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February 4, 2004

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

Theodicy
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Catastrophics (2002)

Catastrophics (prepared for Hirt party 9/10/02 & Midtown 9/11 memorial). Catastrophes, both man-made and natural, have plagued mankind from the beginning of time. In my lifetime: Stalin’s Gulag, WWII, Khmer Rouge, Cambodia, etc. For us Jews: שואה – proportionately, WTC cataclysm would have resulted in 80+ million victims! Still, for us this WTC terror made us, a happy optimistic country, realize our vulnerability – hence, very significant for future of USA. Debate in NYC as to how to commemorate 9/11/01 WTC bombing – some: leave it in its devastation, everlasting mourning; others: mostly restore financial offices as sign of victory, defiance of terrorists. There’s more to this debate than participants know! Talmud – of two minds on reaction to catastrophe: זכר לחורבן, זכר למקדש – mourning or hope? Examples: laws promulgated זכר לחורבן – as in prohibition on instrumental music, unpainted slab on wall. Also, זכר למקדש – as in halakha requiring lulav to be waved only one day, but after destruction – seven days; זכר למקדש – כורך מצה ומרור כהלל; Amemar’s ruling that counting of Omer is only days, not weeks, because זכר למקדש – because all mitzvah of Omer = זכר למקדש, not דין תורה. The arguments, both Talmudic and contemporary, are reflections of deeper ambivalence in the universal human psyche in relating to catastrophes, whether natural or man-made, resulting in paradoxical reactions. On one hand: deep grief, mourning, defeat, despair – on the other: defiance, struggle, hope, healing, striving to overcome. So, in relating to death of a loved one or close relative – אבלות שמקורה בהתבדלות מחברת בני אדם – followed by ניחום אבלים and gradual reintegration into society. So, the Kaddish – always problematic: what is the relation of the text to death? Answer: both defeat and victory, despair and defiance, mourning and hope! Thus, the oldest version of the Kaddish, the קדיש דאתחדתא, which speaks of the banishment of idolatry, the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple, an…
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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Foreword to From the Depths I Have Called to You: Jewish Reflections on September 11th and Contemporary Terrorism (2002)

The traumatic events of September 11th have left an indelible mark on the psyche of the American people – and, indeed, on people throughout the civilized world. The horror of the senseless killing and the noxious religious fanaticism that occasioned it left us perplexed, angry, and determined to uproot the evil that has been visited upon us. High among the issues suddenly thrust upon our consciousness were those of security and economics. We discovered our vulnerability—something most people in the world were fully aware of and were long coping with, but which we had never considered as a result of living between the two great oceans on each side of us. We now had to protect ourselves from the technologically adept madmen who probably had more such awful tricks up their proverbial sleeves. And the destruction of the d'win Towers, the icons of American capitalism and the symbols of our national and individual wealth, coming at a time of a slowing economy, accelerated the bad news and left many people unemployed or underemployed.These challenges have been, are, and will be met and overcome. American ingenuity and unity sometimes falter when things are going well, but become heroically active when adversity suddenly confronts us. Our military activity in Afghanistan, our readiness to stand up to terrorists of all kinds, has inspired and encouraged us. The civilized world suffered from piracy until it was conquered, and international terrorism too will be vanquished, albeit not without more pain and suffering.But beyond these two obvious consequences of the 9/11 catastrophe was something more insidious, more personal, and more unsettling. And that is the philosophical and theological dilemma that widespread suffering had thrust upon us. As a result, Americans turned to their respective houses of worship in numbers considerably greater than usual, the media uncharacteristically turned introspective, and people who never gave thought to the ultimate questions of existenc…
Theodicy