Rabbi Mushka :)

My article appeared on the Aish website several weeks ago. I’d written it in my journal after my first encounter with the Kotel. I wrote about what prayer means to me. And what it was supposed to mean. A lot of people picked on the line “Is God our BFF?” Either because they were upset that I’d used an abbreviation that they were unfamiliar with or because they were perturbed that I’d insinuated God was nothing more than a girlfriend I take out to ice cream.

Out of all the comments, this one is by far the awesomest one. Mostly because I’ve basically wanted to be a rabbi all my life, and no one would let me. I think I may start having my friends call me Rabbi Mushka.

Are You There God? It's Me, Mushka.

(22) Anonymous, May 6, 2010

Is God our BFF?

Rabbi, with all due respect, you make G_d sound like a "prayer ATM" machine. G_d didn't creat us to just "ask" for things, he created us to fellowship with Him...when we kneel before Him, or stand at a wall, it isn't the "wall" experience we're looking for, it's the relationship that our ancestors had with Him that we strive for. Prayer is about RELATIONSHIP..if He gives us the desires of our hearts (see Psalms 37:3-7) it's because we are now in rigthteous standing with the L_ord. He's a "friend", like He was to Father Abraham. G_d is not some cosmic mystery...He has always desired a personal relationship with us, you as a Rabbi should know this. That woman you described is a person I can relate to (except for all the dramatics-but, we all express ourselves differently)..I have been very moved to tears, when in prayer (fellowship) with G_d, and I feel His presence each and every day..He answers my prayers, and often He does not answer my foolish ones or ones He deems that are not His will at that particular time. Rabbi, "Prayer" in its "purest form" is fellowship with the Most High of Israel, and in return for that fellowship, yes, He can be your "BFF", and His gift for allowing Him into your life, is PEACE, beyond human understanding. :)