Justifying Judgment
I once got a shocking call from Marseille, France. I was notified that a young woman of twenty-nine had succumbed to the ravages of cancer. The first thought that entered my mind was, “Why do youngsters who are free of sin, have to die?” This girl had been making progress. Her hair grew back, and whoever saw her thought she was a walking miracle. But, in the end, the illness overtook her and claimed her life. She never merited marrying and leaving descendants.
Some doubtful thoughts regarding Divine Providence entered my mind. Suddenly, I pulled myself together and called out, “Blessed be the true Judge.”
Similarly, I once came across an album of the Holocaust. It depicted over one hundred horrific photographs from that accursed period in our history. I was filled with anger and demanded, “Why were innocent people treated so cruelly?” But here, too, I released myself from the web of the Yetzer Hara, who tries to rob me of my faith. I remembered the words of a prominent Rabbi. He said, “When a person hears a bad tiding but accepts Hashem’s ruling with love, proclaiming, ‘Baruch Dayan Ha’emet,’ unquestioningly and with perfect faith, then, when he arrives at the Heavenly Court, he will be treated in like manner. He will not be asked why he did such-and-such sin, but will be judged favorably, as he had judged Hashem in this world.”
When a Jew is met with suffering, he must accept it unquestioningly and with love. Additionally, he should search his actions and see if they were the cause of his troubles. He will thereby merit doing teshuvah.
