Miscarriage
Dear Rabbi Fried,
I am having trouble coping and comforting my precious daughter for an overwhelming loss. With all the months of joyous anticipation of bringing a new life into this world, she lost her first pregnancy in the ninth month. I can’t comfort her since I, myself, have trouble understanding what is the sense of all this; it just seems so futile. Can you help us deal with this grief?
Diversity and Other Religions
Is it fair and right for God to let millions of innocent children get indoctrinated into false religions like Islam? Some of those children then believe they should become suicide bombers in the name of Allah. Why doesn’t God help prevent such tragedies by revealing himself more clearly to such people? I’m not asking the Jewish God to force people to believe in Him as their Father, just to give them clear evidence of it, similar to a DNA paternity test. One way he could do this, for example, is to line up all the stars to display the Shield of David, along with the 10 commandments for all to see.
Also, He could communicate with people directly through regular mail, voicemail or even email, if he cared to. But it looks like this only happens in the movies like “Bruce Almighty”. Since most people are of different religions, it seems as if God does not care to develop a personal relationship with most of the planet! Is that right?
Here’s another way of framing the same question: In monotheistic religions, God is regarded as the ultimate father figure. But what kind of father lets some of his children go their whole lives without ever learning His true name? Whether it’s Yah-weh, Christ, Allah or something else, God seems conspicuously silent.
Disasters: Jewish Response, Pt. 2
Last week you wrote that events like the tsunami should be a cause for introspection and self-improvement. But I’m having a lot of trouble philosophically with all the devastation caused, which just seems so random. How could a compassionate God allow this to happen?
Disasters: Jewish Response
My friends and I have really felt devastated by the images we have seen of the tsunami and knowing about all the people who died there. We feel so helpless and want to do something. Is there a Jewish response to all this?
Natural Disasters: What Can We Learn from Them?
We’re all agonizing over the untold suffering going on in New Orleans and throughout the area, and the question of “how could God do this?” is on the lips of many could you offer any insight?