We Don’t See the Whole Picture
Parshas
Haazinu
“The Rock, his works are perfect, for all His
ways are just; a faithful Almighty without blemish, straight and righteous is
He.” [32:4]
In order to believe in G-d, one must be willing to accept that
we don’t know the whole story. We see bad things happen to good people, and
conversely, we see good things happen to bad people. Do we know why? No. And if
we insist that all is as it appears to us, then there is no room in our
world-view for a good and benevolent G-d.
The Chofetz Chaim offers the following parable, modified into
story form:
Mr. Schwartz was a great and wealthy man. He had property,
servants, all a man could ask for – but the joy of his life was his only son,
David. His love of his young son was boundless. One day, his son fell ill – and
it soon became clear that this was no minor flu. As David’s condition worsened,
his father took him from doctor to doctor, from hospital to hospital, in a
desperate attempt to diagnose the problem.
Finally, a leading specialist discovered that David suffered
from an intense allergy to red meat. They restored David to health, but the
doctor gave Mr. Schwartz the strongest of warnings to never permit his child to
eat beef, veal or anything heavier than chicken.
He was indeed very careful – until he was called out of town
on business. He warned his servants repeatedly, but on the last day of his
trip, one of the cooks foolishly left a steak sandwich on the table. David
wandered in, smelled the meat, grabbed a piece and ran outside.
Of course, David immediately became sick once again, just as
his father was returning; Mr. Schwartz discovered his son near death. They
rushed to the hospital, with the father swearing to never again travel for
business – so as to be able to personally supervise his son.
With great effort, the doctors were again able to save David’s
life. When he was able to return home, the father made a special meal of
thanksgiving for all his relatives and friends. As they sat down to dinner,
they saw that Mr. Schwartz had ordered a catered meal that surpassed even his
ordinary standards. And of course, not serving meat would have been out of the
question, and would have required all sorts of uncomfortable explanations.
Several guests, sitting near the entrance, heard something
very surprising – and disturbing: the voice of David himself, crying loudly to
be permitted into the dinner hall! They sat there amazed, not understanding the
bizarre actions of the “cruel father” who would not permit his own son to
enter, when after all it was his health they were celebrating…
So too, we often cannot
understand why G-d runs the world as he does. All we can do is look at the
miracles He performed for us, the Torah He gave us, and the Covenant He made
with us – and realize that although we may not understand, “the Rock, His works
are perfect… straight and righteous is He.”
Because this year
Parshas Ha’azinu is on Shabbos Shuvah, the “Shabbos of Repentance” between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it would be appropriate to also reflect on our
inability to judge the actions of other people, as well. The same concept
applies – we simply don’t know the whole situation, and what compels another
person to behave as he or she does. As Yom Kippur approaches, we should try to
understand the other person’s situation, as difficult as that might be, and
forgive all sins against us, both real and imagined. May we all be forgiven,
and may we be sealed for life!
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