G‑d & the Japan Tsunami
And let our primary question in the wake of this tragedy be not "Why did it happen?", but rather "What can I do to help?"
Josef Stalin was wrong.
A single death, he said, is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic. But that is not the reaction of the world to the horrendous and seemingly unending disaster unfolding in Japan following a tsunami of unparalleled destruction.
The numbers are indeed beyond comprehension. Yet our proximity to far-off events by way of media coverage makes us horrified spectators to catastrophes that defy human imagination. Are there any words to describe the anguish?
Why bad things happen to good people is an ancient theological dilemma. Some of the greatest scholars of the ages have dealt with it and come up with different possibilities. There is room for many different approaches and a host of varying responses.
There are those who believe that finite man simply cannot comprehend an infinite God.
Others choose to stress the idea that suffering elevates man that challenges are opportunities for spiritual growth, and that tragedies are the spurs to human creativity and development.
Mystics prefer to emphasize the insignificance of events on this earth compared to the quality of the afterlife. The Jewish ethical masters teach that it is never our job to judge others, but rather in response to tragedy we should look toward ourselves and examine how we can improve the world.
The common denominator of these efforts in trying to solve the riddle of a good God coexisting with an evil world, is the realization that not every victim is a criminal.
So let us grieve for the victims of the tsunami, let us maintain our faith in God not because we can justify His ways, but because His ways surpass our comprehension.
And let our primary question in the wake of this tragedy be not "Why did it happen?", but rather "What can I do to help?"