Q&A: God in Discourse
God in Discourse
Question
Honorable Rabbi, why do you begin your columns with “With God’s help” and at times use expressions like “May it be His will” and the like, despite your view regarding individual providence?
I hope the question isn’t bothersome. I’m just curious whether there’s something deeper behind this or whether it’s a “bad” habit. Personally, I try to clean my speech of phrases like “Thank God,” “God willing,” and so on, because it feels to me a bit like dishonesty, meaningless lip service; am I conducting myself properly?
Answer
I’ve already been asked about this more than once.
Everyone is acting properly. There are speech/writing habits that are hard to break, and also not really necessary to break. As I understand it, everything I do is with Heaven’s assistance, since He is the one who gives us the strength to succeed (through the laws of nature that He created). But each person should act according to his own understanding, and it all seems fine to me.
Discussion on Answer
Through the laws of nature that He created… and *operates* at every moment all actions, for without the power, the act cannot exist.
And the philosophical implication is that He gives life to everything, at all times. (“Who performs the work of Creation,” constantly.)
Even if you insist on saying that God does *not direct* every detail all the time… still, He animates the powers of action at every moment. So it turns out that a person stands and walks… only by virtue of the powers that God gives nature to act *at every moment.* [All the more so when it comes to thinking, and writing impressive articles like those of Rabbi Michi].
I add an r to “with Heaven’s assistance,” as befits that lawgiver of laws.