14 | NOVEMBER 19 • 2020 

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Such words of comfort 
together with their seem-
ing promise of eternal life 
explain why Psalm 23 is 
recited whenever we mourn 
or memorialize a loved 
one we have lost. They also 
explain why the image of 
God as “the good shepherd” 
went on to become one of 
the most popular symbols of 
early Christian art. Indeed, 
the psalm itself continues to 
occupy a prominent place 
in Christian liturgy to this 
very day.
However, as I sat there 
in temple and reflected 
on what I had just read, I 
recognized that the psalm 
presented me with a moral 
contradiction. While its 
poetry conveys a message 
of comfort, all the more 
reassuring because we have 
heard its soothing vers-
es intoned time and time 
again, the compliant sheep 
of the psalm would eventu-
ally be butchered. 
That nurturing shepherd, 
that “
good” shepherd, who 
leads his naïve and trusting 
flock to pasture, would in 
the end deliberately convey 
some or all of them to their 
deaths. 
Thus, if we are to take the 
words of the Bible literally, 
we are forced to acknowl-
edge that the benevolence of 
an all-powerful God is not 
merely temporary; it is ulti-
mately a sham. 
Literary critics, no doubt, 
would be quick to point out 
that no metaphor, including 
this one, is perfect. Calling 
God a shepherd who cares 
for his flock does not mean 
that God must be the 
type of shepherd who also 
personally leads them to 

slaughter.
Our ancestors, however, 
did not let God off the hook 
so easily. Instead, they clear-
ly confronted this contra-
diction in God’
s nature: that 
He can inflict suffering on 
the very flock He purports 
to protect. The telling proof 
lies in the Book of Psalms 
itself where, in Psalm 44:12, 
God is pointedly accused of 
having abandoned his peo-
ple to the savagery of their 
enemies.

Thou hast given us like sheep 
to be eaten;
And have scattered us among 
the nations. 

Throughout history the 
faithful would continue to 
be baffled by the realiza-
tion that an all-powerful 
God could ever let such a 
thing happen. Never doubt-
ing God’
s intrinsic mercy, 
in their frustration and 
confusion they could only 
appeal to Him to remember 
who He was and, in effect, 
come to His senses, thereby 
defending both Himself and 
His people. 
Hebrew prophets like 
Isaiah (1:12-17 and 10:1-
3), Jeremiah (6:16-22) and 
Amos (2:4-8) for their part 
would deal with the contra-
diction not by reminding 
God of His inherent nature 
but instead by attributing 
human suffering to people’
s 
neglect or perversion of His 
commandments. 

ANOTHER 
INTERPRETATION 
As a modern Jew, rather 
than accept the traditional 
notion of God as all-pow-
erful and all-knowing, I 

continued from page 12

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