Faith is a Verb

 “One day Honi the Circle Drawer was journeying on the road and he saw a man planting a carob tree; he asked him, ‘How long does it take for this tree to bear fruit?’ The man replied: ‘Seventy years.’ He then further asked him: ‘Are you certain that you will live another seventy years?’ The man replied: ‘I found ready grown carob trees in the world; as my forefathers planted these for me so I too plant these for my children.’ Honi sat down to have a meal and sleep overcame him. As he slept a rocky formation enclosed upon him which hid him from sight and he continued to sleep for seventy years. When he awoke he saw a man gathering the fruit of the carob tree and he asked him, ‘Are you the man who planted the tree?’ The man replied: ‘I am his grandson.’ Thereupon he exclaimed: ‘It is clear that I slept for seventy years.’”                                              
(Talmud, Taanit 23)

This story is often told during the holiday of Tu B’Shevat as an incentive to care for the environment; an incentive to take an active role for the future. The man in the story knows it is his responsibility to prepare the future for his children and grandchildren. And what he does is called an act of faith, because he knows intrinsically that it is the right thing to do.

Our western world, and perhaps our generation in particular, seems to struggle with the concept of faith. Maybe many people had painful experiences.  To some of them, faith might mean blindly adhering to a dogma, a lot of negative self-judgment, or the fear of being condemned for not having enough faith or even the "right" kind. These are genuine feelings, they need to be addressed, but I would like to say that faith has nothing to do with these negative feelings. Unfortunately, the way their religion has been presented to them is most likely the issue.

So let’s look at the etymology of the word “faith”. Its root comes from the Latin fides, meaning “trust”. In our story, the man’s children have faith in him because they know that he is making sure the land will be ready for them. And this is the whole point. In Judaism, faith is a verb. It is not a commodity that we have or don’t have. It is something we do. We “faithe.” Our faith must translate into positive, concrete acts; and when it does, it plays an important part in sustaining our world. Every mitzvah that we do is not only an act of faith, but also a positive action that has a double effect. It elevates our soul and it contributes in bringing harmony to the world.

Shimon Hatzadik, in Pirkei Avot (the Ethics of our Fathers), explains this concept in a simple teaching: “The world stands on three things: on Torah, on Service [of God], and on acts of loving-kindness.” We live in a world where we are compelled to act, react and interact with others. And through our positive acts of faith, God interacts with the world. Faith is a beautiful verb!

Here is a poetic illustration of this concept by Rabbi Rami Shapiro:
We are loved by an unending love
            We are embraced by arms that find us
            even when we are hidden from ourselves
We are touched by fingers that soothe us
even when we are too proud for soothing.
            We are counseled by voices that guide us
            even when we are too embittered to hear.
We are loved by an unending love.
            We are supported by hands that lift us
            even in the midst of a fall
We are urged on by eyes that meet us
even when we are too weak for meeting.
            We are loved by an unending love.
Embraced, touched, soothed, and counseled…
ours are the arms, the fingers, the voices;
ours are the eyes, the smiles.
            We are loved by an unending love.