Thursday, September 27, 2012

Why G-d? WHY?!

In the course of this prophetic song, Ha’azinu, Moshe predicts the harsh punishments the Jews would incur if they abandoned the Torah. Despite the punishments that the Jews would incur if they transgressed, Moshe defended Hashem’s ways as being absolute just (Hashem only punishes people justly and never out of anger).  Hashem is a just G-d who will ultimately reward the righteous and punish the wicked.

 Unfortunately, too many times we see righteous people suffer and we question why and how is God being just? We cannot come to understand Hashem’s infinite wisdom and see how that suffering can be good; however, what we can do is accept the suffering. By recognizing that the suffering we endure is temporary, and an extremely relative experience, we can lift some burden off our shoulders. Moreover, many times the suffering we experience in this world is atoning for any sins we have committed; thereby, we will not suffer in the World to Come, where the delights of that world are incomparable to this world.  What seems fortunate now, may be an impediment to a person in this world, and conversely, what seems unfortunate now, may not be so in the World to come, (also that misfortune can build a person into someone remarkable, allowing him to fully benefit in the future world).

The moral of the story is that we should not look at our physical existence as absolute. If G-d forbid a person is struck with misfortune, he should accept the fact that, this is what Hashem wants, and everything He does is for the best. This attitude can only be acquired from studying Torah, because the Torah teaches us how to develop our bitachon- faith- in Hashem, all allowing us to recognize His handiwork in every aspect of our lives.

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