On God

Education, prayer, and religious experiences are the necessary spectacles with which to see God in this world. Seeing God is like seeing a pattern rather than seeing a stationary object. The spectacles that we wear allow us not only to see God but also understand and speak about this experience. The various patterns that can potentially lead towards an understanding of God exist in the world and are waiting for us to discover them.

Our understanding of God must come from our tradition together with our own insight, perception, and personal discovery. In order to generate understanding we must be willing and open to search for God. Those who search for God with the intention of discovery will find God in inanimate objects, the holy words of the Torah, and within our own actions.

Awareness of God results from living a life that encompasses and balances this threefold relationship. In an age dominated by rationality we must realize that awareness of God’s presence and understanding of God’s essence is completely irrational, yet surprisingly logical and comforting to those who seize the opportunity.

Steven Rein grew up in Fairfield, NJ and after graduating high school attended New York University. Steven majored in Jewish History and Civilization, earning his B.A. in December 2002. During his years at NYU he became very active at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life where he was a founding member of Koach: Conservative Judaism at NYU. After graduating from NYU he enrolled in the Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

In addition to being a rabbinical student, Steven has the privilege to serve as a Chaplain Candidate in the United States Air Force. In March 2005 Steven was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and attended Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. Following his training, he has completed summer tours at Hanscom AFB, MA, the United States Air Force Academy, CO, and Wright Patterson AFB, OH.

Before coming to Beth Emeth, Steven served as the student Rabbi for the Fitzgerald Hebrew Congregation in Fitzgerald, GA from 2004-2006. Last year, Steven and his wife, Jodi, lived in Israel while Steven attended Machon Schechter in Jerusalem. In addition to learning and traveling throughout Israel, Steven was an active teacher in the Learning Community at Hebrew University. This program, coordinated with the Fuchsberg Center, provided a pluralistic learning environment for overseas students at Hebrew University. Steven is currently in his fourth year and anticipates being ordained as a Rabbi in May 2009.