To heal the world, God needs our help

                              On the island of St. Thomas, there is a mountain that dominates the beautiful landscape.  One place that offers a breathtaking view of the land and the water is called "Lookout Point."  There is a sign erected by a real estate company on the site that reads:
                              "View courtesy of Scott-Free Estates, with a little help from G-d"
                              That sign echoes a Jewish teaching on the song of thanksgiving that our ancestors sang after they crossed the Red Sea in safety,which was about the barrier that separated them from Egyptian slavery behind them and the freedom that was ahead of them.
                              In their relief and exuberance they proclaimed. "This is my G-d and I will glorify him........."
                              The ancient Jewish sages took the Hebrew word V'anveyhu (and I will glorify him),and broke it into two Hebrew words, Ani and V'hu (I and He).  "I and He" is a great partnership.  Man and G-d are joined together in a wide variety of sacred enterprises, and they are dependent upon each other.
                              An agricultural college in Iowa did a study on the production of 100 bushels of corn on one acre of land.  The farmer contributed the labor and G-d provided a few things, as well:

• 4,000,000 pounds of water
• 6,800 pounds of oxygen
• 5,200 pounds of carbon
• 125 pounds of potassium
• 160 pounds of nitrogen
• 1,900 pounds of carbon dioxide
• 75 pounds of yellow sulphur 
• 50 pounds of calcium
• 40 pounds of phosphorus

                            And, oh yes, there was the small matter of sunshine.  All for 100 bushels of corn!  Who made them?  "I and He."  "G-d" wrote Abraham Lincoln, "is the silent partner in all great enterprises."
                            Just as human beings depend on G-d, so too does G-d depend on human beings.  "I and He."  G-d can no more do without us than we can do without G-d.
                           Even the Passover story was interpreted by our sages in such a way that the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea was not a solo performance by the Almighty.  The Israelites made their vital contribution.  Our sages said, "The sea did not part for them until they entered the waters up to their nostrils."  Without the faith and courage of the Israelites who ventured into the stormy sea, there would have been no miracle.  "I and He."
                           Perhaps it may sound blasphemous or irreverent, but a mature understanding of G-d should include an awareness of how much G-d needs us.  There is not a single challenge that we face ------ war, poverty, pollution, injustice ------- that G-d can remaove without our cooperation.  There is no blessing we pray for ------ world peace, food, shelter for all, clean air and a just society ------- that G-d can bring without our cooperation.
                           G-d is the power who works in us and through us to enable us to achieve those things that our faith in him assures us are capable of coming into being.  "I and He."
                           G-d helps the poor with the charity we give, he heals the sick with the skill and support we provide, he comforts the bereaved with words we speak, and he blesses our lives with the good deeds that we perform.
                           "We and G-d," wrote William James, "have business with each other and in that business our highest destiny is fulfilled."
                           As we contemplate the sacred meanings of Passover and Easter, may our prayers and rituals inspire us to strengthen the holy partnership that is "I and He."
                           May yours be a blessing.Rabbi Howard K. Cove is the spiritual leader of Congregation Kol Emet, Yardley.  From a Faith Perspective is a weekly column written by members of Lower Bucks faith communities.