Image courtesy of NASA/Visible Earth Project
This is the question I’m seeing asked a lot by theologians and anyone with blog and an opinion. My morning paper this morning presented me with this question as answered by several columnists from Washington Post’s “On Faith” column.
The responses I saw in my paper to the question “Does God hate Haiti” infuriated me enough that I need to answer the question myself.
The answer is a resounding, “NO!”
Humanity has hit a point of unbelievable self-involvement. Sometimes, quite simply, it’s not about us. Maybe the earth just needed to stretch. Why isn’t the question, “Is G!d(dess) is weeping for her children in Haiti?” Or, “What does G!d(dess) expect of us in a tragedy?”
We need to read the book of Job again. Everyone who claims to follow a Jewish or Christian path needs to read this book again. They need to read the actual words, not just what someone else tells them it means. I hear politicians using phrases like, “the patience of Job .” SERIOUSLY? Patient? Have you read the book? He was pissed off, not patient. Faith and patience are not the same thing.
We need to learn the lessons of Job. Sometimes it’s not about us.
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was whole-hearted and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.
אִישׁ הָיָה בְאֶרֶץ עוּץ, אִיּוֹב שְׁמוֹ; וְהָיָה הָאִישׁ הַהוּא, תָּם וְיָשָׁר וִירֵא אֱלֹהִים–וְסָר מֵרָע
(Job 1:1 )
And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand.’ So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל הַשָּׂטָן, הִנֵּה כָל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ בְּיָדֶךָ–רַק אֵלָיו, אַל תִּשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ; וַיֵּצֵא, הַשָּׂטָן, מֵעִם, פְּנֵי יְהוָה
(Job 1:12)
In Jewish tradition “haSatan” (הַשָּׂטָן) is not a fallen angel, the devil of Christian tradition. HaSatan is the accuser. S/He is the prosecutor. He stands at the side of G!d(dess) and plays, quite literally, devils advocate. Where others defend humanity, HaSatan’s role, as set by G!d(dess), is to challenge and test. HaSatan is clearly a title, not a name. Any number of Heavenly hosts may have to fill this role.
In the book of Job, Job is a perfect example of humanity; beloved of G!d(dess):
And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a whole-hearted and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil?’
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל הַשָּׂטָן, הֲשַׂמְתָּ לִבְּךָ עַל עַבְדִּי אִיּוֹב: כִּי אֵין כָּמֹהוּ בָּאָרֶץ, אִישׁ תָּם וְיָשָׁר יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים וְסָר מֵרָע
(Job 1:8)
Job becomes a plaything between HaSatan and G!d(dess) to prove a point. It has nothing to do with Job. It’s a chess game. It’s a test. There’s nothing Job did in his life to deserve this, expect be so good, that it made a Heavenly Host question what would it take to make Job curse G!d(dess). And when it turns out that it’s going to take quite a lot — the game still continues.
And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.’
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל הַשָּׂטָן, הִנּוֹ בְיָדֶךָ: אַךְ, אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ שְׁמֹר
(Job 2:6)
Couldn’t Haiti be Job? Couldn’t Haiti be beloved of G!d(dess) and now being used as part of a larger, and unknowable cosmic test?
Or, what if it has nothing to do with us? What if the earth simply needed to stretch?
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee; Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee; Who knoweth not among all these, that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.–
.וְאוּלָם–שְׁאַל-נָא בְהֵמוֹת וְתֹרֶךָּ; וְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְיַגֶּד-לָךְ
אוֹ שִׂיחַ לָאָרֶץ וְתֹרֶךָּ; וִיסַפְּרוּ לְךָ, דְּגֵי הַיָּם
.מִי, לֹא-יָדַע בְּכָל-אֵלֶּה: כִּי יַד-יְהוָה, עָשְׂתָה זֹּאת
.אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ, נֶפֶשׁ כָּל-חָי; וְרוּחַ, כָּל-בְּשַׂר-אִישׁ
Sometimes it’s not about us. The animals know this. The plants know this. The earth knows this. Children even know this. Humanity needs to learn this lesson.
Tags: deity, divinity, Go(d)dess(s)(es), haiti, job, life, love, nature, theology, truth
Why anyone who identifies themselves as having a connection to The Divine, would consider there even to be and argument here shocks me. Where do these people come from that they think themselves to be in such a place of moral authority that they can judge The Divines actions here.
Yes. Yes. and Yes!
We always are asking the wrong questions about these things. It is so much easier to sit back and blame, rather than stand up and step forward. Whether it’s Haiti or our own community.
I agree. People like to have a scapegoat in situations like these and unfortunately HaShem takes most of the blame in one hand and ends up a crutch in the other. It’s all a matter of perspective…what Job may have thought was as evel was HaShem’s plan. We should look upon this situation and remember, ”
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.–”
First and foremost thank you for writing this wonderful article! I was sickened by the accusations being made towards Haiti, and was even shocked when they started coming from certain rabbis who shall remain nameless! It is beyond me that anyone could think such a horrid thing! The fact is, I don’t think they read the Book and if they do, they are clueless as to what the real teaching is (not that I am an expert by any means). I found it interesting that all this came during the parshiot of Shemot and the exodus from Egypt. To me, if you choose to take this story literally, it is quite obvious that if something happens that is cataclysmic and it comes from the hand of G-d(dess), He/She makes it quite obvious. Rivers and water turned to blood, hail falling from the sky mixed with fire, days of darkness that renders people paralyzed etc., sound pretty supernatural and not like natural catastrophes. Shabbat shalom to all and happy tu b’shvat!
What a well written article.. thank you!
After the earthquake in Chile an earthy friend of mine commented something like “the earth must really want us off her back.” I proposed to her the idea that it isn’t about us… that the earth is doing what the earth must do and that we can’t possibly understand that, nor are we the object of that. It isn’t about us. She just couldn’t grasp that concept.
Its scary sometimes to think… what if it just isn’t about us. It just isn’t about us.
Wow. Such an amazing story, Alyss. Thank you for sharing it.