o close to thee? Thou canst not tell. How, then, can I inform thee
concerning Him who dwells in heaven, and whose throne is separated from
the earth by a journey of 3500 years?" "Then do we not do better to pray
to gods who are near at hand, and whom we can see with our eyes?"
continued the heathen, whereupon the sage struck home, "Well, you may see
your gods, but they neither see nor help you, while our God, Himself
unseen, yet sees and protects us constantly."(190) The comparison of the
invisible soul to God, the invisible spirit of the universe, is worked out
further in the Midrash to Psalm CIII.

8. From the foregoing it is clear that, while Judaism insists on the
Deity's transcending all finite and sensory limitations, it never lost the
sense of the close relationship between man and his Maker. Notwithstanding
Christian theologians to the contrary, the Jewish God was never a mere
abstraction.(191) The words, "I am the Lord thy God," betoken the intimate
relation between the redeemed and the heavenly Redeemer, and the song of
triumph at the Red Sea, "This is my God, I will extol Him,"
testifies--according to the Midrash--that even the humblest of God's chosen
people were filled with the feeling of His nearness.(192) In the same way
the warm breath of union with God breathes through all the writings, the
prayers, and the whole history of Judaism. "For what great nation is there
that hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is, whenever we call
upon Him?" exclaims Moses in Deuteronomy, and the rabbis, commenting upon
the plural form used here, _Kerobim_, = "nigh," remark: "God is nigh to
everyone in accordance with his special needs."(193)

9. Probably the rabbis were at their most profound mood in their saying,
"God's greatness lies in His condescension, as may be learned from the
Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. To quote only Isaiah also: 'Thus
saith the High and Lofty One, I dwell in high and holy places, with him
that is of a contrite and humble spirit.'(194) For this reason God
selected as the place of His revelation the humble Sinai and the lowly
thornbush."(195) In fact, the absence of any mediator in Judaism
necessitates the doctrine that God--with all His transcendent majesty--is at
the same time "an ever present helper in trouble,"(196) and that His
omnipotence includes care for the greatest and the smallest beings of
creation.(197)

10. The doctrine that God is above and beyond the universe, tr