The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound meaning in even that experience. They asked: how do we find God, even when we're being humbled?
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, delves into this very question. It grapples with the idea of external forces, "other lords" as the prophet Isaiah puts it (Isaiah 26:13), that seem to rule over us. But what does Isaiah really mean?
The rabbis interpret these "other lords" as those who seek to diminish us, to grind us down, as Proverbs says, "Even if you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly" (Proverbs 27:22). Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon takes it further, comparing this humbling to a husband divorcing his wife (Deuteronomy 24:1) – a painful severing, a rejection.
But here's the key: even in these moments of oppression, the Midrash emphasizes that we can still acknowledge God's name, praise it, and even hallow it. We find God precisely in the act of kiddush Hashem – sanctifying God's name.
Think about the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar, that infamous king, demands that everyone worship his idols. But these three refuse, declaring, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter... we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up" (Daniel 3:16-18). Talk about defiance!
Nebuchadnezzar, understandably furious, orders the furnace to be heated "seven times hotter than usual" (Daniel 3:19). Rabbi Yochanan even suggests that the ropes binding them were strengthened sevenfold! The Rabbis even suggest increasing the heat to forty-two times hotter! Imagine the intensity. Yet, they chose to face the flames rather than betray their faith.
Where did they get such incredible strength? The Midrash points to a surprising source: frogs. Yes, you read that right. Frogs.
The verse in Exodus (7:28) says the frogs would be "in your ovens and your kneading bowls." Now, when are kneading bowls near an oven? When it's HOT! The rabbis see this as evidence that the frogs willingly jumped into the fiery ovens to fulfill God’s decree, to be part of the plague sent to convince Pharoah to free the Israelites. The Midrash tells us that the frogs that went into the oven miraculously survived because they had sacrificed themselves to fulfill God's will. Talk about commitment!
This act of self-sacrifice resonated deeply. Todus, a Roman, observed that if even frogs, without the merit of the Patriarchs, were willing to sacrifice themselves, how much more so should the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who have a covenant with God? Plutinus, another Roman, suggested that this commitment was inspired by the Torah itself (Deuteronomy 4:29), while other Rabbis found it in Jeremiah (29:13) – the idea that if you seek God with all your heart, you will find Him.
So, what’s the takeaway? Even when we're facing immense pressure, when we feel like we're being ground down, we have a choice. We can succumb to the forces that seek to diminish us, or we can choose to sanctify God's name. We can choose to stand firm in our faith, even in the face of adversity.
And maybe, just maybe, like those frogs, we'll find that by offering ourselves to something greater, we discover a strength we never knew we had. We find God, not in comfort and ease, but in the fiery furnace of life. Isn't that a powerful thought?