Dear God,
Please excuse this letter and questioning. I mean you no disrespect. It's just that I don't get it.
I do not question your wisdom, omnipotence, or even the fact that you love all of your creations--especially Mankind. But I also know greater men than me questioned you. Abraham actually bargained you down. You said you would destroy Sodom if there were less than 50 good people there and he nudged and nudged till he got you down to ten, but alas there weren't even ten good people there.
I am sure that there were great and learned Rabbis who, during the Holocaust simply looked up and screamed in your direction--asking just what the heck you are thinking. I thought the same thing during the Sbarro in Jerusalem, or when that hotel in Israel was bombed during the Passover Seder. I wanted to scream on 9/11 but because I was in Manhattan at the time I was too busy worrying about myself. During the Mubai attack and again when the Fogel family was murdered by terrorists and little children had their throats cut on Erev Shabbos, the happiest time of the week I couldn't help but wonder how you would let that happen?
For some reason today is worse. How could you let a man walk into an elementary school and kill 26 people--18 of them children. Any murder is bad but these were babies--kindergarten students. Kids like that just aren't supposed to die--especially at the violent hands of a sick individual. The shooter may not have been legally insane, but anybody who would shoot five and six year old babies has something wrong with their brain. How could you create such a brain that would harm babies? The shooter was only 20-years-old, little more than a baby himself.
The Rabbi's tell us that when the Torah explains that man is created in God’s image it is not teaching us that we look like you, or can do the stuff you can.
“Created in God’s image” is supposed to teach us that just as you are a free being, without prior restraint to do right and wrong, so are we. You, God do good--because it is your choice and because we are created your image we too can chose good....or bad.
The Rabbis also teach us that only through free choice, can man truly be in the image of God. It is further understood that for Man to have true free choice, he must not only have inner free will but exist in an environment which a choice between obedience and disobedience exists. They tell us that that's the reason you created the world such that both good and evil can operate freely. You controls all the options we have, but it is up to us to pick between the correct or incorrect option.
But I am sorry God, I get the free choice thing.....but babies? Why didn't you just make the guy have a fatal car accident on the way to the school? You already knew what was in his heart---you are God.
And its not like you don't get involved either! Tomorrow we read from the Torah the part where Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream and goes from prison to prime minster. Joseph said it himself, it was you that gave him the power to interpret the dream. Without that power the Jews would have not gone in to slavery and there would have been on exodus. So you got involved then....why wont you get involved NOW?
I know I can never comprehend the reasons you let horrible things happen and you have their logical reasons. I guess if Joseph was never sold into slavery we would have never received the Torah at Mount Sinai. But Joseph wasn't killed....these 18 kindergarten students were!
In just a few hours the sun will go down and the Sabbath will begin. You created Shabbos to rid ourselves of worldly concerns and create holy times...to studying and more importantly to be with family and friends. Please forgive me if I spend this Shabbos doing less studying and more time with my family. My babies are much older than the 18 who were killed today, but they are still my babies.
The Rabbi will probably give us a sermon trying to explain today's strategy, but I know as learned as he is and as good as he can explain things, he will never be able to make me understand. Its not that I will go to sleep tonight loving you any less, or disbelieving the notion that the Torah you gave us is the road map to the way we should lead our lives, but at the same time I will continue to ask dear God, how did you let this happen?
Love,
Jeff
4 comments:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, LIBERTY and the pursuit of Happiness."
I'm an atheist myself, but if God exists, my money is on the fact that humanity has freewill & liberty; we get to do great things for ourselves, but we also have horrific tragedies. Thankfully the good outweighs the bad. If I were you, I'd focus on the idea that these kids and their families will find peace through your religion, not question why God would let it occur.
Jeff: we have talked a few times in the Old Bcast days and you knew me as SciPro, so let me say, that God, in the past commanded the armies of Israel, after their sojourn in the desert, to empty the land He gave unto them. That meant people animals, everything. Babies and young one were included. If you believe in the nature of God, then you would know that he took those innocents, (babies and children below the age of accountability) to himself, and presently reside in the Celestial Kingdom, so to those young ones in Newton Conneticut. Let's take comfort in that fact and know that those children and adults cut short in their life, will recieve God's mercies. It is the Shooter that should draw our sympathies, imagine his anguish that is now his to bear. Eternity is God's judgement, for He is eternal, who will bring the proper consequence onto this young troubled teenager. That judgement will not be pleasant to bear, and will be uniquely his. Worse yet, imagine trying to face a loving murdered mother! ... He is in a bad way ... Just saying SciPro ( Jerry Jackson - jerrymineral@gmail.com)
Jeff: I'll try this again. You knew me as SciPro in the Old Bcast days. So let me weigh-in with a little different view. You will remember that Israel, after their sojourn in the Desert regions, brought the 'whole' tribe to the land filled with Canaanites and others, where He commanded the land to be cleansed by war. The land of Israel was to be cleansed of all inhabitants, even animals. That included babies and children. Knowing the Nature of God, the innocents cleansed would have received a place in the Celestial Kingdom and presently dwell in His presence. The killed students and teachers of Newton Conneticut, will receive the same consideration. Making death not the "end all", simply a change life's journey. It is now that we should think of the shooters who brought on this tragedy! Think how they will feel appearing before a just and offended God. Their situation now is horrific, when contemplating the "consequences" of their actions. And imagine even the thought of having to face his victims and his own loving mother, will cause anguish of such magnitude that fire would feel better. I really feel sorry for that boy ... let's think on that for a minute ... just saying SciPro ..
Jeff: additionally, God lets many things happen because of 'agency' that He has granted to all men. He is a fierce protector of men's agency, and there has been a war in-Heaven that was fought over it ... It is the 'consequences' of that agency, that falls on all mankind. Agency is necessary for man to follow the path set out by God, which if followed, brings that man back to His presence... never-the-less, faithfull people can change things, concerning someone else's agency to bring hurt ... Enoch, had the power to raise mountain and hills against his enemies, wasn't it Elijah who raised his arm a whole day to stop the sun from going down so that Israel's enemies may be discomfited? Anyway, blaming God isn't justified, first we would do that in ignorance, secondly, we agreed to agency before this Earth (Idumea) was created. Let's be extremely careful where blame lies ... and have pity for those shooters ... lol SciPro
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