Rosh Hashanah 2002   Getting Beyond the Evil Decree WHY? Why Minister Louis Farakkhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam? Why Rudolph Guliani, the mayor of New York ? Why John McCain, the senator from Arizona ? Why Darryl Strawberry, the suspended outfielder from the New York Yankees? Why the mother and sister of Andre Agassi, the tennis star? Why Katie Couric, television news personality? And why so many of you, your children, loved ones and friends? Why do so many people suffer from cancer??? And whether the source ultimately is genetic, environmental, diet or bad habits – where does God and our tradition fit in with your cancer or heart disease, with your strokes or diabetes, with your depression or Alzheimer's? After all, we are here observing the High Holidays, which in Hebrew are called the Yamim Noraim , the Days of Awe. But are they "awesome" or "awful?" These are the days on which we say: "on Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed: me yekhyeh ume yamut – who will live and who will die, me vehkeetzo ume loh vehkeetzo – who will die in his time and who before his time." And if we read this prayer, the unesahneh tokef , carefully, it would be no stretch of the imagination to think that the coming year's cancer and heart patients, the next twelve months car and plane crash victims, are all being decided as we sit here, praying fervently for life and fearing the alternatives. And the last line of this prayer should shake each of us to our foundations either in terms of our own behavior or in terms of God's behavior. Uteshuvah, utefilah, utzedakah ma-avirin et roah hagezarah . "But repentance, prayer and charity remove, temper, annul, cancel, avert – the evil decree, the evil of the decree, the severity of the decree" – take your pick, depending on which makhzor edition with translation you have. But whether the makhzor is old or new, Conservative, Reform, Orthodox, or unaffiliated, the message is the same. Repentance, prayer and charitable good deeds can help us avoid the personal evils, the suffering in life. Do you really believe that? – because I don't! This prayer, no doubt, is an attempt to make sense of pain and suffering, and the desire to do so probably goes back to the first human beings. But if we do not know how the ancient cave dwellers thought about or resolved these matters, the Torah and Bible and rabbinic texts certainly have struggled with these issues as well, and left us a long and complex tradition; one that may offer us more than the vain hope that evil decrees can be overturned by our individual actions. This past summer, as I was thinking about all those suffering with cancer in particular, I asked one of our members, Bob Cohn, Philip and Muriel Berman Professor of Jewish Studies at Lafayette College and specifically a professor of Bible, if he would teach three sessions in advance of Rosh Hashanah on the book of Job and the issue of suffering. Certainly, Job is one of the best-known books in all of literature on the topic of suffering. Dr. Cohn graciously agreed, but wisely suggested that the Bible has many more texts than just Job that should be examined on suffering and the responses to it. We do not need to be Bible scholars to imagine the pain that Adam and Eve felt after they ate from the forbidden fruit and were banished from paradise. Has anyone, ever, lost more for less? One bite – one seemingly harmless act of defiance, and it results in the Divine promise of pain and suffering in birth, hard work and suffering in labor, and exile. And what of the Rosh Hashanah Torah readings? Are they not also dotted with tales of pain and suffering? This morning, the focus of the reading is the birth of Isaac. But the story also includes the expulsion of Ishmael. After Sarah tells Abraham to drive out Hagar and her son, because she believes that Ishmael will be a negative influence on Isaac, the Torah records: ( 21:11 ) "The matter greatly distressed Abraham regarding his son." God, Himself, has to reassure Abraham that the expulsion is the correct course. Many of the traditional commentators try to rationalize that Abraham was merely distressed about Ishmael's poor behavior. But the greatest of the classical commentators, Rashi, reveals: "The plain meaning is that Abraham was distressed because Sarah demanded that Abraham drive Ishmael away." And if driving out Ishmael distressed Abraham, what could Abraham have been feeling when he is commanded in tomorrow's Torah reading to offer Isaac, his beloved son, as a sacrifice? Abraham's faithful acquiescence should not negate his pain and suffering at the prospect! And in between these two stories, we read the anguish of Hagar as she and her son, Ishmael, having been driven out of the family compound wander in the desert of Beer-sheva and the water runs out. Hagar leaves Ishmael under the shade of a tree and moves away. Why? Because, the Torah reveals: ( 21:16 ) "Let me not see the death of the child.' And she sat at a distance, lifted her voice, and wept.'" In this instance, the Torah story brings relief. God performs a miracle and opens Hagar's eyes to a well of water. Mother and son are saved. But it is not always so, not in the Bible and surely not in real life. As for Job, Dr. Cohn suggested that we read a modern, felicitous translation by Stephen Mitchell, a translation that would enhance our understanding of the text and, indeed, it did. The story line of Job is well known. Job was a prosperous man, blessed with great material wealth and seven sons and three daughters. He was also a "man of perfect integrity, who feared God and avoided evil." (pg. 5) In fact, God asks The Accuser, whom we know as Satan, "Did you notice my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him: a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and avoids evil."(pg. 6) The Accuser challenges God that it is easy to be good when one prospers, but if disaster befalls, Satan predicts that Job will "curse [God] to His face." Inexplicably, God accepts the challenge and allows The Accuser to destroy Job's wealth and family. Job responds with a well known line from our mourning liturgy: " Adonai natan v'Adonai lakakh, yehi shem Adonai mevorakh . The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken; may the name of the Lord be blessed." (pg. 7) Extraordinary! Where any of us would surely loose faith, Job utters a line of pious acceptance for the centuries. But Satan is not yet satisfied nor finished. He claims that a person will give up everything to save himself, but if personally afflicted, will curse God. Just as inexplicably, God allows Satan to proceed. Job is covered with boils, "from his scalp to the soles of his feet." (pg. 8) Job's wife said: "How long will you go on clinging to your innocence? Curse God, and die." Job responded: "Foolish woman, have you lost your mind? We have accepted good fortune from God; surely we can accept bad fortune too." This is the person, the character, who spawned the expression "the patience of Job." Fortunately for whoever brought that tidy saying into universal usage, he or she did not read to the end of the book. Job does loose his patience and cries out in powerful, accusatory language. "And now I am in agony; the days of sorrow have caught me. Pain pierces my skin; Suffering gnaws my bones… I cry out, and you do not answer; I am silent, and you do not care… I made a pact with my eyes, that I would not gaze at evil. But what good has virtue done me? How has God rewarded me? Isn't disgrace for sinners and misery for the wicked? Can't he tell right from wrong or keep his accounts in order?" (pg. 72/73) Whew! Patient Job indeed! God answers Job from the whirlwind. "Who is this whose ignorant words smear my design with darkness?" (pg. 79) God reminds Job in a series of rhetorical questions that He, God, is the Creator of all and how little we human beings understand. And just before the book concludes with Job having his health, his family and wealth restored, Job acknowledges his human limitations. "I have spoken of the unspeakable and tried to grasp the infinite… Therefore I will be quiet, Comforted that I am but dust." (pg. 88) In the introduction to his translation of Job, Stephen Mitchell makes several profound points about the issue of suffering and God's message from the whirlwind. "What does it mean to answer someone about human suffering? For there are answers beyond the one-size-fits-all propositions of the theologians. But these answers can't be imposed from the outside. They will resonate only where the questioner lets them enter…. There is never an answer to the great question of life and death, unless it is my answer or yours… During their dialogue, Job and [his] friends agree about the limits of human understanding, but none of them suspects how absolute those limits are. In order to approach God, Job has to let go of all ideas about God: he must put a cloud of unknowing … between himself and God…." I think Stephen Mitchell is right. There is no one, objective answer to pain and suffering – there is only the answer that makes some sense to each of us. Scientists may some day unlock the mysteries of the universe, but no one will ever unlock the mysteries of God. As we Jews have proven for three thousand years, there are many different ways to perceive God, and that which works to bring one human being closer to God, is utterly meaningless and worthless to the person sitting next to him or her. The truth is that the Bible did not understand pain and suffering, and the truth is that three thousand years later, neither do we! One traditional approach to the issue is presented plainly and in a straightforward fashion to Job by his "friends," Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. It could be summarized by Eliphaz's question: "Can an innocent man be punished? Can a good man die in distress?" Eliphaz and Job's other friends propose a very traditional answer to suffering – one that has been accepted over the centuries and is still believed by many today – it is punishment for our sins. But the ancient, anonymous author of Job is as unsatisfied by this answer as most of us are. Rabbi Harold Kushner, one of my senior colleagues, was equally unsatisfied with the thought that suffering is either the result of our sins or of a capricious God. Although not traditional Jewish theology, Rabbi Kushner's approach in his popular and widely read book: When Bad Things Happen to Good People brought comfort to people of many faiths. He reveals his central theory on suffering in chapter 3: "Can you accept the idea that some things happen for no reason, that there is randomness in the universe? Some people cannot handle that idea. They look for connections, striving desperately to make sense of all that happens. They convince themselves that God is cruel, or that they are sinners, rather than accept randomness. . . . Why must everything happen for a specific reason? Why can't we let the universe have a few rough edges?" I cannot give you a definitive answer on the cause of pain and suffering, but I can offer you what I consider to be a better and more meaningful translation for the end of the Unesaneh tokef . I think my translation is consistent with a great deal of our tradition, as found in our sacred writings as well as in our real life practices over the ages. As I mention very often, every translation is an interpretation. That is as true of the makhzor , as it is of the Torah. Uteshuvah, utefilah, utzedakah ma-avirin et roah hagezarah . "But repentance, prayer and charity avert the severe decree." In my mind, the critical word in this sentence is ma-avirin , the word that is translated in various makhzorim as cancel, avert, annul or temper. The root of this Hebrew word, avar , may indeed have that meaning and connotation. But more commonly, avar simply means to pass over, cross over. And in the grammatical form of ma-avirin , it means to cause someone else to "pass over," "go beyond" or in one word, "transcend." I think the unknown author of the Unesaneh tokef was alluding to a reality I can believe in, namely that repentance, prayer and charitable good deeds can help us get beyond the severe decrees that inevitably come to the lives of even the most righteous, and certainly to all the rest of us. The book of Job gives us one example of how to get beyond life's tragedies. When Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar first hear about the catastrophes that had befallen him, they leave their countries and meet in order "to mourn with Job and to comfort him…. When they arrived and saw Job from a distance, they could barely recognize him. They cried out, and tore their clothing, and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat with him for seven days and seven nights. And no one said a word, for they saw how great his suffering was." Here is the model not only for shiva, but also for many kinds of pain. Whether someone is suffering from the death of a loved one or friend, whether they are suffering a physical or mental illness, whether they are suffering disappointment or failure or pain in their own lives or in the lives of their children, go be with them – whether they are at home, in a nursing home or in the hospital. Don't overwhelm them with words, just be with them, and let the sufferer determine if words or silence are needed. Holding a hand, or giving a hug, or shedding a tear, often says much more, and more effectively, than a thousand words. This is not just a Jewish perspective. A few weeks ago, Barbara Platt sent me an article entitled "Good Grief And Bad," written by Lorenzo Albacete, a Roman Catholic priest and professor of theology. Commenting on comforting mourners, Father Albacete notes: "If anything, I am consoled by the Book of Job , which derides those who tried to explain Job's suffering to him. God does not seek to console him; He [God] just shows up, and this is enough. It was not explanations Job wanted, but solidarity, compassion, love." Any one of us can help another person with the pain of loneliness, and that is why we started the Bikur Chaverim Group. When we visit a mourner or an Alzheimer's victim or someone who is just lonely, we have the opportunity to help them get a little bit past the severity of their decree. When we pray for the sick, as we do each Monday and Thursday and Shabbat and festival morning as part of the Torah service, and those who are sick, and the families members of those who are sick, know that the community has not forgotten them – we help both the patients and their caregivers to pass a little beyond the severe decree. When our financial resources are used to feed the poor and clothe the naked in the Jewish world and around the world, we help the poverty-stricken and the starving move a little beyond the severity of their decree. When we repent our behavior and try to reconcile with others, we move beyond the severe decree of anger and hostility and broken relationships. There are doubtless many examples of human beings who have moved beyond their pain and suffering and I want to share three with you. The first, a brief article, perhaps you have read or heard. It was written by Helen Raverhill and is entitled: "The 15 Things I have Learned Since My Mastectomy." •  "Which is the best wig shop in town. •  What is the best way to tie a scarf around your head. •  That a double mastectomy hurts. •  That my husband wouldn't mind emptying my drains. •  What I look like with short hair. •  What I look like with no hair. •  That I can lift weights, and not just the remote on the tv. •  Post cancer immodesty. I have lifted my shirt to many women who are in the same situation. •  Whoever invented compazine and whoever invented aspirin, I sure wish I knew so that I could thank them. •  Too much chicken soup is too much chicken soup. •  I do great laundry – but my friends do my laundry well too, if only I let them. •  There is no finer man in America than my husband. •  That I can't exist without my family and my friends. •  Speaking truthfully about how I feel, how I have felt, and how I hope to feel is the way to go, at least for me. •  And 15…. Because it taught me these 14 things, which I would never have known otherwise, breast cancer is not the end of my life, it is only the beginning of a new stage in my life. …" Helen Raverhill clearly has gone beyond the severity of her decree and it is obvious that her husband, family and friends helped her to do so. Here is a second, true story. "David Gelertner teaches computer science at Yale. He is an observant Conservative Jew,… He was one of the victims of the Unabomber. Several years ago, he opened up a package in the mail and it blew up in his face. He lost an arm … for no reason … with no notice, sent to him by a man whom he had never met. In one split second … his whole life changed. After the Unabomber was caught, Dr. Gelertner spoke about what he had learned from his recovery. 'Mostly, I didn't learn anything new, but I had the satisfaction of having my hunches confirmed. I emerged, knowing that, as I had always suspected, the time I spend with my wife and my children is all that really matters in the end. I emerged as a practicing Jew. (Admittedly, I had always been one). By inclination, I am a writer and painter. I got into computer science because of the Talmudic injunction that a person should learn a useful trade in order to support his family. … The explosion smashed my right hand, and for several months, I was under the impression that I would never paint again. I bitterly regretted the work that I had never put down on canvas. But then I learned how to paint with my left hand, and I will never again neglect my duties as a painter.'" David Gelertner moved decisively past the severity of his decree, no doubt helped by his faith, by his family and friends, and by a host of medical personnel. The third true story is about a local woman, Eva Grayzel Cohen. A professional storyteller, she was diagnosed with tongue cancer at the age of 33. Eva now speaks about her cancer. "She has found humor in her experience and weaves inspirational stories through her tale of woe." Eva addressed our Leisure Group in September, but I thought her message was so important, that I have asked her to speak to the entire congregation on Shabbat Bereshit, October 28th. She too has gone beyond the severity of her decree, and if you come hear her message, you will learn a variety of ways that we can help someone who is suffering get past the roah hagezarah . And if we do so, we will surely have affirmed by our actions one of the most important prayers of this awesome season. In the Torah reading from last Shabbat, we read: (Deut. 30:19) "I [God] have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life,…" We all suffer, we all experience life and death, blessings and curses, God helps us to transcend the pain, but it is up to each of us to choose life!     << Back to Rabbi Juda's Sermons