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Acts of God
.
by
Emuna Braverman
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This is a time to stop talking and blaming,
and start giving.
The pundits talk about how we have become a
society of finger-pointers, a nation that always blames someone or something
else for other problems.
A society lacking a strong sense of
individual responsibility.
This is in reality not a new phenomenon.
Adam, the first man, blamed his wife Eve for
his transgression in eating from the Tree of Knowledge (the implications for
marriage not being discussed here!).
Our commentaries suggest that Cain fought
with his brother Abel, and killed him, rather than face up to his own
inadequacies.
We play the blame game with nations as well.
If the U.S. shared more of its wealth, it
wouldn't have been attacked on 9/11.
If the U.S. (or any other country) would
leave Iraq, it would end terrorism.
The list is endless. Read your daily
newspaper.
I think that two psychological processes are
at play here. One is the aforementioned desire to avoid responsibility.
It begins in the
playground -- "He hit me first!" "It's her
fault!"
And is reinforced by
teachers and parents -- "Who started it?"
Many words have been spilled over this issue
and perhaps the much-heralded tort reform will have a trickle-down effect.
The second is our desire for control.
By looking for someone, something to blame –
whether it's the 'root causes' of terrorism or the head of FEMA, we exert our
control and try to restore order to the world.
We don't want to accept the underlying
message of all these calamitous events: we're not running the world; the
Almighty is.
And even the most powerful country in the
world is subject to His will.
Of course, we need to take practical steps and
not ignore dire forecasts. But it is naive to believe we can be prepared for
anything and everything.
Who could really have imagined the degree of
devastation?
Even horrific acts by other human beings can
remind us that despite our best efforts, no matter how type A and organized we
are, there are things outside our control. (Hard to believe isn't it?)
Outside our imagination. No one could have
imagined 9/11, even with more sharing of information.
That's the real reason we weren't prepared.
No one could have imagined the Holocaust.
Despite the reports coming back from the
camps. That's one of the reasons so many Jews didn't try to leave or boarded
the trains willingly.
No one could have imagined a whole city under
water. And I believe that is one of the reasons the country was slow to act.
Our imaginations are limited; the Almighty's
power isn't.
Once in a while we need a reminder that it's
not all up to us.
We need a little awe and humility in our
lives, especially as Americans. And we need to give to others (instead of being
self-obsessed), as we are doing on such an unprecedented scale.
But perhaps finger pointing is the least
effective response.
The average American -- not a politician, TV reporter
or talk show host -- knows he doesn't run the world.
And he knows this is a time to stop talking
and blaming, and start giving, and perhaps a time to deepen one's awe and
prayer.
Please
check out Emuna’s new book A Diamond for Your Daughter – A Parent’s Guide to
Navigating Shidduchim Effectively, available through Judaica Press
Emuna
Braverman
has a law degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters in in Clinical
Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine
University. She lives with her husband and nine children in Los Angeles where
they both work for Aish HaTorah. When she isn''t writing for the Internet or
taking care of her family, Emuna teaches classes on Judaism, organizes gourmet
kosher cooking groups and hosts many Shabbos guests. She is the cofounder of
www.gourmetkoshercooking.com.
