God as King

Hevre,

I developed this spiritual resource sheet for my congregation, and I thought I'd share it a propos of the high holidays. Enjoy!





GOD as KING




Peasant #2 : Well, how’d you become King then?
King Arthur: The lady of the lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. That is why I’m your King!
Dennis: Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!
King Arthur: Be quiet!
(Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Scene iii)

As Monty Python proved to us, the idea of kingship is difficult to take seriously in the modern era. Apart from a few remaining world monarchs, largely characterized by symbolic rather than actual power, the most “kings" that we have current contact with are those either on a chessboard or an LP of “Jailhouse Rock.” But yet, since the late biblical period “king” has remained the dominant Jewish metaphor for God. To this day, most of our blessings begin “Blessed are you, Lord our God, KING of the Universe. On the High Holidays, we particularly affirm and celebrate God’s kingship over the world and the Jewish people. Our prayers change and expand to accent this theme, including (pages from Silverman Mahzor):

• The dramatic opening of the morning service on the word “HaMelekh!” (The King!)
• Additional piyyutim (liturgical poems) including Adonai Melech (p87-88), Melech Elyon (p141-142), Unetaneh Tokef (147-148), Ve’ye’etayu(158), and others.
• Malkhuyot (p159-161), a florid affirmation of God’s kingship with proof verses and a welcoming of the kingdom of God, accompanied by the sounding of the shofar.

But even so, how can we feel inspired by the God our King? This paper is meant as a guide to understanding the idea of God’s kingship means and how it can help transform our lives over ten days of repentance.
--
I) THE KING IN BIBLICAL TIMES.

In the Ancient Near East, the ideal of kingship was not linked with tyranny, but with service—indeed, many ancient kings saw promoting social welfare as their greatest achievements. The Israelites came to regard God in this way, as well as with titles that
were common to kings of that time, such as “lord,” “shepherd,” “master,” “judge,” and “shield.”
The power of God’s kingship can also be understood from Jewish political history: Ever since the fall of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel, the Jews were ruled by other nations. Under foreign rule, their treatment ranged between tolerance and brutality. The metaphor of God as King stood as an affirmation of faith in the face of hostile authority—that God alone was our true King and remained in charge of our destiny. This faith has been the secret of the enduring power of the Jews---whereas other peoples of history gave up their identities once they lost political power, the Jewish people adapted rather than assimilated because they believed, ultimately, that God was guiding their destiny.

--How would my life be different I felt guided by something beyond myself?

II) KING vs. JUDGE

One of the major themes of the High Holidays is God sitting in judgment. If so, why do we speak of God as “king” and not simply as “judge?”

The job of a judge is simple—to adjudicate cases, and to do justice according to the law. The job of a king, while involving justice, is centered on the welfare of his subjects.

In many ways, the job of judge is easier than that of king. According to a given system of law, the judge weighs the evidence and gives a verdict. And if this were God’s only role, we might be a little hesitant. Indeed, when it comes to God’s justice, we may even feel that there are sometimes when we could have done a better job.

But for the king, judgment is more than a matter of strict justice. Out of knowledge and concern for his kingdom’s welfare, the king may suspend judgment on an individual and instead grant mercy. It is for this reason that we focus so greatly during the High Holidays on God’s kingship–only the king possesses a love of his people, and thus the will to choose mercy over justice. So too, we have faith that God, no matter our transgressions, will accept us if we turn to him fully with a willing heart.

--Is there something that I’ve done for which I feel guilty? How might my life be different if I asked for forgiveness and made amends? How would it affect my relationships with others?

III) THE COUNSELOR & THE LIFE OF FAITH

Even so, it may still be hard for us to envision or be compelled by the grandiose image of God as king. Interestingly, there meaning of the Hebrew word for king (melekh) may be translated more closely as “counselor” or “s/he whose opinion is decisive.” This image, as opposed to that of the monarch on his throne, points to the inner meaning of God’s kingship. Will Herberg describes this in his book, Judaism in the Modern Era:

Man cannot live without placing his faith in something as the source of meaning and value of his existence, in something that for him is absolute. The real decision is thus not between faith and no-faith but between faith in some false absolute—the construction of our hands or heart or mind—and faith in the true Absolute, in the transcendent God. (p36)

We all know how difficult it is to keep theNew Years resolutions that we make during the secular New Year. We try for a while, but we eventually say to ourselves “Eh, I’ll do it next year.” But on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we have the power to keep our resolutions because we are not alone—we have a partner, counselor, and guide in the Lord our God. How do we access this source of guidance? Through the same methods that Jews have affirmed for thousands of years—t’filah, t’shuvah, and tzedakah. We pray daily for guidance in our lives, we correct our wrongs through rigorous honesty and repentance, and we seek to live righteously through the guidance of Torah. These paths give our lives direction and meaning, knowing that our faith is in the eternal of Israel—a loving God.

--How do I really want to live my life? How can I call on my spiritual resources to make this a reality?

Viewing our calendar

1) Inline: Right here!

2) As its own Web page, in a grid

3) As an iCalendar feed:

iCalendar feeds are supported by many programs, including iCal (Mac), Outlook 2007 and Windows Calendar (Windows), and Google Calendar (Web).

There are two iCalendar feed options.

1) CSSO calendar + Hebrew calendar together

2) CSSO calendar only
3) NYC area Hebrew calendar only

(You might want to keep the Hebrew calendar separate if you want to color-code it differently, etc.)

First Post

This is the first post on the "official" CSSO blog.

The CSSO is the Cantorial School Student Organization. Of the Miller Cantorial School. Of the Jewish Theological Seminary. ...of America.

We contain magnitudes.

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