Why Doesn't Hashem Reveal Himself to Us?

It was a few decades ago at a seminar for those returning to faith, on a Shabbat afternoon. The lecturer concluded a two-hour presentation establishing and proving Hashem's revelation to Israel at Mount Sinai.

Many in the audience were highly impressed by this foundation and proof, and they sat in awe. Then a voice was heard from the back row: "Honorable Rabbi, if it was so easy for the Creator to reveal himself to the people of Israel, why all this fuss? Why do you stand here trying hard to provide us with proofs and philosophical arguments? Couldn't he just reveal himself again, as a refresher every now and then? Where is he? Doesn't he see how many people don't believe, why complicate things for them?"

The person sitting next to the speaker chuckled aloud, laughter echoed from the other side of the hall. It seemed this remark had spoiled all the positive impression the lecture had created. Truthfully, I felt sorry for the Rabbi, he worked so hard on the lecture...

The Rabbi's response surprised everyone; he smiled and said: "Even if Hashem revealed himself personally to you, it wouldn't help at all".

The speaker chuckled again. "Well, really, honorable Rabbi, is this your excuse? If Hashem revealed himself to me, I'd run after him".

The Rabbi turned to the audience and said: "How many of you attended the morning's Shacharit prayer?", several dozen people raised their hands, "What did we read today in the Torah?", the Rabbi asked and answered: "For those who don't remember, we read Parashat Ki Tisa, which among other things, tells of the sin of the Golden Calf.

"The sin of the Golden Calf is proof that man always has free choice. The Children of Israel not only witnessed Hashem's revelation to the entire people, but they also experienced the splitting of the Red Sea, the Ten Plagues, ate manna that very morning to satiety... and yet, they set everything aside and danced around a golden calf.

"True, they didn't deny everything, they couldn't deny, but there was always room for choice. They concluded that if Moses doesn't return, 'surely' Hashem's will was for them to make another intermediary".

If Hashem revealed Himself to us, we would be very excited, but we would still have free choice. The revelation, after all, concludes, five minutes later, I encounter someone who did such and such, and 'surely' it's a great mitzvah to harm him and make him repent... or not? I would have a dilemma; I would still need to choose.

Understand, even for faith itself, the revelation is not a magical solution. Suppose the Creator revealed himself once every hundred years. Since several decades would have passed since the revelation, people without faith would argue that it's something primitive people once believed in due to a lack of scientific knowledge. And so it would be next time, people from a hundred years ago would always be considered primitive by those who prioritize technology and progress in their lives.

If that seminar participant experienced a divine revelation, and even if he chose good and adhered only to the path of faith, still, what would he teach his children? How would he convey faith to them? After all, they would ask the same question: Very nice that Hashem revealed himself to you, but to us he hasn't revealed himself. So if he wants us to serve him, we also invite a revelation...

How can it be that people sin after a divine revelation? After all, Hashem reveals Himself to us in many forms, and many times we continue to sin. Have the open miracles that happened here, in the State of Israel, during several wars, where naturally we should have suffered horrendous casualties and defeats, caused everyone to repent? No. Every person has his free will. Even people interviewed after the war who said "it was a miracle" - not all of them repented; they moved on. And there were those who saw Hashem's hand in this world, in our generation, and returned to faith.

Ultimately what matters is a person's choice in good, humility, the ability to accept and contain that there's something greater than us. A person who chooses the path of pride, no argument will help him, and not even a revelation. He will continue to think that only he exists in the world and there's nothing above him.

One person participated in a social gathering and told a story he witnessed: A platoon of soldiers was camping in the desert in sleeping bags. Early in the morning, whispers of terror were heard. A viper snake was wrapped around one sleeping bag; its bite paralyzes a person within a short time – and there's no antivenom! "Don't move!", the friends shouted to the hapless man trapped inside the bag. Any movement would cause the snake to strike. But what could be done? The snake didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave...

There was no choice, the commander declared, the platoon's sniper would shoot the snake. "Are you crazy?", the soldiers asked; there's no 100% shot accuracy, he could graze the brain of the poor soldier! (Have you heard of Wilhelm Tell?)

The commander hesitated. His subordinate's life was at stake. Suddenly the religious soldier in the group said: "Wait, before you do that, let's all say together 'Shema Yisrael', what's there to lose?". "Alright", the commander replied.

The whole group started reciting "Shema Yisrael", and as soon as they finished, the snake raised its head importantly, and slithered away into its burrow.

The audience, who listened with bated breath to the story, asked the storyteller: "So, did you return to faith because of this story?". "Absolutely not," he replied, "after all, the snake was on him, not on me"...

Even when faith is the most logical conclusion, a person can evade it with various evasions, reflecting the inclination of his soul.

Of course, the Creator could have created us without free choice or managed our lives so that there would be no room for choice. A person wants to sin – at that moment, he catches a fever and has to get into bed. Wants to travel to a forbidden place – a flat tire. But what kind of person would he be then? A good person? Clearly not. He would be a person who never overcame the smallest desire. He would be a robot run by flat tires and illnesses, a stick and carrot. That is the nature of a domesticated animal. But we are humans, and our choice for good creates our spiritual level.