Today’s Faith Chronicle is written by Tirza Arad

I have learned a lot about faith from my daughter, Rabbi Gabi, as she is lovingly called by her JCo community. I have to be honest, she didn’t get that deep faith from me. Her father is mostly responsible for planting that seed.

I come from down to earth generations of Dutch stock. I remember my father saying, when anything was in doubt or the facts weren’t obvious, “Blinde Maupi, sehen muss ich”, which loosely translated means “I have to see it to believe it!”

What do I believe in then? I believe in the inherent goodness of people, I believe that for every evil action there is a positive and moral reaction. I believe that coincidences exist, I find meaning in making connections between events and more importantly between people. I believe that the way we behave has consequences, positive and negative.

I believe that we are all created equal, but that the road to equality is not equal.

I believe that I have to play a role in alleviating suffering and help repair where the world need repairing.

I believe that ultimately the sum of connection is more than each one individually.

So, do I have faith? I guess I do.