The Baal Shem Tov cherished simplicity. He cherished the unlettered Jew who simply loved G-d, even if he knew little of theology or philosophy. His love was like that of a child who clings to his father; not because he understands, but because he belongs.
At the same time, the Baal Shem Tov cherished learning, faith, and intellectual wrestling. He valued scholars who studied deeply and who asked hard questions. Yet, he wanted the scholars to emerge with the same simple cry of the child, “Father!”
Simple is straightforward.
This is how we need to live life. No drama or endless deliberations. It’s easier, and even more sophisticated, to lose ourselves in committees, discussions, and endless layers of complexity. Complexity feels safer. Simplicity feels risky.
Simple is not simplistic.
A person who delights in their own lack of knowledge may think they are embracing faith. However, they are being simplistic and avoiding reality. When reality eventually knocks, it will win.
A person who grapples with life, with reason, with faith, and then returns to a place of trust, is not simplistic yet they are simple. They have explored the complexity and risen above it.
That’s why simple faith is not easy. You can’t shortcut it. You must face the hard questions. You have to wrestle with doubt. You need to confront the paradoxes of life and death, good and evil. Only then can you arrive at a faith that is truly simple.
This week’s Torah portion says, “Tamim tihyeh im Hashem Elokecha” (Deuteronomy 18:13). Usually translated as “Be wholesome with G-d your G-d.”
But the deeper call is: Be simple.
Not simplistic. Simple.
Not ignoring life’s complexities but transcending them.
That is the simple challenge. To live with faith that is not naïve but profound. Simplicity that runs through the heart of complexity and emerges whole.
Living with trust in Hashem, even when it is not simple.
Simple but not easy.
Have a good Shabbos,
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman