Understanding Human Suffering
Jewish wisdom to one of life’s fundamental questions
Introduction-
In monotheism there is one single force governing the universe. The powerful almighty is also a good God.
We therefore expect justice, but we see injustice. Why do the righteous suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people?
Either God cannot prevent injustice (powerless), or maybe worse, he chooses not to (unjust).
We are bothered by suffering because we believe in a kind and just creator. If we didn’t, we would have no expectations and no question about suffering.
Jews ask God hard questions-
Judaism is a religion of questions. As representatives of God, one would think we would defend him, accept his way. Instead, we are always asking questions and arguing, even directly at God.
We see a few example from fathers of our nation and great prophets-
Abraham asked, “Shall the judge of all the earth not do justice?”
Moses asked at the burning bush, “O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people?”. In another story brought in the Talmud, God transports Moses through time to witness Rabbi Akiva teaching the Torah. He is later also shown his fate — being tortured to death by the Romans for teaching the Torah. Moses cries: “Sovereign of the universe, such Torah and such a reward!” to which God replies: “Be silent, for such is my decree”.
Jeremiah said, ‘…Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?’
“To ask is to believe that somewhere there is an answer.” ~Rabbi Sacks
“צדיק ורע לו” (=righteous who suffers)
Why is there injustice suffering in the world? How can someone righteous, suffer? This is a famous question known as ‘Tzaddik Vera Lo’= the righteous who suffers.
Most religious reasoning tries to diminish one of the sides. Either he is not righteous in some way or that the suffering is not real suffering-
Not righteous- No human on earth is without sin, perhaps he is not a “tzaddik”. Maimonides tells us that most “suffering” in this world, is actually suffering which one causes to oneself. For example— smoking.
Not real “suffering”- What seems to be ‘bad’, in perspective of time is actually good.
Our bible gives us an example of an extreme case where we know of a righteous man, who suffers unjustly. This is the story of → Job
The book of Job-
Our sages are conflicted about which historical period Job takes place in.
Job is clearly a righteous man — “no one like him on earth; pure, straight, God-fearing, and does no evil” (Job 1:8). He is wealthy, respected, and the father of ten children. God decides to test Job. First, all his children die and his wealth evaporated. Then Job’s own health is impaired- his entire body is covered with painful blisters.
His friends come to visit him in order to comfort him. He snaps. He complains and curses the fact that he was born- “Why did I not die in my mother’s womb?”…“For He has shattered me in a tempest for no good reason”… “His anger slashed me — He hates me”.
His friends are no ordinary people, all are prophets and men of spiritual greatness. Each tries to tell him of God’s goodness and ultimate justice.
The first friend claims Job must not be righteous. There is no suffering without sin, repent your ways.
The second friend agrees with Job that perhaps his suffering was not caused by his sin. The purpose is then to enable Job to gain even more reward in the world to come. It is not actually “suffering” as the end result will be evened out. Your future reward will compensate.
The third friend says it is all part of God’s ultimate plan, which we cannot understand. Don’t question God’s ways.
Job does not accept his friend’s answers. Sure of his innocence, he demands a trial and an answer from God.
Were his friend’s claims right?
At the end of the book God says to one of Job’s friends — “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” Were the friends wrong?
Our sages teach us that even if perhaps their claims are correct, socially they were wrong. When your friend is suffering you should be there for him, comfort him. Never place any blame on him, as they did.
“It is impossible that the Holocaust was a punishment for sins. Even the Accusing Angel himself could never find sufficient sins in that generation to justify the extermination of six million holy martyrs with such unspeakable cruelty.” ~The Rebbe
God’s answer to Job-
At the end of the book, God reveals himself to Job and ‘answers’ with rhetorical questions of his own: “..Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?..” Your human perspective is very narrow. God created and runs the world, his perspective is wider. His wisdom encompasses the entire creation and universe. God’s answer somehow appeased Job: “… I retract and repent in dust and ashes”.
How was this able to appease him?
Maimonides and Nachmanides- Job became completely convinced about God’s wisdom or his Divine Providence. He now knows God runs the world with justice.
Also, perhaps the actual meeting and closeness with God, fills Job’s void. His questions dissipate.
Human mind can never fully understand the creator’s ways
This world must have “built-in” suffering-
Enable freedom of choice-
God allows our world to exist by “hiding” himself. This gives space to human freedom of choice, which is central to the human condition.
Lets imagine our world if good people are always rewarded and evil people are automatically punished. In such a world, freedom of choice would be non-existent. If he intervened with people doing bad to others, he is taking away their free will. Our very humanity would be jeopardized.
The world needs to be improved by us-
Let’s imagine our world if no evil is done. There is nothing that the world needs to improve. There is no room for growth. God wants humans to be his partners in making the world a better place.
We are not in this world to “avoid” pain, we “need” it-
What are we in this world for? To be comfortable? To avoid pain? To live out 70 or 80 years of life with the least challenge possible? We are here to uplift ourselves, to grow and to improve ourselves. The world is designed with pain “built in”, that challenges us. The more challenging it is, the greater that opportunity. Our sages teach us “according to the pain is the reward”. Of course, we don’t go looking for pain, but when it comes, we should embrace it.
At the height of Elana’s illness, and at the times of my deepest pain afterwards, this is what I kept reminding myself. I put signs up all around my house saying, “We are in this world to use our free will to get closer to God — nothing else.” ~ Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt
Pain/suffering is not always “bad”
Perspective of time-
Think back on some painful ordeal you experienced in your past. Looking back at it years later, what do you feel towards that experience? What benefits did you receive from that challenge?
In our own life, many times while looking back at some painful experience, we see that in perspective of time it was good, or at least good came from it. Example- man who injures his leg in a car accident. He is hospitalized, and then meets his future wife who is working as a nurse at the hospital. Would he have wanted to never be in the car accident in the first place? His short term pain brought him eternal happiness.
Becoming closer to God/calling-
In time of pain, we become closer to G-d. Alternatively, our outlook on life becomes wider. We gain perspective and also see other’s suffering. Many people who experienced suffering say that for them it was an alarm clock, helping them focus on what is truly important to them in their life. It can be a wake-up call for an individual, a nation or the world.
“In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”~ Viktor Frankl
Explaining suffering to those who are experiencing suffering
“Answers will always seem callous in the face of human pain”
We cannot just “explain” to someone why their child died. The person is suffering and experiencing real pain, and theoretical answers don’t solve the problem. They don’t take away the tangible pain.
Difference between the philosophical question and practical
We feel ours and other’s suffering so deeply — so even if we might understand suffering intellectually, we will never feel happy with any answer that we give ourselves. However, just because we don’t feel comfortable with the answers does not mean they are wrong.
So on a practical level, when one is faced with suffering the theoretical question on human suffering is less important.
More relevant and practical questions are — How do I go on living with such pain/suffering? How can I use my situation to grow as a person? Where can I improve myself and the world? How can I help others in similar situation?
How to deal with suffering on a practical level-
Some practical techniques to try and help us in face of suffering-
- Comfort in knowing that it is completely part of G-d’s plan. Nothing is an accident. He is sending me this challenge.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”~Psalm 23
- Utilize it for growth- How can I use this suffering to grow myself and the world? How can I reach out to others in similar situations?
Call to action
Any “answers” we give to human suffering, means we’re making peace with it. Our responsibility is to never be at peace with good people suffering. We must not accept injustice, but instead protest and fight against it. We need to create a world in which there is no such suffering.
The real response to ‘why do the righteous suffer’ is to act to improve the world.
As we turn to God with a request for action, we discover that God is asking the same from us.
“The duty of humans is to build a world where goodness will prevail” ~Emanual Levinas
Sources- To Heal A Fractured World (Rabbi Sacks), Aish, Chabad, Book of Job
