Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz
My seven-year-old child asked me the following: How can we say that God is everywhere, if it is impossible for anyone to be in two different places simultaneously? How can I answer this question properly, and how do I explain this to a seven-year-old?
Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds:
Understand that you Don’t
Before we begin, it is essential to realize that these are concepts beyond our comprehension. With our physical and limited capacities, we cannot expect to grasp the Omnipresence of G-d. Actually, for children this is not really an issue, as they know that there are things beyond their comprehension. Therefore, the best approach for explaining such concepts to a young child is to tell him that Hashem can do anything, even if he can’t understand
In truth, it is really the adults who have trouble with the idea of an unexplainable concept. Grownups expect to grasp any subject they choose to analyze and study. However, this is really not accurate, as there are many things in this world that are far beyond our comprehension. For example, concepts such as what makes a person live or die, why the righteous suffer, or an appreciation of the entire scope of God’s “thought process” is way above anything we mortals can fathom.
Teaching Ants Math?!
As an analogy, imagine trying to teach an ant one plus one. The very idea of teaching such concepts to an ant is ludicrous, since there’s nothing in its brain that can process such information. When trying to understand the Omnipresence of God, humans are much more primitive than an ant, and we should not be surprised that our brains cannot process such information.
In short: God can do anything, including being everywhere in the world, all at once, a concept way above our limited comprehension. For a child it suffices to say that there are things we cannot understand.
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