“If the results of injustice, indifference to the welfare of others, selfishness and greed, bring terror, then we may hope that if we learn to do the right we may bring peace and joy.”

In this sermon of November 6, 1966, Rabbi Olan asks, what is the true meaning of the rainbow that God showed Noah as a sign of His promise that He would never send another great flood to wipe out life on earth.  The real promise, says Olan, and the source of our hope, is that this is “a universe of law and we reap what we sow both in the physical and moral realm.”  Just as physical laws govern matter, so “Right does bring good results; wrong behavior leads to destruction.”  Olan asks, “is there a relationship between our mood of despair and the increasing loss of the God faith in our time?”

His answer is an unequivocal “yes”: “The God faith is basically established upon hope,” hope that the universe is both lawful and creative, not random.  “We can depend upon the universe.”  That and not miracles is the fulfillment of God’s promise.

*Written by Lionel S Joseph*