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Whenever I read this poem, written by Eugene Field, tears well up in my eyes. My thoughts turn to a particular childhood acquaintance who was afflicted with Canavan’s Disease. Many people at the time thought it was a severe case of Cerebral Palsy. Sarah (not her real name) wore leg braces, never learned to walk or talk, and had to be carried everywhere. Her parents eventually put her in a special home and she died at the age of eleven.
When it comes to life and death, God's ways are mysterious to us. There are times when our faith is put to a severe test. Why does God allow many people to lead long, productive lives, rescue some individuals from the jaws of death, and abruptly terminate the existence of Eugene Field’s young son to whom the preceding poem is dedicated? Why does God, in a number of instances, stand by and permit several members of a family to die within a short space of time? As a teenager, I asked myself, "Why did God give an innocent child like Sarah Cohen eleven miserable years on this planet and then allow her to senselessly choke on some food?"
The destruction of the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon and the senseless death of thousands of people raise serious theological questions. Where was God? How could God allow something like this to happen, especially when it was probably done in the name of religion? Indeed, if there was any event that could destroy a person’s faith, it would be this one.
In one of the most stirring scenes from the acclaimed series, "The West Wing", President Josiah Bartlett rails against God over the death of his secretary and his near assassination at the hands of terrorists. He calls the Almighty a "feckless thug". He demands to know what he has done to displease him. President Barlett states: "Yes, I have lied. I have sinned. I have committeed many sins. Haven't the policies I initiated as President been enough to buy me out of the dog house!" He continues his protest in Latin and concludes by saying to God "you have won your horns". He then lit a cigarette, put it out with his foot, and left it on the floor of the cathedral where the funeral took place.
Later in that episode, a big storm was brewing from the gulf. Out of the whirlwind emerged a phantom of his late secretary, "Mrs. Landingham". She chastised President Bartlett for blaming God for his troubles and using her death as an excuse. She reminded him that he still had a job to do. The war against poverty, unemployment, and social injustice was still to be won. She ended the conversation by saying, "If you bow out of the election because it won't be easy and you might not get re-elected, then I don’t want to know you."
Suddenly, President Bartlett's self-pity and anger against God gave way to determination. Although the world was filled with unexplainable tragedies, there was the grim realization that God's work must truly be his own. He marched into the press conference with a fresh sense of confidence. When asked the inevitable question, "are you running for re-election", he put his hands in his pocket, turned his head to one side, and gave a wry smile.
In like manner, when we see senseless suffering and senseless death, our faith is also challenged. During the past couple of weeks, there were moments when I felt like sealing off our own sanctuary, venting my anger, and sharing my personal issues with the Almighty. However, my own rage and my own doubts are tempered by the fact that I have my work cut out for me. While I cannot always make sense of what goes on in the world, there is the belief that God is counting on me to comfort the bereaved, to guide those who are lost, and to promote "tikkun olam"--repairing this broken world. Part of God's work must truly be my own.
As a Rabbi, I'm not certain that I can give a satisfactory answer to why bad things happen to good people. Much of our disappointment and anger is rooted in our belief that God is omnipotent--all powerful. Some Jewish sources suggest that this "power" is limited. During the generation of Noah, the entire earth was corrupt and God felt obliged to destroy virtually all of humanity. God recognized that it is impossible to created a human race without moral blemishes, accepted the futility of destroying the world every time its inhabitants got out of line, and vowed never to bring another flood.
Miamonides emphasizes that all human beings have perfect freedom. Just as we can do wonderful things with our freedom, we are also free to wreak havoc upon our world. Just as God cannot create a world of saints, neither is He unable to stop cruelty and terrorism. Although Maimonides was certainly a devout Jew and believed in God, he admitted if wicked people wish to carry out their wicked schemes, there is no one to stop them. God must depend upon humanity.
If God is not as all-powerful as we would like, what good is religion? While God cannot stop evil, God gives us the strength to cope with adversity. God inspires us to create community, to care for another, and to help each other get through hard times. In the Book of Ruth, the heroine of the story lost her husband at an early age and had no children to perpetuate his memory. Ruth found comfort in a caring community that immediately took her and her mother- in- law, Naomi, under her wings. Naomi's people were her people. Naomi’s God was her God. Perhaps Ruth secretly railed against the injustice. While God could not stop her personal tragedy, God provided an "extended family". God's miracle may not necessarily be altering the forces of nature or changing the past. God can be found when we give our best and provide a
supportive community.
Not only does God provide comfort through community, God regards every individual as unique. All human beings are created in God's image. All lives, whether they be long or short, have value. No matter how few years a person has actually lived, most mourners receive great comfort from the fact that his or her presence made a difference in their personal lives. The mental anguish which accompanies grief is relieved by the knowledge that if that person never had the opportunity to speak kind words and to perform thoughtful deeds, the lives of the survivors would be the poorer for it.
I think of Sarah to this very day. Although her days on earth were brief and full of pain, and she could never verbally communicate her anguish, her life still had value. She was a precious human being who was deeply loved by her family and acquaintances. When I was in ninth grade, I planted a tree in Israel in her memory and in memory of all other children like her. I didn't know it then, but my brief encounter with Sarah marked the beginning of my interest in working with special needs children.
Death often defies our sense of justice. It seems unfair that many righteous individuals have died senselessly and prematurely. It seems outrageous to us that innocent people should perish to promote a religious or political ideology. Rather than beat ourselves up and point accusing fingers at God, let us reaffirm to ourselves that neither disease nor terrorism can undermine the sanctity of life in our eyes. The fact that we are here this afternoon demonstrates that in spite of the events of September 11th, human beings still have value. Whether people live out their natural years or whether their lives end abruptly, their special qualities enrich the lives of friends and relatives who had the pleasure of their acquaintance.
During Yizkor we pray that the memory of our loved ones will bring us strength and blessing. May the nobility of their lives and the high ideals they cherished endure in our thoughts and in our deeds. Like President Josiah Bartlett, let us not be daunted by life's injustices. All of us have our jobs to do. The best way of honoring of our loved ones is to carry on where they left off. By fulfilling their dreams and aspirations through service to our community, we give them "immortality". In this way, we sanctify the gift of life and help to build God's kingdom on earth.