anachnu maaminim ben maaminim!!!

This story was taken from aish.com, rabbi kalman packouz

We are "ma'aminim, b'nei ma'aminim" – believers, the children of believers. When Moses doubted if the Jewish people would believe that God had sent him to lead them out of Egypt, the Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah (Naso 7:5) tells us that God responded, "They are believers, the sons of believers ...". No matter how far a Jew sees himself from his heritage or belief in God, but when "push comes to shove" – underneath it all, the Jew believes in the Almighty.

Rabbi Noah Weinberg loved to illustrate this point with the following story: Many years ago, a 15 year old yeshiva boy sits in an Israeli hospital waiting room while his mother is having an operation. As is customary amongst Jews throughout history, he recites Tehillim (Psalms) as a source of merit for his mother and to give calm to his own worried soul.

In walks an old kibbutznik (a member of pioneering, largely anti-religious, collectives which helped settle and conquer the Land of Israel) – wearing his kova tembel (kibbutz hat), blue shirt, work shorts, sandals – and a sun wrinkled face adorned by a big bushy handlebar mustache.

The kibbutznik walks straight to the yeshiva boy and asks accusingly, "What are you doing?" The yeshiva boy is shocked and scared … and answers, "I am saying Tehillim – my mother is having an operation."

The kibbutznik then berates the boy, "Tehillim? Is that why we fought for this country? So that a young fellow like you could continue these medieval practices? You need to get rid of your superstitions! Live in the real world. Take that book and throw it out the window!"

The boy is stunned. Finally, he decides to change the focus of the conversation and asks, "What are you doing here?"

The kibbutznik replies, "I've come to take home the body of my son. The doctors are operating, but they have no hope. He's going to die!"

The boy is incredulous, "Are you crazy? Take this Tehillim! Pray!" And the kibbutznik responds, "Keep that superstitious, medieval book away from me!" and then went to the far end of the room to sit by himself.

An hour later, the doctor comes out of the operating room and says to the kibbutznik, "The operation was a success. Your son will live!"

What does the old kibbutznik do? He stands up, reaches his hands towards heaven and cries out, "Shema Yisroel, A-donoy E-loheinu, A-donoy Echad!" – "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One!"

What possibly possessed the kibbutznik to cry out the watchword of the Jewish people, the proclamation of the Jewish people's belief in God from the time of our patriarchs? We know the answer – "ma'aminim, b'nei ma'aminim" – believers, the children of believers.

You can take the Jew out of the Torah ... but you can't take the belief in God out of the Jew!