December 8, 2010
Reaping What We Have Sown: Does God Cause Natural Disasters?
Brad Hirschfield
Rabbi, Author and Expert on Religion and Public Life
Posted: December 8, 2010 07:34 AM
A giant forest fire in Israel has already claimed 41 lives, hundreds of
homes and thousands of trees. Among the dead is Haifa Police Chief
Ahuva Tomer who was buried today. The fire and all the suffering it is
creating is, according to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a punishment from God.
Rabbi Yosef, one of the world's most influential rabbis, quoting a
passage from the Babylonian Talmud, explained that God is punishing the
Jewish people for not properly observing the Sabbath. As grotesque as
that sounds to me, I think that his comments deserve our attention.
It's not that I think his words reflect the real reason behind the
fire. And it's not that I don't find such appeals to a divine calculus
to which we are all privy distasteful, to say the least. In fact, I do.
But I also appreciate that there are two lessons to be learned from
such utterances -- one which is especially important for people of
faith, and one which is important for both believers and non-believers
alike.
People of faith, including myself, often feel and express gratitude to
God. And yes, I know that some of you will say that is our first
mistake. Perhaps you are right, though I wonder too if you ever
challenge the foundations of your own atheism as much as you do others'
faith. Be that as it may, if we believers are going to thank God for
the "good stuff", should we not consider God to be just as responsible
for the "bad stuff"?
We cannot simply dismiss Rabbi Ovadia as a doddering old fool spouting
off absurd and even obscene notions of global justice based upon
religious observance. The God we thank for providing us with that which
we like, is surely also the source of those things which we do not.
So what's the problem with Rabbi Ovadia, or any other religious leader
who makes such proclamations about the relationship between global
events and divine justice? It's not that they are necessarily wrong,
though I believe with all my heart that they are. The problem with them
is their arrogance and their insensitivity.
Unless these religious leaders believe themselves to be prophets with a
direct connection to the mind of God, how can they possibly make
assertions about the way in which God chooses to reward and punish? The
arrogance of it all is astounding, and were others to make similar
pronouncements, ones which did not accord with their view of things,
they would be the first to say so. And then there is the insensitivity
of it all.
How dare any person apply their personal theology or theodicy to the
suffering of others? How can someone see the pain of another person and
simply say to them that it will all make sense as long as you believe
as I do? I think the answer lies in understanding, though not in
excusing what such leaders, including Rabbi Ovadia, are doing.
When He spoke about the "reason" for the current fire, Rabbi Ovadia,
with tears in eyes, said, "Entire neighborhoods wiped out, and it is
not arbitrary. It is all divine providence." And therein lays the key
to understanding what is going on when such statements are made.
The speaker is himself in enormous pain. Unable to bear the possibility
that such things are arbitrary, he appeals to a calculus which keeps
him from going mad. And that is how it is with most decent people who
make such appeals. They do so, not to explain events to others, but to
themselves.
In no way does that excuse either the arrogance or the insensitivity of
their actions, but it might evoke a measure of understanding and
compassion from the rest of us. And that is the lesson for all of us,
believers and non-believers alike.
We can simply go on dismissing each other and our respective responses
to such tragedies. Or, we could learn that most decent people are
burdened with the exact same human challenges at such moments and
simply use different systems of thought and belief to address them.
While recognizing that will not bridge the gap between the two camps,
it will create a measure of understanding and compassion at a moment
when people need it most, whatever they believe or don't believe.
At the end of the day, the compassion and understanding evoked,
especially at a time of tragedy, should be the test of any system --
religious or otherwise. In his pain, I think that Rabbi Ovadia missed
the mark for many people when he made his comments and I think that
those who fail to see his underlying motivation are, ironically, making
the same mistake.
Now may be a good moment to recall the teaching of Hillel (Avot 2:5),
that we not judge others until we have stood in their place. Could we,
at least while the fires are burning and the dead are being buried,
allow that wisdom to guide us?
Related Link:
Revealing God's Interventions in World Affairs!
http://www3.telus.net/thegoodnews/worldaffairs.htm