Not a day goes by without finding out in the news that another IDF soldier was taken from our midst, while defending the Land of Israel and the People of Israel. True, we are so proud of every member of the IDF for their sacrifice by putting their lives on the line while they defend us. Yet, we are pained repeatedly with each loss. Especially as we keep in mind that these deaths are in addition to all those who perished on October 7th, when the war began.
How do we make sense of all the loss and suffering? How can we handle all the pain? Do we really deserve to be treated this way? Most importantly, where is G-d? Does He not hear our prayers?
Interestingly, we are not the first to ask these exact questions. Moses asked them too!
In this week’s Torah portion, Shemot, we are introduced to the story of Moses meeting G-d at the burning bush. G-d asked Moses to represent Him to the Jewish people, and to tell them that G-d would redeem them from their exile. Moses looked for some assurances, and not knowing how the Jews would respond to him and his message, asked G-d, “When I speak to the Jewish people, they will want to know who sent me. What should I tell them? What is your name?”
When Moses asked G-d for his name, it was not because he didn’t know His name—of course he did, he just referred to G-d by saying “You are Hashem, the G-d of our forefathers.” So what did he mean when he asked “What is your name, and what should I say to them?”
Moses’s question dug even deeper. He wanted to know, “How were you able to allow the Jewish people to have suffered for so many years? How could you have permitted so many Jews to have died on your watch?”
“Where were you?”
G-d responded, “I was here all along! I was with them during this exile, and I will be with them in future exiles. By My standing on the sidelines and permitting these atrocities to happen, doesn’t mean that I am not present, nor does it mean that I don’t feel their pain; it means that I have my reasons. The time simply hasn’t come yet for redemption.” Then G-d told Moses that the time for redemption had arrived.
This more meaningful approach of G-d’s secret ways is why G-d ultimately didn’t reveal his name to Moses. We cannot understand His “way” and will never be able to wrap our heads around it. Although this was Moses’s question, G-d chose not to answer him. Instead, He helped Moses reach a level of deeper appreciation for the Divine.
Moses is curious to know not only why He didn’t help in the past; he also wanted to know why He is helping now. G-d’s answer addresses both questions.
“You are too caught up in trying to understand My ways. To know the reason why.”
G-d tells Moses, “My thinking is higher than your ability to understand. My reasons are greater than you can ever comprehend. What matters is for you to have faith and trust in Me. To know that I have never forsaken you, and when I see that the time is right, I will do my part.”
Just like Moses, we too want to understand; we want to “pick G-d’s brain” but we need to realize that we will never have a satisfying answer. All we know is that G-d has His reasons, and we will never comprehend them, as they are higher than reason.
We should do our part by asking G-d to deliver a quick and decisive victory to the Jewish people, while we keep in mind that it is ultimately in G-d’s hands.
Shabbat Shalom