Rabbi Jack Engel - How did God allow the tragedy in Gaza? - March 5, 2024
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B"H
How did God allow the tragedy in Gaza?
I’m starting this article before I’m tainted by what I’m about to see. I’m fearful that once I experience the scene of death firsthand, I will be forever changed by this reality. We are visiting Israel on our second mission and heading to the Gazan border to visit communities that suffered the horrors of October seventh. Until now, I’ve lived my life sheltered from the horrors but now I am forced to internalize the words of the psalmist Gam ki elech b’ge tzalmavet lo ira ra - even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you Hashem are with us.
Today these words are exceedingly difficult to fathom as I recall the words spoken by Moses when the Israelites were suffering at the hands of Pharaoh. He cries out to Hashem “O my lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? Before I actually enter the valley of death, I can’t help but to question God and ask why did you allow this tragedy to happen? How could You allow the enemies of Israel to perceive that God is not protecting his people.
I know, I have no suitable answers and furthermore that God need not respond to my questions. Yet, I’m also not philosophically comfortable parroting the line that whatever Hashem does is ultimately for the good. It may be factually truthful, but I dare not audaciously express those views to a young widow with three little children who just lost her husband. I am not able to look into the face of parents who just walked their 18-year-old daughter to her eternal resting place and tell them God has a plan. I think doing so is inexcusable and unforgivable. My job is to cry with them and give them the courage and strength to scream out to God and ask why. Their grieving demands that they be given permission to question. I don’t believe that pushing them to accept what happened as being God’s will is being empathetic. Perhaps a few years down the road they may find the need to reexamine what happened and be more open to seeing the hand of God, but until then they have the same right as Moses to question.
