Theodicy asks one of the most difficult questions of faith: how to speak of God in a world marked by suffering and injustice. Why do the righteous suffer, and where is God in moments of darkness? Too often, religious thinkers attempt to justify suffering by blaming the victims. Jewish thought, on the other hand, is unwilling to let God off the hook, and wrestles with evil, responsibility, and moral courage—insisting that faith matures not through certainty, but through struggle.
In Theodicy
Lord of the Universe! I ask for forgiveness, but I have no option but to speak to You with words of protest. I must tell You that it has again become very difficult to live in Your presence. In the last few weeks, we, the people of Israel, have all become one family whose sons were brutally murdered almost three weeks ago.
In Liturgy & Ritual and Theodicy
A letter of protest to God in the wake of the murder of a family in Itamar and the Tsunami in Japan
Response to Questions from Readers
In Theodicy
While other religious traditions may believe that questioning God is unacceptable, Judaism encourages them and Tanach is replete with such questions. Complaints of heresy are often rooted in the fact that we believe that God owes us a human answer.
In Theodicy
By making God good by our standards, we are essentially making God into an idol, one who fits our standards and fulfills our needs. That is surely not the Jewish God.