The famous Conservative Rabbi Harold Kushner recently passed away. He was most famous for his book "When Bad Things Happen To Good People". He wrote it after his son was born with Progeria. Progeria is a specific type of progeroid syndrome, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome. A single gene mutation is responsible for progeria. The gene, known as lamin A (LMNA), makes a protein necessary for holding the nucleus of the cell together. When this gene gets mutated, an abnormal form of lamin A protein called progerin is produced. Progeroid syndromes are a group of diseases that causes individuals to age faster than usual, leading to them appearing older than they actually are. Patients born with progeria typically live to an age of mid-teens to early twenties. It is a horrific disease.
Kushner's conclusion is that God is a really nice guy and would love to cure suffering in good people but sadly is unable to do so. Literary critic and journalist Ron Rosenbaum was not convinced by Rabbi Kushner's argument in the book, describing Kushner's position as "diminishing God to something less than an Omnipotent Being — to something more like an eager cheerleader for good, but one decidedly on the sidelines in the struggle against evil." To make things worse - Kushner was a Boston Red Sox fan. [Some of my chasidishe friends are "White Sox" fans].
His theology is based on a premise [as is everything everyone believes]. The premise is that G-d has to make sense to him. That is where he went off. "כי לא מחשבותי מחשבותיכם". When just can't put Hashem into our tiny little brains. רבי ינאי אומר, אין בידינו לא משלוות הרשעים ואף לא מיסורי הצדיקים. Moshe Rabbeinu was already bothered by this question [ברכות ז - and I admit not understanding the answer...] . But the blaspheming of G-d is definitely NOT one of the answers.
The Rav ztz"l has a maamar called יסורין ממרקים which is beyond classic. Like - I am glad to have come to the world just to have learned it. One key line:
May the Neshama of Harold Kushner find Menucha after a life where he suffered so much pain.
The Rav ztz"l has a maamar called יסורין ממרקים which is beyond classic. Like - I am glad to have come to the world just to have learned it. One key line:
עיקר האמונה היא בגדולת שלמות אין סוף. שכל מה שנכנס בתוך הלב הרי זה ניצוץ בטל לגמרי לגבי מה שראוי להיות משוער, ומה שראוי להיות משוער אינו עולה כלל בסוג של ביטול לגבי מה שהוא באמת.
May the Neshama of Harold Kushner find Menucha after a life where he suffered so much pain.
