The Story Behind the Name

Like just about everyone else in my high school class, I was immensely looking forward to my seminary year in Israel. I was ready to move on from high school and engage in the intense seminary schedule, ready to leave home for the first long extended period of time and ready to have all of those life-changing classes that people promised me seminary would have.

What people didn't tell me was that sometimes the intensity of the learning and the late-night classes would be a little much for me. They didn't tell me that while the dorm could be an incredible experience, sometimes I would want the privacy of my own bedroom. And while seminary would be an inspirational, life-changing time, sometimes it wouldn't be. Sometimes the classes wouldn't be to my taste, wouldn't speak to me or I simply would leave uninspired and unchanged. 

But one class was the antithesis of all that. It left me deep in thought and those thoughts never really left me. It was the first lesson of the year from this particular class and Rabbi Bulman asked why Hashem called out to Moshe from the burning bush; what did Moshe do that merited Hashem directly talking to him?

He said that Moshe saw the bush and asked why it was burning without being consumed. Then Hashem called out to him and told Moshe of his life's mission to lead the Jewish Nation. Moshe saw, he questioned and looked into what was before him and Hashem called out to him.

This, Rabbi Bulman taught us, is a prototype of how we need to interact with the world. We need to look at everything around us, ask about, probe deeper and voice an interest. 

Adam Harishon was the first person alive. When he first opened his eyes and saw the world, he said "Mah rabu ma'asechah Hashem". Looking at this superficially, this is an obvious to response to seeing gan eden. But if we look closely, the first word every uttered by mankind was mah- what. Adam knew the purpose of creation was to question. 

In recent times, questioning has taken on a negative role. Questioning appears to be a lack of faith, a sin to which we do not want to commit. But Judaism looks at things differently. Judaism encourages us to find our question and to ask them, to seek answers and truth. This, we are taught, is the road to growth. 

And this, my friends, is the story behind the name. Curiosity is not to be shunned. Curiosity is beautiful and a tool given to us from Hashem. We do not ban questions, nor punish the questioner. Questions are not to be viewed as a disgrace or anything to be ashamed of. Curiosity is a bridge to connection, to depth, to a greater understand of Hashem, of His world and what He wants from us. 

And like we learned from Moshe, if we reach out to Hashem, He reaches back. 

He's waiting for us.