In the aftermath of the horrendous Simchat Torah terror, we are left to grapple with not only the tragedy itself but also with its spiritual implications and our ability to carry on with “normal” life in its wake.
On a spiritual level, two theological questions cry out to us: Is there justice in the world? And what is the nature of a God of love and mercy in a world filled with evil? When we witness the brutal murder of both soldiers and civilians, the young and old, we are numbed and bewildered, at a loss to make religious sense of it all. We feel helpless at even beginning to comprehend the ways of God.
I must say up front that, try as we might, we will never find an absolute answer to these questions, one that will completely satisfy us and ease our existential pain.
In the words of Rabbi Yannai in Ethics of the Fathers, “It is not in our hands to understand either the serenity of those who are evil or the suffering of those who are righteous.”
Understanding God in a time of tragedy
To fully understand the mystery of life and death, to truly know God, we would, in essence, have to be God! And we are not God; we are mortals; frail, fallible beings, with a less than cosmic comprehension.
Yet, we can still try to explore different perspectives on these issues and gain some insight that may at least allow us to maintain faith and carry on with our lives. The rabbis, to begin with, make it clear that all events emanate from God.
Says the Talmud, “No one so much as cuts his finger in the world below unless it is so ordained in the world above.”
King Solomon, the wisest of people, declares in Proverbs: “God made everything for a purpose; even the evil person did God create for the day of evil.”
The great sage Hillel confirms God’s omniscience when he observes a skull floating on the water and concludes
“Because you drowned others, so were you drowned. But those who drowned you shall themselves, in turn, be drowned.”
In other words, says Hillel, there is order and justice in the universe; there is a master plan, a guiding hand that makes sure things ultimately end up as they are meant to be.
YET THIS hardly satisfies our need for clarity in the wake of such terrible events as this week. We need consolation, something of substance that we can hang on to. And so there are two responses that we can turn to for solace. One is the plea of Moses, who witnessed the cruel abuse and torture of his people while in slavery, and – like us – pleaded with God, “Show me Your glory;” i.e., “Where is justice in the universe?”
God obliquely replies, “You cannot see My face; you can only see My back.”
Essentially, God is saying, “You see only a tiny glimpse of events in the world; you see life through a keyhole. When you will have perspective and look back at all that has transpired in a bigger picture, you will better understand and appreciate all that has happened.” And that is why, despite all our hardships and suffering in Egyptian bondage, we today celebrate Passover as a joyous, happy occasion.
But there is another approach as well, one which I personally connect and subscribe to. God created this world with imperfection built in, challenging us to do whatever it takes to perfect it. God gave us the tools, the inclination, the drive, and desire, as well as the capability to make this world better on every level – scientifically, medically, agriculturally, and spiritually.
We were commanded to hate evil and eradicate it from our midst, to pursue a moral, sanctified existence, and to wage war against those who would drag humanity down to their level of degradation, debasement, and death. In short, we were inspired to become active partners with God, with the ultimate goal of “improving the world under the kingship of God.”
THIS GREAT struggle of Good vs Evil has existed since the dawn of time, and we have been right in the thick of it from the moment Judaism began. From Abraham’s call to a resistant world to recognize One God; Jacob’s battle with the malevolent angel; Moses’ confrontation with the despotic Pharaoh; the Maccabees’ revolt against the Greeks; Rabbi Akiva’s rebellion against the cruel Romans, we stood up and fought the good fight.
Now, we in Israel have taken up the charge. We are blessed to have a morally pristine, holy army of righteous soldiers who are at the forefront of the struggle to secure our homeland and eradicate the global threat of terrorism – epitomized by the Palestinians – which has brought only suffering and moral sickness to an entire planet.
It is, sadly, a lonely battle, with few allies and much danger. But it is a noble cause, representing all that is good and just, and we cannot abdicate our responsibility nor shirk our God-given duty. We must answer the call, come what may.
It’s us versus them
We must recognize Hamas and Hezbollah and the bulk of the Palestinians for what they indisputably are: the modern-day reincarnation of the Nazis. There is no limit to their evil, no atrocity which they are incapable of perpetrating. We have seen it now on video after video, the wanton slaughter of innocent women and children and the gleeful jubilation and widespread approval of their respective populations. Upon these monsters, there can be no mercy, no accommodation whatsoever. For too long, we not only tolerated them, we coddled them; handing them millions of dollars in $100 bills, sending hundreds of trucks laden with supplies to keep them going. Now we must do what we should have done long ago: deny them food, water, oil, gas, and medicine. In the choice between Them and Us, I vote for Us.
To the many who are now grieving – or may grieve in the future – you must remain stalwart and strong despite the excruciating pain.
The first great heroes and heroines of the Torah had to begin their lives again after experiencing great tragedy: Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden; Noah’s world disappeared into the Great Flood; and Abraham and Sara had to leave their ancestral homeland for new lives in the Land of Israel. Their experiences put into our DNA the ability to start over when our world is decimated, as has happened so often on our historical journey.
To all those whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice, may you take comfort in the knowledge that you are the backbone of our country and, by extension, all of the Jewish people. An entire nation stands behind you, sharing in your grief, and we owe you an immeasurable debt of gratitude.
May you, too, have the strength and courage to go on to lead full lives of joy and peace, surrounded by our love, in the knowledge that those who died enable all of us to live.
The writer is the director of the Jewish Outreach Center of Ra’anana, whose son Ari was killed in Nablus in 2002. This article is dedicated to the memory of Ra’ananites Arieh Shlomo Ziering and Amir Skoury, who fell in battle during this week’s fighting
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