Podcast Episode

The Living Jewishly Podcast

Evil and Suffering and the Problem of Divine Silence

Jul 23, 2023 Episode 128

Living Jewishly

“With all the evil and all the suffering that is in the world and that Jews have undergone throughout history, as a people, we've always been focused on being a moral and creative force in the world. And if Jews are about anything, we're about the faith in what could be faith in the future.”

— Dr. Elliott Malamet

In this Special School of Living Jewishly podcast for Tisha b'av, Dr. Elliott Malamet explores various explanations for why there is suffering, and God’s silent role in each.

Through various texts and philosophies, this episode hopes to bring clarity to why there is human suffering and why humans (specifically Jews) blame or do not blame God. Referencing a text by psychoanalyst Dr. R.W. Fairburn, Elliott explores why “it's better to be a sinner in a world ruled by God, than a saint in a world ruled by the devil.”

Elliott also explores the idea of the covenant between Jews and God, that if you do good, you get good. If you receive or experience bad things, you must have done something wrong – but is that truly the case?

Tune in to dive deeply into this fascinating topic with Dr. Elliott Malamet.

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

✔ What are we willing to overlook in order to protect God's reputation?

✔ If not God, whom or what are we willing to blame for the presence of suffering?

✔ What's the mindset that underlies an approach to suffering in which you blame yourself?

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Highlights:‌ ‌

00:01 Introduction

00:52 The silence of God

02:04 Ancient and modern explanations

03:05 Why does God allow suffering?

06:45 Blaming oneself for suffering