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God's Justice

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Shabbat Haazinu:
Deuteronomy 32:1-52; II
Samuel 22:1-51.

bile my sis-
actions; repentance,
ter was criti-
prayer and charity lessen
cally ill, I
the severity of God's
was trying to finish my
judgment. Unfortunately,
thesis so that I would
this still gives little respite
be ordained on time
for those who are suffer-
with my class. The
ing, and the people that
stress of worrying
Rabbi Jennifer love them. In their lives,
about her, caring for
Tisdale
there scales seem to be
Special to the tipped in the wrong
her and caring for my
Jewish News direction.
family made this task
almost impossible; but
Other rabbinic sages
I knew she would be upset with
believed that while suffering
me if I allowed four years of hard might exist, there is a great
work to go unfinished.
reward in the olam ha'bah, the
What shocked me during this
world to come. Yet again, while
process was how many people
this may comfort some, to the
expected me not to finish school, vast majority of people currently
not because of my thesis,but
in pain or grieving, the need for
because they assumed there was
reward, or at least comfort and
no way my faith in God could be
relief, is immediate.
intact after experiencing such a
When my family was enduring
horrible and frightening illness
my sister's illness, the opinion of
with someone I cherished so
Moses Maimonedes was the
much.
most appealing. Maimonedes
This week's portion is a poem
explains that God's ways are not
of Moses to the people of Israel.
our ways; and God's intentions,
It is a farewell of sorts, as he is
powers, and management of
.
about to ascend Har Nevo, Mt.
things in this world are not like
Nebo, to die.
ours. In other words, we cannot
Moses tells the children of
understand why healing comes
Israel, "The Rock, God's deeds
to one hospital room and not
are perfect, all God's ways are
another, and that does not mean
just. God is faithful, never false,
that God does not exist or that
always true and upright." While
God is not just.
these adjectives are reassuring to
As Maimonedes advises, we
a people who are about to enter
must learn to live with our
yet another unknown chapter in
doubts, and love God just the
their history, they are also quite
same. This is a tall order, indeed,
challenging.
but one that I believe can give us
If God is just, then why is
much strength and much com-
there suffering? If all God's ways
fort. D
are true and upright, then how is
it that the world seems to have so Jennifer Tisdale is a rabbi at
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
much evil?
Many sages, such as Hillel and
Ray, believed that God's powers
Conversations
of justice were not without the
Have
you ever experienced
tempering affect of mercy. In
something
that made you ques-
fact, when judging human
tion
your
belief
in God's jus-
beings, they believed that the
tice?
What
can
you
say to
scales were always tipped toward
someone
who
doubts
their
mercy.
beliefs?
How
can
we
help
others
We learn in our High Holiday
when
they
are
experiencing
a
liturgy that God's justice can
difficult
time
in
their
lives?
even be affected by our own

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October 13 . 2005

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