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2002

Foreword to From the Depths I Have Called to You: Jewish Reflections on September 11th and Contemporary Terrorism (2002)

Theodicy
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Emunah and Bitachon - Issues of Faith and Trust in the Face of Tragedy (1994)

Introduction: A very, very difficult topic – the most intractable of all, and the greatest challenge to אמונה ובטחון. We cannot escape it. This talk – really, my avodah – is dedicated to the memory of Aaron Heller, ע״ה. We welcome his mother, Mrs. Klausner, and join all of you in extending condolences and expressing commiseration. חיזוק האמונה in the face of tragedy:a) Two problems-death itself; and death so young. The first focuses on אמונה ("how can a good God allow death?") and second on בטחון("how can we trust a God who takes away one so young?"). But at bottom they are one and the same.b) an ancient yet perennial problem: Israelis for fallen young comrades, Holocaust—and every death since Adam & Evec) Autobiographical-Joshua Kaufman and Saul Goodmanע״ה—I had to confront the fact of death, thought too young to ask the more advanced question, "but why so young?" I felt weak, vulnerable. I never forgot them—part of my maturing process— painful but inevitable. And, in me, led to compulsiveness about time and getting things done before it's too late; workaholic(here: story of Dov Sadan and how he was ab/e to be so prtoductive)d) Need to divide into 3 parts: philosophical, moral, emotionalPhilosophical- evil & death-the theodicy problem. Samuel, David, Solomon—צדיק ורע לו, רשע וטוב לו. Question asked; no answer givenYes, it is an injustice built into the fabric of life. JFK: "Life is unfair"; and so is death!Not to ask the question is escapism; to expect a satisfying answer is arrogance; to bow in faithful acceptance is true אמונה. Thus: JOB....Continuation: ר׳ינאי—אין בידינו לא משלוות הרשעים ואף לא מיסורי הצדיקיםAnd here is where אמונה comes in: acknowledgement of His justice although beyond our ken... That = essence of צדוק הדיןSo, do not expect me to answer question of "Why?" I know only that my אמונה insists that טוב ה׳ לכל ורחמיו על כל מעשיו; that there is an עולם הבא והשארת הנפש ותחה״מ; that by definition we are both physically and metaphysically limi…
Theodicy

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Twin Reactions to the Twin Towers Tragedy (2002)

The enormity of the depraved atrocity that was perpetrated has not yet been fully assimilated, especially by those of us who lived here – so close to the scene of the crime. Yet a number of students felt that before the effects wear off, we ought to think about remembering – how shall we recall what happened and why. We should not underestimate the importance of remembering. The philosopher George Santayana once famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Apparently, everyone agrees that it is important to remember. The question is: what do we remember, whom do we remember, and how do we remember? Let me therefore begin by putting this event into some kind of perspective. There have been many catastrophes in history, both man-made and natural. We shall concentrate on the man-made disasters in my lifetime, and those which undoubtedly will continue in your lifetime. This list of horrors includes the gulag of Stalin, where millions of people perished; the experiment of the Communist regime in China — when millions of people perished; the Khmer Rouge, World War 11, Cambodia.... One can give a whole list of catastrophes invented by human minds — depraved human minds, but human minds nonetheless. And then, of course, there was the Shoah, the Holocaust. If you want to understand the impact of the Holocaust on the Jewish people and thereafter for the world, remember that we lost one third of our population. We started World War II with a world Jewish population of eighteen million; after the Shoah, we were reduced to twelve million. Now make the following very simple mathematical calculation: what would have happened if the World Trade Center catastrophe had been expanded to one third of the American people? We would have lost over eighty-two million people! And nevertheless, despite all that, the impact of what happened exactly one year ago today — even without our calculation — was enormous. Someone put it correctly: it exposed our vul…
Rosh Hashanah Theodicy

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Why Should the Nations Say, Where Is Their God? (2004)

Q of suffering – צדיק ורע לו וכו׳ = single most trenchant Q f any theistic religion – Samuel, David, & in a way Abr (השופט כל הארץ...). Prophet Joel (2:17) – למה יאמרו בעמים איה אלקיהם. Same Q askd immedtly upon Twin Towers (Televangelists – inane ans!). Yet greatest such Q not in ancient days not Twin Towers – but HOLT! Coincidence: Sept 11 = כ״ג אלול – liquid’n Vilna Ghetto. Also: universal – if catastrophe – all victims = צלם אלקים. Of 6000 langs tod, most universal: Tears... So: compliment SCW women who שומרות f all victims. So, how ans Joel’s Q?? 2 levels: philo / existential. Philo-Theol: (1) Privative. בעש״ט ... BUT: > Holt, nt good enough ans. (2) More acceptable (Augustine): argument from freedom... But – all theodicies – bloodless, abstract, overly rational... existential (1): David: מדוע / למה ... א-לי א-לי למה עזבתני... (Broad level: learn terrorsm infectious – spreads...; also: no moral postur’g as targeted killing...) Personal Level: Learn to cherish lf – pos’y / neg’y: Neg’v: perspective – no complain trivialities, minor frustrations; Don’t blame Gd – may be f your good! Lemberg; footprints beach... Pos’y: mk lf > mnngful – as: apprectg parnts / tchrs / siblings / studnts / strangers; Daven w mr כוונה; learn Tor w mr zest; גמ״ח even w parents... Disaster call f Teshuva: רמב״ם – כל הנביאים לא נתנבאו אלא לתשובה (So, Bratzlav: Gd calls on all of us ~ nature; some w shout / whisper; depends how close we are to Him), (f both: * Do some’g – מה תצעק אלי; * unity –> Cvl War USA are –> is). (2) Most impt! – JOB Read: 38:1–7. 19–23; 40:1–8; 42:1–8. רמב״ם בסה״מ מ״ע להתפלל בכל יום שנא׳ ולעבדו – זו תפילה. משמע״ מז״א רמב״ן = – מד׳ר. והפסוק "ולעבדו" – לגבי עת צרה, כמ״ש "וכי תבוא מלחמה בארצכם על הצר הצורר אתכם והרעותם בחצוצרות..." וזה מצוה על כל צרה שתבוא על הציבור וא״כ קשה על הרמב״ם שבפסוק זה משמע שתפילה מד׳א רק בעת צרה? מר׳ר זצ״ל – הרמב״ם ס״ל שכל החיים הם במשבר קיומי...
Theodicy