Why Did God Inflict Disaster?
In this week’s Torah reading, God commanded Moshe (Moses), time after time, to strike the land of Egypt with plagues, as a consequence for Pharaoh’s constant refusal to liberate the Jewish Nation. Before the series of plagues began, God predicted to Moshe that Pharaoh will not listen. God, who knows the future, told Moshe explicitly from the beginning that Pharaoh will refuse to allow the Jews to leave, even after he will be smitten many times with various plagues.
The obvious question is, if so, what was the point of the repeated requests and plagues? If it was predicted from the start that Pharaoh would not listen anyhow, what was the purpose of inflicting Pharaoh and his Nation repeatedly for refusing to obey God’s command? Why not just, “skip to the end,” when Pharaoh realized he had no choice since he would die if he didn’t free them?
A Lesson for the Jewish People
Rashi addresses this question with a fascinating lesson. Rashi tells us that the purpose of the repeated plagues was for the Jews. When the Jews would witness the retribution Pharaoh and his people received, time and time again, for disobeying God’s command, they will be instilled with awe of God’s might and justice. Rashi adds that this is in general a practice of God. God brings punishment upon the nations of the world in order for the Jewish people to hear about it and be instilled the with fear of Heaven.
The Talmud’s Perspective on Calamities
The Talmud (Yevamos 63a) makes a similar statement, quoting verses from Tzephanyah (3:6-7) which say that God says that he brings catastrophes upon the nations of the world in the hope that the Jews will learn a lesson. Based on this, the Talmud says that the primary purpose for which God brings disasters to the world, in general, is for the sake of Jews. Rashi explains that disasters are brought upon various places on earth for the purpose of instilling the Jews with fear of Heaven and arousing them to teshuvah (repentance).
How Should We Respond to Disasters?
Catastrophes can happen to anyone and anywhere. No one can say that he is guaranteed safety. When we hear about calamities, God is doing us a great favor. The only way a Jew can ensure he follows the will of God with loyalty is with a sense of awe and fear of God. Without a sense of fear, a person’s lusts will obscure his realization of the fact that he will be held accountable for his misdeeds.
When our minds are instilled with the understanding of God’s might and judgement, our sense of accountability is awakened. In order to achieve this goal, God may strike havoc in far-out parts of the world, and avoid striking us directly. When we hear about such disasters, we have the opportunity to take the matter to heart and realize that God can do something similar to anyone, and we better make sure we don’t act in a way which would make us be deserving of calamity. If utilized properly, every catastrophe we hear about can arouse us to do teshuvah.
The Earthquake in Japan
Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein recalls that during a time when he was studying in Radin, at a time when world news did not travel at the rate it does today, news came of an earthquake in Japan. The people of this small, sheltered European town received a report about how thousands of people perished from an earthquake which took place on the other side of the world. Despite the fact that none of the victims were Jews or had any connection to the townspeople, the Chofetz Chaim discussed the event time and time again. The Chofetz Chaim understood that such a story was a message for the Jews in this far-flung town, and he made sure that it wasn’t lost on them.
Modern News as a Wake-Up Call
People, in general, are interested in hearing news, and are especially drawn to hearing about horrifying stories. With today’s media, we can hear about anything in the world within minutes. But to just read about them and shake our heads and move on is a great loss of tremendous opportunity. God’s intention in the first place was for us to hear about them in order to take a lesson to heart. If we take a minute to think about the fact that the tragedies came from God for a reason, and the same God can bring such calamities upon anyone with no warning, we can gain tremendous awe of God and become motivated to do teshuvah and improve. The news is a message being sent to you from God. Do yourself a favor and don’t ignore it.
By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber torah4every1@gmail.com
