How Do We Deal with Evil? (part 1)

A special shiur for Yom HaShoah

There are multiple dimensions to the question of צדיק ורע לו/רשע וטוב לו as can be seen from Yirmiyahu (both in Sefer Yirmiyahu and Eicha) and from Chavakuk:

Yirmiyahu 12:1 - "צדיק אתה ה' כי אריב אליך אך משפטים אדבר אותך"

Yirmiyahu asks Hashem to understand His ways, not necessarily why the righteous suffer. His question is not about fairness, he is asking to understand how God runs the world.

Chavakuk (according to the Ibn Ezra) says to Hashem:  if the wicked Nevuchadnezer is successful, people will stop believing in God.

In Eicha, Yirmiyahu states: our ancestors sinned by believing the spies and we are the ones who suffer.

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Delivered at the OU Israel Center, May 2nd, 2019 (27 Nisan 5779)