The Question of Evil in the World

Q: How can we explain the terrible suffering in the world? After all, God desires the good of His creations, so how can He allow so much suffering in the world? How does He permit the wicked to be so cruel to others? This question resurfaced after the horrific massacre on Simchat Torah, 5784 (2023), and the war and suffering caused as a result.

A: The simple and deep answer is that God created the world and everything in it for our good, and even evil and suffering were created for our good. However, man’s perspective is too narrow and limited to see the larger picture, both in this world, and the World to Come. Therefore, in his eyes, evil seems threatening and terrible, but when one understands that everything God does is for the good, the importance of evil becomes clear. This is also the answer God gave to Job, whose intellect was too limited to comprehend the complexity of Creation, and see how everything will ultimately be for the good. Some may merit to see in their lifetime how the suffering they endured brought about double and manifold good, while others may only understand this in the World to Come.

The Humility that Brings Growth

As with all questions related to God Himself, we must approach this question with humility, and recognize that there are things we are not capable of understanding, including the true place of evil within the grand picture. Only from this humility can we strengthen our faith that everything God does is for good, and from this, we can begin to decipher the meaning of evil, and understand how it can help us progress. And through this, we will act to the best of our ability to increase good and blessings in the world.

This humility is directed toward Heaven, and therefore it is not a weakness or inferiority, but, on the contrary, through recognizing what is beyond our understanding, we know that what we can understand, can be understood well.

In this characteristic of humility, Israel excels, as our Sages said: “The Holy One Blessed Be He said to Israel: ‘I am fond of you, for even when I grant you greatness, you humble yourselves before Me. I gave greatness to Abraham, and he said before Me: ‘I am dust and ashes.’ To Moses and Aaron, they said: ‘Who are we?’ To David, he said: ‘I am a worm, and not a man.’

"But the idolaters are not like this. I gave greatness to Nimrod, and he said: ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, whose top reaches to the heavens.’ To Pharaoh, he said: ‘Who is the Lord that I should listen to His voice?’ (‘The Nile is mine, and I made it.’) To Sennacherib, he said: ‘Who among the gods of the countries has delivered their land from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ To Nebuchadnezzar, he said: ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God.’ To Hiram, King of Tyre, he said: ‘I am God; I have sat in the seat of God in the heart of the seas.'” (Chullin 89a)

The Good that Grows from Evil

We will explain briefly the good that comes from evil: First, through the existence of evil, man is granted free choice, and in this way, God’s image in him is revealed, as he chooses and creates his world. In this way, the good belongs to him. And there is no greater good than this, as it is akin to Divine goodness (Ramchal, Derech Hashem 1:2-3). That is to say, free will is so valuable that it is worth the price of allowing some to choose evil, with all the suffering that comes with it.

In addition to providing free choice, evil causes good to improve and elevate. For indeed, all things in the world are limited, and this includes the revealed good. In order for the good to continue to develop without limits, and to express the Divine light within it, it needs to be challenged. This is the role of evil: to point out the shortcomings of good, and stir the need for further elevation and rectification.

Indeed, it often happens that when a certain event occurs, people believe it is the worst thing that could happen to them, but in the end, it turns out to be the most important event in their lives, because through it, they grew more than through anything else.

On Good and Evil

Those of faith add that, in truth, when looking at the world with a positive attitude, one finds that the good far outweighs the evil. After all, a person lives many years in health, and only a small part of their days are spent sick. Even when an organ in their body is sick, many other organs are healthy. Even when a person is wronged, they can still rejoice in the many others who do not wrong them. By thanking God for all the good in the world, in the praise sections of prayer, and Birkot Hanehinim (blessings for enjoyment), one learns to see and rejoice in all the good.

The Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Guide for the Perplexed 3:12) also wrote that the majority of the world is good. He added that evil in the world can be divided into three parts: 1) A portion results from natural disasters, 2) a much larger portion is caused by what one person does to another, 3) and the greatest portion is caused by what a person does to themselves.

The Buddhist Approach to Evil and Suffering

We can mention here the Buddhist approach to evil and suffering. According to their view, if a person stops craving and directs their gaze inward to the essence of life, which is independent of anything other than life itself, they will not experience pain or suffering, and they will be able to enjoy deep and sublime tranquility. From this, one can learn that the experience of suffering largely depends on our consciousness.

According to Buddhism, one should rid themselves of the feeling of suffering by cultivating indifference and focusing inward. According to Judaism, it is appropriate to experience evil and suffering so that this experience serves as a catalyst for personal growth and progress toward repairing the world. However, when a person suffers too much, they can learn helpful techniques from the Buddhist approach to cultivate indifference to suffering, and through this, they will later strengthen their belief in God that everything is for the good, until they find the path to progress.

Yoga, Meditation, and Martial Arts

Q: Is it permissible to practice yoga, meditation, and martial arts? Yoga exercises are various postures intended to improve health by balancing and controlling the body and mind. Meditation techniques are designed to focus the mind and emotions in order to gain control over thought and feeling, leading to balance, and inner enlightenment. Martial arts aim to improve defensive and offensive abilities, while also enhancing health and achieving high levels of self-control and concentration.

A: In the past, these exercises were sometimes associated with idolatrous religions, and some rabbis believed they should be prohibited. In practice, however, since they do not involve idolatrous worship, they are not prohibited. Nevertheless, it is forbidden to combine these exercises with rituals that have no clear or tangible benefit and consequently reflect foreign culture, and as such, would be prohibited by the Torah, as it says: “You shall not walk in the statutes of the nations” (Leviticus 18:3). Chukot Hagoyim (Gentile custom) refers to a practice that reflects religious-cultural symbols which have become binding for a particular nation, and the Torah prohibits Jews from adopting such customs, to preserve their spiritual independence, and so that they should not be drawn after the culture of the nations and their beliefs, abandoning the commandments of the Torah.

Therefore:

• It is permissible to bow to the teacher at the beginning of the practice, as it is customary to show respect to the teacher. However, it is forbidden to bow before a picture of the teacher before practicing, as it is a Gentile custom to bow to an image.
• It is also forbidden to perform exercises specifically toward the sun, but it is permissible to perform the same exercises when the teacher and students are not particular about the direction they face.
• Similarly, it is forbidden to participate in a special initiation ceremony where the meditation practitioner receives a mantra from the teacher.
• Likewise, it is forbidden to recite mantras of foreign words or phrases during meditation.
• If the teacher mentions the names of idols, this constitutes an additional prohibition, as it says: “And you shall not mention the names of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth” (Exodus 23:13), prohibiting the respectful mention of idol names, or causing others to mention them with respect.

Tools for Serving God

It is important to emphasize that even those who ensure that the exercises are free of rituals or phrases that have no clear benefit, must be careful that these exercises do not become the spiritual center of their lives. Instead, they should serve as tools to strengthen faith in God, refine character, and fulfill the commandments of the Torah.

Remember, there is a profound difference between the views. According to the foundation of yoga and meditation, the goal is to attain eternal peace and inner enlightenment, detaching from the challenge of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). In contrast, according to Jewish thought, the vision is Tikkun Olam, and health, emotional balance, and tranquility are tools that help realize this vision.

To emphasize this, some rabbis, such as Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan ztz”l from America, suggested replacing foreign mantras with verses and holy words, and focusing the mind on holy names and meditations, so that through exercises that help concentration and emotional balance, the practitioner strengthens their faith in God and awakens to moral refinement.

Mentioning the Names of Idols, and “Om”

Q: Some say that the names of the exercises in yoga and meditation are named after idols. Is it permissible to use the original names of the exercises, or should they be changed?

A: Since these names are used during practice as names for the exercises, even if originally named after idols, there is no prohibition. Just as it is permissible to use the names of days and months in foreign languages, even though most of them are named after idols.

Q: Is it permissible to say “Om” during practice? The word “Om” is not the name of an idol, but it represents a connection to the ultimate and inner truth in Hinduism.

A: Saying “Om” does not constitute idol worship, but there is a prohibition due to Chukot HaGoyim. However, if the practitioner has tried other sounds, like “On,” “Oh,” etc., but finds that none produce the calming and focusing effect that “Om” does, then from their perspective, using “Om” makes sense, and therefore, saying it during practice, does not violate the prohibition of Chukot HaGoyim.

This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew.