Mi camocha ba’a-lim Adonai?
Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, working wonders?
Mi camocha? Who is like You?
Certainly the answer is: No one! No one is as great as You are.
It can be satisfying to ask a rhetorical question with only one correct and obvious answer.
Interestingly, in modern Hebrew, there”s a related phrase of endearment that we might say to someone we greatly appreciate and want to compliment:
ein kamocha, or ein kamoch—there’s no one like you.
Of course the Mi Camocha prayer says that our God is unique and awesome among OTHER gods.
And today that may lead us to wonder: Okay, but who are these other gods?
Did anyone happen to see the movie The Odyssey? If yes you encountered other gods including Athena, goddess of wisdom and war.
When Mi Camocha was written, it likely conveyed that the Israelite God was far more awesome than the gods who were worshipped by surrounding peoples, including Canaanite and Egyptian deities.
Perhaps the ancient idea of admiring the most awesome god among gods still could resonate.
Perhaps choosing a god is, in some sense, choosing what we hold closest—what we cherish, what we reach for, what we want our lives to reflect.
A note on translation: In our Reconstructionist prayerbook, mi camocha ba’alim Adonai is not translated literally , which would be “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?”
Instead, our prayerbook has a translation that reads: “Who among the mighty can compare to You, Wise One?” Ok, i dont love this translation. Mighty and wise one dont evoke the concepts of the divine that work for me.
In any case let’s move along to the next lines in the Mi Camocha prayer, the language of awesomeness and wonder.
After asking, “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?” the prayer continues:
“Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, working wonders?”
I contemplate the awesomeness and wonder around us, and i see in that a reflection of God.
Does that mean the bad things in our world are also a reflection of God? It’s a valid question—but a question for a different day.
For now, I want to dwell on awesomeness and wonder. That doesn’t mean looking away from sorrow. Our community is grieving the sudden loss of a beloved member, a dear friend. That sadness is very much with us. Perhaps loss also reminds us just how precious the people around us are, and how much it matters that we care for one another.
This congregation, this sanctuary, is full of awesome people
We have members and staff devoting countless hours to sustaining this community and keeping us moving forward.
Our congregation is full of people working to make the world better—in the environment, peace, health, education, fair elections, support for immigrants, and so much more.
And now about the majesty of our natural world. It’s close by. We can simply look out the windows here or wander in the beautiful garden of this house of worship.
For me, the awesomeness and wonder all around us reflect God and godliness. And that brings power, meaning, and relevance to Mi Chamoch.
Shana tovah.
