As a graduate student in biblical studies, I was taught to ask certain questions of texts, to approach a biblical passage with curiosity and attention, to ask how my questions affected my interpretation. As a professor now, I strive to model for my students how to ask great questions. We may come to the Bible seeking answers for our complicated lives, but I contend that those answers will often not appear until we learn how to ask better questions.
As we begin our journey to Israel and Palestine, I've been thinking about the questions I bring with me. What do I want to know more about? What issues fascinate me about this land and people? As I engage with various sites and peoples, how do I pose honest, respectful questions?
And what questions do I bring to God? Moishe is asked in the opening pages of Night (one of our readings for this trip) why he prays. He responds, "I pray to the God within me for the strength to ask [God] the real questions."
O, God, help us all to ask the real questions as we journey together--on this trip and in our lives.
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