Biography
Rabbi Michael Siegel is Senior Rabbi of Anshe Emet Synagogue on Chicago’s north side. He is past president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and is a leader in the national and local Jewish communities. Rabbi Siegel is particularly interested in adult Jewish learning, and is an innovator in developing creative methods to make the study of the Torah and Jewish ethics more meaningful and accessible [Biographical information is correct as of the broadcast date noted above.]

"The Amen of Action" 
Because the Bible seeks to tell the story of the relationship of God and humankind, every word, and every action recorded takes on a powerful significance. One finds within the covers of the Bible the record of the intimate conversations between a people and their God, transforming the stories that begin in Genesis into a book of prayer. The reader of the Bible stands with Abraham as he challenges God to be just at Sodom and Gemorrah. We hear the pain in Moses’ voice as he utters a five word prayer when his sister Miriam is stricken with illness: El Na Refah Na La; God, heal her now please. We observe Hannah, praying silently to God through her tears, for the gift of a child. The Bible contains every type of prayer imaginable, from the expressions of praise and wonder, to the lonely cries that plumb the depths of pain and suffering. At its essence, the Bible is a tale of a God that calls out to humanity and the prayers of those who respond.

For me, one of the most powerful prayers in all of Scripture is one that has no words, no vocal sounds. It is not a meditation, but rather a prayer that is nothing more than the sound of a footstep. Some would say that a footstep does not constitute a prayer, but to my way of thinking this one step captures the very essence of prayer. It is the amen of action, the human response to one’s own prayer inspired after an encounter with the Almighty. Permit me to explain.

Moses and the children of Israel have left Egypt. They stand before the Sea of Reeds and suddenly they hear the sounds of the Egyptian army led by Pharoah himself. These helpless people stand before Moses and Aaron cowering in terror. Moses confidently tells them to watch and see how God will save them. But with the sound of the Egyptians coming closer and closer, God responds to Moses with these words: Mah Tizak Alai, Why do you cry out to me? Tell the people to walk forward.

So the answer to their prayers was to walk into the water. The people were expecting God to respond to their prayers by acting on their behalf. God’s answer was for the people to be participants in the fulfillment of their own prayers! No less miraculous than the sea splitting open was the site of a people taking that first step into the water. In that moment, an entire people responded to the voice of God, and to their own prayers for salvation. The sound of their step is the human response to the prayers we address to God—it is, then and now, the amen of action.

Too often, we think that a prayer is merely a verbal exercise. We offer God praise as an introduction to our wish list for the week: God, You are good God, You are great God, You are powerful You are awesome Now about my needs… Think of the last time you offered a prayer. Did it inspire you to take action? Or, was it nothing more than a liturgical lottery ticket offered in the hope that maybe this time your number will come up. Maybe this time your prayer will be heard and merit Divine action.

Can you hear the words that God spoke to Moses now addressed to each of us? Mah Tizak Alai, Why do you cry out to me? Go and respond to your own prayer, take a step into the unknown, take a risk and see what will happen.

Friends, prayer is not a spectator sport Prayer is a covenantal exercise, in which we work with God to find the answers that we seek. We can not be an active participant in the fulfillment of our prayers while sitting in our own seat, waiting for God to perform. The lesson that Moses learned at the shore of the Sea of Reeds, reminds us that prayer, proper and meaningful prayer, can and should be a prelude to action. Then and now, salvation comes when people are willing to respond to their own prayer with the amen of action, inspired by the faith that teaches that we will not walk alone.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel captured this idea beautifully by suggesting that we take not leaps of faith, but rather leaps of action. Had the Israelites not taken that first step into the water, that leap into action, those who would have survived Pharaohs onslaught would have been returned to Egypt, and this slave people would not have even amounted to a footnote in history. The record of humankind is divided by those who sat like spectators waiting for their salvation to come from elsewhere, and those who had the faith and the courage to be the masters of their own destiny by responding to God’s call with the sound of a single step. When we respond to our own prayers with the amen of action it can change everything.

Good friends, the story of Moses and the Children of Israel is the story of our own lives. Who among us has not felt overwhelmed by the challenges that threaten to wash over us. They may be personal issues: matters of health, finance, or family. They may be more global concerns, hunger, war, a Tsunami, or evil in the world. The situations that we face are no less grave than that of Moses and the Children of Israel standing at the shore of the sea with water on one side and the Egyptian army on the other. The only question is whether we can begin the fulfillment of our own prayers by taking action, with the faith and confidence that God will be at our side.

The lesson of Moses and the children of Israel at the shore of the sea is one that can transform our lives and can transform our nation. In a recent study of Americans and prayer it was found that a significant number of Americans pray each and every day. When asked what they pray for—things like health and safety, relationships, victims of tragedy, and improving the world—those are the things that top the list.

When asked if their prayers were answered, less than 50% said their prayers were answered “often.” When asked for the reason that people felt that their prayers did not come true, nearly 70% of those polled said: “It’s not in God’s plan ” Now it is true that there are circumstances that are out of our control that may well be part of a larger plan. But, it is equally true that there are a variety of issues that we have more control over than we give ourselves credit. Though the ultimate outcome may be out of our control, there is always a step that we can take, always an amen of action waiting for us. If the Children of Israel had not taken that step, and the sea not split open, would they have also said, “Well, I guess it was not part of God’s plan ”?

What if God were asked about that poll? How do you suppose God would respond to being told that the reasons some of the prayers were not answered were because they were not part of a Divine plan? Can’t you just hear the words, Mah Tizhak Alai, Why are you crying to me? Can’t you hear God saying: Act boldly, take that step, and I will be there to say amen with you. Together, God says to us we will begin to answer your prayer.

Friends, if you have concerns about your family, and who doesn’t, God will want to know what you are doing to solve your family’s problems. If you have concerns about health and safety, God will want to know what you are doing to respond to your own prayers, what you are doing to help yourself. Finally, if you are praying for the victims of tragedy, whether it is a tsunami or world hunger, God will want to know what you are doing. What steps are you taking? Are you collecting food, are you making donations? Are you willing to take a step, to act, even when logic tells you that the problem you seek to solve is insurmountable? Wondrous things can happen, seas can split open when people are willing to take a step, to be the act as the amen to their own prayers.

The stories of our lives may not be as dramatic as the splitting of the sea, or as well known. But that does not mean that God is any less concerned about us than the people of Moses’ time. Friends, God’s words to Moses continue to echo throughout the generations unto our own time. Mah Tizhak Alai, Why do you cry out to me? Tell the people to walk forward. That is God’s answer to us today as well.

Let us muster the same courage, the same faith and the same vision as did Moses’ generation and walk forward, as individuals and as a nation, knowing that God will walk at our side. Let us be participants in our own destiny, and along with God, help to form the amen of action, to be worthy of the prayers of our own hearts.

And to that, I hope that you can all respond with me: Amen

Interview with Michael Siegel
Interviewed by Lydia Talbot

Lydia Talbot: Michael, your wonderful message on prayer: taking action, the amen of action. I love the quote by Abraham Heschel, a wonderful leaders and obviously a hero to you personally. Can you say more about how he impacted the journey that you’ve been on?

Michael Siegel: Heschel was a Hasidic master. He came to this country from Europe and he combined the best of Hasidic thought with the best of university learning. That synthesis he created really helped to transform American Jewry. He brought a spiritual aspect into our lives and helped us to understand and appreciate prayer and the need for action in an entirely new and, I think, refreshing way.

Talbot: He was prophetic in his actions and marched along side Martin Luther King, Jr.

Siegel: He lived his words. When he said we need to do more—take a leap of faith, we have to take a leap of action, and that our actions really reflect our faith—he acted on those things. He took on unpopular stands with Viet Nam. He marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. And though we take these kinds of things for granted today, in its time they were radical acts and he was roundly criticized, but he stood his ground. He made an impact and we are influenced to this day.

Talbot: You started your wonderful message on prayer with the story of, as you say, the most powerful prayer in all of Scripture, but it is not verbal and is without words. It was the first step forward of the Israeli people. I just wonder, how do you pray personally, Michael? How do you pray and how do you take that first step forward?

Siegel: I think that we have to look at our own lives. When I pray I really imagine God before me and it is humbling and awe inspiring. I know that God can read my soul, God knows my actions, God knows what I do well, and God knows my failings as well. I look to God for strength. I look to God for blessings. I look to God for courage, to face the challenges ahead. So prayer comes when we study, prayer comes when we open a prayer book. Louis Finkelstein, the past chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, once said words that really resonate for me: “When I pray, I speak to God. When I study, God speaks to me.” All are forms of worship.

Talbot: And therein the transformation that you talk about. How to do you convey that sense of prayer to your children?

Siegel: With my children we sing around a Shabbat table. We talk about the text. We ask questions. We try to develop a discussion. The children are obviously familiar with the synagogue, as well, but my wife and I try to teach our children to take leaps of action. It’s not enough to ask God. We have to be willing to answers God’s question: What are we doing?

Talbot: What a lovely image of children singing at prayer. Thank you so much, Rabbi Michael Siegel.

Siegel: It’s a pleasure to be with you.