When Action Precedes Understanding

For several weeks now, as Shabbat approaches in Israel, a familiar tension fills the air. The lists come on Friday, but it’s only after the stars appear on Saturday night that we learn who of our beloved people, hostages in Hamas captivity for over 500 days have returned home. Around the world, Jews and Christians alike wait together, refreshing news feeds, holding their breath, united in hope and prayer for each precious life.

In these moments of suspended time, when understanding seems beyond our grasp, I find myself returning to one of the most powerful declarations in biblical history – a response that has carried our people through millennia of both triumph and tragedy.

This declaration – na’aseh v’nishma – we will do and we will hear (or understand) – carries profound wisdom for times like these, when action must precede understanding.

Each week, as we light the Shabbat candles, as we recite the prayers that have sustained us for generations, we embrace this principle of na’aseh v’nishma – doing before understanding. We cannot comprehend the full scope of current events, yet we continue to act, to pray, to hope. Communities gather in synagogues and churches, their prayers rising together, their actions speaking louder than their questions.

The sages of the Talmud praise this profound declaration of faith. In Tractate Shabbat 88a, they teach that when the Israelites said “we will do” before “we will hear,” they revealed a divine secret known to the Ministering Angels. Yet here were mere humans, choosing to act first and understand later – a leap of faith that would sustain them through centuries of exile and return.

This wisdom speaks powerfully to our current reality. When we gather for prayer vigils, when we support each other across continents and faith traditions, when we choose hope over despair – we are choosing action over understanding. We cannot fully comprehend the depth of this moment in history, but we know we must act, must continue, must persist. And that is the essence of our faith.

Consider Abraham, who didn’t wait for complete understanding before stepping out in faith.

He acted first; understanding unfolded along the journey. Today, we follow in his footsteps, taking one step at a time through uncertain terrain.

The thunder of Sinai still echoes in our daily choices to act before we fully understand. When we welcome the Sabbath despite our heavy hearts, when we gather in solidarity despite our fears, when we choose faith despite our doubts – we tap into the same strength our ancestors found at the foot of that mountain.

This is not blind faith but rather a profound recognition that sometimes action must precede understanding. In our moments of deepest darkness, when meaning eludes us and pain overwhelms, we can follow the path our ancestors laid out: Step forward in faith, trust in the doing, and let understanding follow.

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