Terumah: Who's In Charge of Wonderland?

Think of the weirdest, most bizarre, most unusual prayer experience you've ever had. That is, assuming you've had strange prayer experiences at all. Well, if you have (or haven't), I think we can top it. This Shabbat

morning, February 21st, you should come to services at Ohev Shalom. It is our USY (United Synagogue Youth) Teen Shabbat, and it is a themed service. This year's theme: Alice in Wonderland. Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to shrink in the middle of services? Or spontaneously grow incredibly BIG? Has it ever seemed like you were at the end of services even though it was only just beginning, or you got to the conclusion but it felt like it was just about to start? And all this surrounded by people in zany costumes! This Saturday is going to be a really unique experience, dream-like perhaps, while still REALLY challenging us to think about prayer and God. Let me give you just a taste, right here in my blog:

I like working with teenagers. No, no, I really mean it; stop laughing! They ask tough questions that adults are too nervous to ask. Adults are often jaded, cynical, apathetic, or think they know it all, and they don't get to the really challenging issues. Our teens at Ohev came up with a 

really great idea for this Shabbat service, and they pushed the envelope even further by asking an incredibly difficult question about God. BUT, then they got cold feet and were worried it went too far, so they asked me to bring it up instead. And, because I think they're terrific kids and I'm a pushover (oh, and I like to push YOU, here on my blog...), I went for it. So here goes: Are you familiar with Alice in Wonderland? Do you remember the Queen of Hearts? She is an evil, sadistic tyrant who orders beheadings at the drop of a hat. She has loyal subjects who worship her, but often it seems they do so out of fear rather than love or respect. Could it be, asked my teenage congregants, that the Queen is a metaphor for God?

I mean, that's a really harsh question, no??? But is it unfair? I'm not so sure. The God of the Torah certainly mandates capital punishment for a whole host of offenses. And in this week's Torah portion, Terumah, God begins to give Moses the instructions for building a Sanctuary, a Mikdash. Let's face it, it's an ornate, 

labor-intensive, expensive, complicated structure, the sole purpose of which is to worship and give thanks to God. The Queen of Hearts would be jealous. Ok, so still pretty harsh, and you may not agree with this characterization (in fact, I hope you don't!), but let's think about it for a minute. Can we ignore the violence that is perpetrated in the Name of God, with scriptural prooftexts to back up every action? How about discriminatory laws regarding abortion, the LGBTQ community, and many other issues, both in the US and abroad? Millions of people around the world DO view God as basically an evil tyrant who yells "off with their heads!", and they flee organized religion because of it. And you and I read the same headlines they do; can you blame them?

But it doesn't have to be this way. I don't think you can ever really talk about change if you don't first address the barriers that exist, which is why I'm talking about this here on my blog. I KNOW why people see God this way. I get it; I really do. But again, it doesn't have to be this way.

 We don't have to let religion be hijacked by people who pervert its teachings - who turn their God, OUR God, into a horrible Queen of Hearts caricature. There is no objective reality when it comes to God, you really can't talk about what God IS, at least not from a human point-of-view. We talk only about what God is NOT... but we also talk about the kind of God we WANT to worship. It is a choice, not a requirement. If you leave God as a menacing playing card, of course you'll want to flee! But flip the script. Change it around. If you make a conscious choice to see God differently, it can change your entire perspective on religion. And you can start that process right now, this weekend, by coming to the most flipped-around, topsy-turvy, backwards service you can imagine! It may just be the very thing we all need, to start seeing God in a new light, and to put some joy and silliness back into religion. So, is it time for you to take a look down the rabbit hole?

Photos in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of 17Drew on Wikimedia Commons
2. CC image courtesy of De Disney on Wikimedia Commons
3. CC image courtesy of HumMelissa Glee on Wikimedia Commons
4. CC image courtesy of Anetode on Wikimedia Commons