber taught, “When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.” I love this idea, and see it all the time in the ways our kids interact with one another (especially in the intense and immersive environment of camp). When kids learn to share space, to work on a project or a team together, to show up as their best selves (“authentically and humanly”) and to support others doing the same – these are all moments when God’s presence is right there (even if it’s not always the first thing on a child’s mind).
As parents and Jewish educators, we can help our kids see God in one another and recognize that every person contains God’s holiness. The Kotzker Rebbe taught: “God is wherever you let God in." Imagine the transformative electric power that could surge through our children and our communities if we remember (and teach out kids!) to let God into our interactions and relationships. This is the power that can truly change the world for the better.
