At today’s services, the Torah portion told the story of Jacob’s semi-understanding that G-d exists in the world. Jacob, the third patriarch in Judaism (after Abraham and Isaac), found G-d amidst the ruins and asked rhetorically, “I did not know G-d was here.” But He was, and He’s really everywhere, so what’s Jacob talking about?
A commentary I read today said something that fascinated me: It is only when we do not know, when we are most unsure, that we are most in G-d’s presence. It is this not knowing that makes G-d close. And I think this is right. If I think of all the people I know, it is those who are least sure, least positive about their place, their birthright, their knowledge, that seem closest to G-d.