What is the Jewish response to evil and suffering?

Answer 1

During World War 2, the Nazis put many of them on starvation diets and worked them. When they got too weak to work, they packed them into gas chambers. Eventually the oxygen would run out and they would all die. Some they hanged. They put a wire around the necks of some while they were standing up. When the person became exhausted after a day or two, he or she would fall asleep and choke to death. They way they put 6 million Jews to death varied. (The Nazis also put 5 million others to death. That was not part of your question.)

In Russia, before the Communists took over every Jewish man had to serve 14 years in the army and no Jew could own land. Frequent pogroms occurred against Jewish communities. Occasional persecutions occurred against Jews in all parts of Europe. They were run out of England in 1250. They came back shortly afterward. Until the Nazis took over Germany, they were not persecuted in Northern Europe after it became Protestant. In Spain after 1492 they were forced to convert to Christianity. Since Spain basically wore the outward trappings of Christianity, many became pseudo-Christians and maintained an underground Jewish Movement. They would be baptized and buried by the church and go the required once a year. In the United States, religious persecution basically ended with the disgust that followed the Salem Witch Trials. The Jews, like everyone else had to pay a tax to the established church. Since most people had nothing to do with the established church, everyone who paid the tax resented it. Still, people did not suffer for their religious beliefs. They suffered because they did not pay the tax.

Answer 2

Answer

Judaism believes that everything the creator (god) does is for good. From our perspective it may seem evil but in a 2 world picture, we trust that whatever happens here on earth is ultimately according to a divine plan that is good. Our souls are here on earth for a reason. We are here on a mission to accomplish something and earth is a proving ground for receiving eternal benefit.

Answer

Judaism teaches that human beings have free will. Suffering is caused by the bad choices of those that inflict the suffering.

Answer 3

Jews believe that all human beings have free will. Suffering is the result of bad choices made by the people who inflict the suffering.

Suffering can also be caused by nature (such as an earthquake), which is considered inherently neutral by most interpretations in Judaism.

Answer 4

Suffering is a huge area of discussion in the Jewish world, with complex philosophy. Most Jews says it is the result of the free will of human beings, or the interaction with humans and nature. A small minority of Orthodox Jews regard it as punishment from God.

Answer 5

If you do not obey God's laws, you will be punished greatly, and will never be classified as one of God's children again

Answer 6

Jews are every bit as human as every other religious group. Accordingly, they don't like suffering or seeing other people suffer.

Answer 7

Suffering is in order to:

prepare us for the next world

cleanse one's sins

add to one's merits

provide humility

bring us to pray

test us

Answer 8

Yes, we're humans too.