High Holiday Lounge 2016 The Good, the Bad, and the Godly Rosh Hashanah, Day 2 Sacks: The Problem of Evil

Guide to the Perplexed, Part 3, Chapter 12, Maimonides

The evils that befall man are of three kinds:

(1) The first kind of evil is that which is caused to man by the circumstance that he is subject to genesis and destruction, or that he possesses a body.

(2) The second class of evils comprises such evils as people cause to each other, when, e.g., some of them use their strength against others.

(3) The third class of evils comprises those which every one causes to himself by his own action.

The Great Partnership, Lord Jonathan Sacks

Abrahamic faith is the religion of freedom as responsible self-restraint. (Page 245)

איוב ג׳:א׳-ד׳

(א) אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן פָּתַ֤ח אִיּוֹב֙ אֶת־פִּ֔יהוּ וַיְקַלֵּ֖ל אֶת־יוֹמֽוֹ׃ (פ) (ב) וַיַּ֥עַן אִיּ֗וֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ (ג) יֹ֣אבַד י֭וֹם אִוָּ֣לֶד בּ֑וֹ וְהַלַּ֥יְלָה אָ֝מַ֗ר הֹ֣רָה גָֽבֶר׃ (ד) הַיּ֥וֹם הַה֗וּא יְֽהִ֫י חֹ֥שֶׁךְ אַֽל־יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ אֱל֣וֹהַּ מִמָּ֑עַל וְאַל־תּוֹפַ֖ע עָלָ֣יו נְהָרָֽה׃

Job 3:1-4

(1) Afterward, Job began to speak and cursed the day of his birth. (2) Job spoke up and said: (3) Perish the day on which I was born, And the night it was announced, “A male has been conceived!” (4) May that day be darkness; May God above have no concern for it; May light not shine on it;

איוב כ״ב:ו׳-י״א

(ו) כִּֽי־תַחְבֹּ֣ל אַחֶ֣יךָ חִנָּ֑ם וּבִגְדֵ֖י עֲרוּמִּ֣ים תַּפְשִֽׁיט׃ (ז) לֹא־מַ֭יִם עָיֵ֣ף תַּשְׁקֶ֑ה וּ֝מֵרָעֵ֗ב תִּֽמְנַֽע־לָֽחֶם׃ (ח) וְאִ֣ישׁ זְ֭רוֹעַ ל֣וֹ הָאָ֑רֶץ וּנְשׂ֥וּא פָ֝נִ֗ים יֵ֣שֶׁב בָּֽהּ׃ (ט) אַ֭לְמָנוֹת שִׁלַּ֣חְתָּ רֵיקָ֑ם וּזְרֹע֖וֹת יְתֹמִ֣ים יְדֻכָּֽא׃ (י) עַל־כֵּ֭ן סְבִיבוֹתֶ֣יךָ פַחִ֑ים וִֽ֝יבַהֶלְךָ פַּ֣חַד פִּתְאֹֽם׃ (יא) אוֹ־חֹ֥שֶׁךְ לֹֽא־תִרְאֶ֑ה וְֽשִׁפְעַת־מַ֥יִם תְּכַסֶּֽךָּ׃

Job 22:6-11

(6) You exact pledges from your fellows without reason, And leave them naked, stripped of their clothes; (7) You do not give the thirsty water to drink; You deny bread to the hungry. (8) The land belongs to the strong; The privileged occupy it. (9) You have sent away widows empty-handed; The strength of the fatherless is broken. (10) Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden terrors frighten you, (11) Or darkness, so you cannot see; A flood of waters covers you.

איוב ל״ח:ד׳

(ד) אֵיפֹ֣ה הָ֭יִיתָ בְּיָסְדִי־אָ֑רֶץ הַ֝גֵּ֗ד אִם־יָדַ֥עְתָּ בִינָֽה׃

Job 38:4

(4) Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Speak if you have understanding.

איוב ל״ח:ט״ז-י״ז

(טז) הֲ֭בָאתָ עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָ֑ם וּבְחֵ֥קֶר תְּ֝ה֗וֹם הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ׃ (יז) הֲנִגְל֣וּ לְ֭ךָ שַׁעֲרֵי־מָ֑וֶת וְשַׁעֲרֵ֖י צַלְמָ֣וֶת תִּרְאֶֽה׃

Job 38:16-17

(16) Have you penetrated to the sources of the sea, Or walked in the recesses of the deep? (17) Have the gates of death been disclosed to you? Have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

איוב מ״ב:ז׳-ח׳

(ז) וַיְהִ֗י אַחַ֨ר דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה אֶל־אִיּ֑וֹב וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־אֱלִיפַ֣ז הַתֵּֽימָנִ֗י חָרָ֨ה אַפִּ֤י בְךָ֙ וּבִשְׁנֵ֣י רֵעֶ֔יךָ כִּ֠י לֹ֣א דִבַּרְתֶּ֥ם אֵלַ֛י נְכוֹנָ֖ה כְּעַבְדִּ֥י אִיּֽוֹב׃ (ח) וְעַתָּ֡ה קְחֽוּ־לָכֶ֣ם שִׁבְעָֽה־פָרִים֩ וְשִׁבְעָ֨ה אֵילִ֜ים וּלְכ֣וּ ׀ אֶל־עַבְדִּ֣י אִיּ֗וֹב וְהַעֲלִיתֶ֤ם עוֹלָה֙ בַּֽעַדְכֶ֔ם וְאִיּ֣וֹב עַבְדִּ֔י יִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל עֲלֵיכֶ֑ם כִּ֧י אִם־פָּנָ֣יו אֶשָּׂ֗א לְבִלְתִּ֞י עֲשׂ֤וֹת עִמָּכֶם֙ נְבָלָ֔ה כִּ֠י לֹ֣א דִבַּרְתֶּ֥ם אֵלַ֛י נְכוֹנָ֖ה כְּעַבְדִּ֥י אִיּֽוֹב׃

Job 42:7-8

(7) After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am incensed at you and your two friends, for you have not spoken the truth about Me as did My servant Job. (8) Now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to My servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. And let Job, My servant, pray for you; for to him I will show favor and not treat you vilely, since you have not spoken the truth about Me as did My servant Job.”

The Great Partnership, Lord Jonathan Sacks

Abrahamic monotheism is not a religion of acceptance. It is a religion of protest...God exists and evil exists. The more powerfully I feel the existence of God, the more strongly I protest the existence of evil. That is why in the abrahamic faith, it is the giants of faith...who cry aloud, as Moses and Jeremiah and Habakkuk...That is why Job refuses to be comforted and why he would not let go of God. (Pages 240-241)

The Great Partnership, Lord Jonathan Sacks

The religious mind starts with the world that is, not the world that might have been. Within this world it seeks meaning. It does not seek explanation...The religious question is about meaning. (Page 237)