In response to Dr. Robert Friedman’s letter (“This Is Not Nazi Germany,” Nov. 9), perhaps the esteemed Ph.D. needs a bit of theological enlightenment.
Regardless of the severity of the horrors we suffer, we bless G-d (“baruch dayan ha’emes”) as the true Judge because only He knows the real reasons for any happenings. We are mere mortals, and can never understand it. But if we chose to be true to our faith, then we are required, as Jews, to believe that G-d is all knowing. He created the possibility for good and evil alike.
So, yes, Dr. Friedman, you can raise your fist to Him, you can argue with Him, you can even chose to turn away from Him or deny His existence. But if you chose to acknowledge His power and existence, then ipso facto you must believe that He is all knowing, and therefore deserves our blessing, even in the face of tragedy and it’s aftermath.
We must also accept the possibility that we may never know why bad things happen. The idea of a benevolent G-d is not a Jewish idea. Yet we still bless Him because we accept His judgment as ultimately good. It is very hard and very demanding, but nobody ever said it’s easy to be a Jew.
