I have heard Rabbi Sacks in countless videos speeches and talks.This perhaps, is his most profound utterance. The beauty and power of his words, literally brought tears to my eyes.
*"If there is a God, He will have to beg for my forgiveness.”* This is a quote etched on the wall of a concentration camp as noted by Andrew Eames, the author of Blue River, Black Sea.
What if God created evil so that we can actually understand love what if we all experience hardships and pain so that when we finally stand in the presence of God we will fully understand how amazing love feels
We look for what we cannot find. We search for that which we cannot see. What we seek is not out there. The truth lies in where we look for it. bfwriter35
It's incredible and sobering that there were people who found faith in those kind of nightmarish horrific conditions. That should teach us something about the power of the human spirit and also about the different ways people respond to anguishing contexts.
Franklin talks about the lady who was about to be killed after tomorrow. She had lived voluptuous life never cared about other people/God. She said she was so happy that this had happened to her. There was only one thing sign of life on the premise, tree that she was talking to. Franklin played along asking if it talk back. She replied Yes, saying " Im here, Im life, Im eternal life" I guess she made peace with God and passed to life eternal
I'm a Muslim girl and I going to be a teacher. As a teacher I hope to learn my students to choose empathy over war love over hate. The world war has learned a lot of lessons. God bless us.
When a child is taught to hate another religious group from childhood, he/she, is in essence poisoned. The heart becomes corrupted. Rising above that mindset is simply, miraculous.I commend you and pray you will always choose life over death. That is the challenge for us all individually n collectively. ♡ ⚘
@Paula Wallace what's your point? Christianity indeed has tainted hands with the afire mentioned but it has been under Islam when Jews hv suffered the most. Have you not read of the Antisemitism in the Muslim world and Europe!?
I wish that my weeping, my cry, my woes and my tears had words and speak out, but they dont have words, maybe the Almighty can read then and see my pain and my anguish!
And now, looking back, we should be deeply grateful for what we have now, as we also know, with faith, that tomorrow would always be better than yesterday.
I remember going to Mauthausen concentration camp when I was 13. I did not sleep well for about 3 days afterwards. It was a lovely day the birds were singing and there were insects flying around. As soon as I stepped through the gate everything went silent, there is a heavy feeling in the air. I could not wait to leave. I am now 52.
I completely share your words, your feelings, the way you looked at the Auschwitz sites. I was there too. I had the same thoughts, I felt the same overwhelming pain and need of answers. I just felt very similar to you, cannot express myself in your great words, but right now, I can’t feel any closer to you, your experience and your words. I am Christian. But that is not really important here.
My grandfather Eizic Surived the Auscwitz camps, I an extremely greatful I was able to have a great relationship with this great man and I try to honor him each and every day of my life!
@@jasonlandy3491 My family side were Irish catholics but I have wondered if they were converted at some point in history. A number of Jewish Landy famililies live in my area. Our side of the family have John landy famous runner of the one mile race.
When you go through history, it seems like God is not very nice dude. Or, he is exactly like in his literature - angry and vengeful individual. I thought that if there are groups of people who have no reason to believe in god, that would be jewish people and black people in the States, but here we are...
Tom Mensch (is that really your last name?). People that make statements like yours do not know God or His Word. They do not believe in evil or that wickedness exists yet here we are living in a world with humans who murder, rob, steal, cheat and lie. Free will gives us free choice but without knowledge of HOW this all came to be, then statements like yours (and you are not alone) are made.
but it is written in jewish holy scriptures that we are the collaborators of G"D in distributing food and richness in this word we have the task to preserve our planet from explatation or super production that s why in our prayers after the meals we are thanking HIM n by remembering us what to do as HIS collaborators. At the end of the days G"D will judge and reward all the humanity be sure.
@@esterzach Now that was a powerful sentiment. Thank you for sharing. Perhaps God is a witness and spectator to evil and brutality, primarily. One day we all leave the Earth through the death of the body and It is said that violent death keeps us attached to the Earth. Maybe the Earth experience is simply the Earth experiment that permits evil or love. We choose. I wish that the Earth was more than a recycling bin, but in agreeing with you, here we are.
I had a serious problem about that same question after watching countless documentaries on Hitler's concentration camps and his "final solution." Nothing however did more to destroy my faith in God than reading excerpts of the Nuremberg trials. It has been more than 30 years since reading about these abominable accounts. Although I did not live during that historical era, I must confess that to this day as I write this comment, I have never recovered from the trauma and feeling of shame to be a member of the human race. Never mind that this all happened under the watch of a supposedly omnipotent deity.
Jesus loves the Jewish people very much they are his special people. I'm a Christian and will always love the Jewish people my mum is Jewish Shalom friend
@@howard3921 Unfortunately it is a result of being created with free will. Humans can do tremendous good, but they can also do tremendous evil. When it comes to evil, I don't think we are supposed to understand....if we understood it, we may find ourselves accepting it.
@@angeloleone9793 Actually Charlie Brown of 7 hours was quite blunt about the Catholic Church. It would appear your are quite sensitive and protective about your religion. The comment I made on reason was accurate I simply grew out of the Catholic Church which is a flawed, and feckless religious institution. You also seemed to be offended by much suggestion that you study and learn the true history concerning your church’s history. It’s history of deceit, deception, control, murder in the church’s name, blood, and lets not forget torture is unimaginable history. Today Catholic Church does not require ancient history to harm it. Present day history is destroying it very foundations. Not to many years ago two Catholic church’s in two different parishes went Bankrupt do to child sexual abuse. Individuals who are mature adults, who read and learn are aware of this institution. That is why most Americans are moving towards the Evangelical style of religion and worship. You may despise me all you wish. The truth still remain.
Is it possible that when the Jewish people cried out to Pilate, "his blood be on our heads and our childrens children", referring to Jesus, that the holocaust was destined? The old Testament is full of promises and also curses. Jesus himself said forgive them for they know not what they do
I absolutely love it when someone cuts through the problem like you just did. It makes no sense and for some very good reasons. I often listened to Rabbi Sachs in the morning on radio 4 for years and felt this is what he has always been tied up in knots about, unable to drop his faith and face the reality.
This lesson finds its way right to my heart, as a human being imagining what it might have felt like to be there. Thank you for your unforgettable lesson. And for including details about trains, suitcases, clothes, even books, and how survivors felt God's very real presence with them, in their darkest hours, sustaining them.
God gives us freedom and never takes it back. God said, I was in the words - you shall not murder, you shall not oppress a stranger. Rabbi you're making perfect sense to me. Beautifully spoken - thank you.
Im pretty sure God did far far worse than any Nazi, from killing first born children to let the israelites go, and demanding the slaughter of the Amaleks and medianites, including women and children and even killing 3000 israelites - his own beloved nation, and all because they would worship another god. And lets not forget - all of mankind in a flood. So i doubt if any human can be as bad as God. Even the jewish Rambam called for the killing of every man who doesnt believe in the mishna and oral tora. Yes. Religion is fun and a great inspiration for mass murderers.
@@adarwinterdror7245 my faith is that god for real promises never to ask anybody to kill or tell lies. With that in mind, I would tell you that god is the one who restored life, through the power of the resurrection to all those wonderful talented people who lost their lives. As he will do again for as long as the people wish to live and that is a long long time.
@@durwinpocha2488 the bible disagrees with you on the "not asking to kill anybody" and i gave enough examples. And the reincarnatiin sentiment - it's a lovely one. I just wish it was substantiated and based on facts, observations or anything to go by rather than wishful thinking. But i also am not sure what is so comforting in this thought - if a soul doesnt know it will incarnate nor does it remember anything from past life nor can it recognize any other soul that has been re-incarnated than this reincarnation process gives no benefit or joy. It when a sould reincarnates it doesnt save the memory of the person and cant recognize other souls than its no different than the face that the dead cells break down to simpler proteins and elements and become parts of the ground, the air or food for other animals (thus, become other animals). It sounds a bit the same to me.
@@adarwinterdror7245 I normally am not one to comment, but with the recent passing of Rabbi Sacks I feel I should make some effort here to dispute your claims. Now, I will not claim to be the most devout, nor the most knowledgeable on this subject, but in my mind condemning religion as a means only to propagate mass murder is to simplify its elements as to be almost unrecognizable from their starting point. While I will not disagree on your words about the Amaleks, for I too see the slaughter of any group of people simply for a difference of belief to be heinous, I also think it’s important to acknowledge all the good that religion has wrought for many people. The 10 commandments of the Torah helped provide laws against murder, adultery, and theft among others, and while there is the need for improvement in many of the words as society has progressed, so too can this be held for any other document of a time gone past. Religion, while certainly not perfect, provides stability and hope for many people and teaches them about love and joy. Those people who are willing to use religion to further their own self-centered goals, such as greed and eugenics and hate, to me are just that- people. People who will use any means at their disposal to further their own goals- and this can be seen not just in the abuse of religion but in the abuse of other texts as well, such as government documents and mandates. And such abuses would continue without religion, because people who are willing to do such things will find always places in which to they can manipulate and twist words to their liking. As I said before, religion is by no means perfect- I myself know many people who have been hurt by places such as the Westbro Baptist Church or other such institutions which exist on smaller scales- indeed according to many religious men because I am a women I am lesser than they. But I am not going to blame religion for that, I am not willing to take away the blame that rightly falls on those willing to say such things and write it off as “because of religion.” Men who have just as strongly believed in science as those who believed in religion have said the exact same to me, despite falling on opposites of the spectrum. Religion, much like many implements, is a tool. It in itself is not an evil, how we choose to use it is what gives it its effects. And much like any tool, it has its flaws and parts that might be in need of repair, but that does not mean the tool altogether should be taken away. Personally, I am constantly in a struggle between religion and science in my own mind, and am unsure about the existence of God or any other power. But just because of that does not make it okay for me to only take the bad from religion and good from science or the good from religion and bad from science- because both have been abused by humans throughout history and to divide them in such a way is as nonesensical as it is confounding. Both are not living, breathing things, they are utilities humanity has at their disposal. They have no agency of their own, how we choose to act is reflective on us alone. You cannot blame the fact that scientists of the Holocaust were willing to create gases and elaborate methods to kill Jews (as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community and an non-aryans they deemed imperfect) on science. No one does. They blame it on the people who used such science. So too I think should this be true for religion. Now, I’m sure there are flaws in this argument, as I am as much a human prone to error as anyone else. Even so, I ask you to think on this instead of outright dismissing it as the propaganda of a religious person (because I am really not overly religious in any way). I ask you to look at my perspective with an open mind as I did with yours. I won’t ask you to agree with me, as I don’t expect to change your mind in a TH-cam comment, but just to look deeper. I am also not asking you to believe in God for a higher power, for I can certainly not ask you to do something which I cannot myself currently do, all I’m asking for is a willingness to learn. Either way- whether you comment back to me with hate or appreciation- I hope you have a good day and stay safe in these times.
@@mars8378 Hi Mars. Thank you for the elaborated, well thought out and well articulated post. It's always pleasant to read other people's opinion. A few spaces would do wonders, I must add. All it took is a sneeze here and there and I lost track of where I was reading :) Of course I won't dismiss what you're saying. Mostly because I agree with a lot of it, but also because you spoke so pleasently and wisely. Religion is a tool. It's a story made up by man to convince and cause the people to act in accordance to the religious leaders. In order to do that it needed to have explanatory power for the masses. It needed to be simple, or people wouldn't understand. It needed to provide answers to everything, otherwise it wouldnt be considered wise. it needs to feel wise to be convincing. Obviously it can be used for good or bad. Every tale can. But just as you said - people can have good or bad intentions and so were the people who wrote the bible - their intentions were good and bad. But we can't say "good" nor "bad" without asking "good\bad for what?" And the answer is "Good for their own culture at the time". So the people who propagated the Abrahamic religion had good intentions in preserving their own culture. Cultures and our knowledge change over time. What was good back then is now understood as horrible. We now understand much better than benefits and harms of certain actions and dogmas. We can easily tell where the religion's dogmas and perceptions of society are bad for society. we can easily tell where religion is harmful through observation of history, understanding of psychology and even science. So obviously, religion holds good ideas. But also a lot of bad ones. It's not that some people use religion as bad by misusing it. No. They are using it as intended. Since religion is a tool to convince people to hate and kill as well as love and respect, one can only expect the religion to convince people to do both. But religion, as apposed to any other man made tool, is grasped as truth and the best we can possible hope for because it is said to be a word of a deity that on one hand we say it can't be grasped and understood, but at the same time is said to be all good, and for some reason, people assume it is good for mankind, in spite of the evidence on how horrible the universe can be for mankind. It's a complete paradox. So this tool is convincing people it should not be changed, is the truth, and the ultimate good for them. So if the bible tells people to mutilate 8 days old boys, hate the gays or kill practitioners of foreign religions (Avoda Zara) than this is the base for some people's actions in the real world and that's harmful. Then you listen to a Rabbi in a synagogue who calls some people as Amalek and claims the bible asks people to hate them. Those Amalek can be the opposite political party, other nations, other people within the same religion... it can be anyone. and this Rabbi is absolutely sure he is doing good by spreading hate. he is convinced he is talking God's words. Spreading the truth. and people will listen because they are convinced that a man's interpretation of the bible is true as well as the bible itself. As you said - the bible is a tool, but unlike other tools, it doesnt admit it can be wrong. Unlike science it doesn't seek peer reviews. It doesnt allow others to doubt it. and it surely doesnt allow us to test it's truth. You know it can be wrong, but that's because you are more aware of the issue. Most believers think religion is the best way to live by. Other tools we have admit that they are educated guesses and matters of perspective and opinions of man so people can think (and test) for themselves if these tools are good for us. It's easy to doubt science or philosophy if it tells you to harm society. and that's a good thing. It's not easy to doubt religion when it's telling you to do the same thing.
It has been a question, probably as old as mankind. It has confronted my adult mind for as long as I can remember. Thank you for this inspiring insight.
In our grief many questions arise. Mr. Leonard projects, and the question “Where was man?” is from him, not Dennis Praeger. It is a valid question and worthy of pondering. There is no need for insult.
I am a 4th generation Okinawan in Hawaii, This sukkot I will be the first Okinawan-Messianic- Jewish Rabbi in over 3,000 years, my uncle during WW2 helped liberate Jews in Dachau, I discovered via Living DNA I am descendant from Siberia Russia, my Mom had red hair and always wore a wig, we are Ashkenazi Jews. I have studied Hebrew Studies from 1996, later I met a Holocaust survivor, his name was Armin, he showed me his tattoo on his arm from the concentration camp. My ancestors were all Buddha Heads, but Hashem had other plans for me, I will teach Japanese speaking people Torah and help them learn about Messiah Yeshua. We at Beth Israel Honolulu will start a Holocaust Museum in Honolulu.
God is not powerless. He is God who doesn’t change he gives us freedom to choose good or bad, he uses our choices whether good or bad for his good purposes. I am glad I worship God whom I can’t comprehend, the transcendent God. He is above all knowledge and wisdom. To him be the Glory forever and ever Amen.
A lovely though deeply sad and moving video. That Rabbi Sacks should mention Viktor Frankl is pertinent to me as his book "Man's Search for Meaning" is one of only two books, when asked, I ever recommend that people read.
Deuteronomy 28:1-3: "And if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, Being careful to do all his commandments ... Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field." On the other hand, Deuteronomy 28:58-59 warns: "If you are not careful to do all the words of this law ... The Lord your God will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting ..."
Well stated Semiramis. We are a hated race for whatever reason. Antisemitism is the main reason that we have a sovreign state of our own built at the cost of many many lives.
Zep_3:4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, Isa_1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; even the solemn meeting. Isa_1:14 new moons and your appointed feasts . What is meant by these words?
@@AegisNova That is an excellent question, Brian and one which we humans have often grappled with. What I'm about to write is certainly not definitive but I offer it for your consideration. God does have a will; a Divine will, and he has not hidden from us what it is that he wills. He has revealed, by the giving of his law for example, much of what his will consists of. But in general God does not impose his will upon us. One of the ways in which we are made in our Creator's image is that he has given each of us a will somewhat similar to his own, and he allows us to exercise our individual, human wills even to doubt, reject or disregard his will. He has revealed that doing so most often results in some very negative consequences, but for the most part he does not override the resolve of the individual human soul. Historically though, it is apparent that when an entire culture stands collectively and resolutely in opposition to his will he has quite often taken what might be termed "corrective action", the ancient Babylonian conquest of Judah is one such example, the collapse of the Soviet Empire might serve as another. Such a forum as this doesn't really allow for a very thorough examination or discussion of such a profound and fundamental question. So much more could be said.
That's why the world crucified Jesus, because we sinners are wicked to the core and we hate goodness. I thank God for His patience with me, saved me even when I was rebellious, gave me chance to repent and get right with Him. Praise the Lord God of Israel.
YHWH is the God of purpose, it would be harder to prove that God does not exist. Everything has a purpose, you would have to show a time and place without purpose to show their is no God
@@criisp6240for me, to ask God to consistently stop one child's cancer, one woman's rape, one car accident, and not every one, makes him more a moral monster than allowing this reality to play out without His intervention. It is also to believe in that reality you would have a consistent causality, free will, and the freedom to even deny a God exists. I came across a good youtube titled :"What would happen if God could be proven to exist" or a similar title which explores such a reality. We humans believe we could grasp the actual consequences of rewriting one single rule of how any given universe we could imagine. We can't begin to. None of us can see how leaving our home one minute earlier or later might have infinite consequences when played out fully. An atheist scientific perspective on why the physical universe has to be this way, for life to exist on our planet: "Rare Earth." An analysis of human evil: "The People of the Lie" In NDE's suffering vanishes the instant you are separate from your body. If a soul is eternal, an entire human life of infinite suffering is equivalent to the pain of a Covid vaccination in a human lifetime. No suffering, no empathy. No evil, no freedom. What was God's answer to Job? th-cam.com/video/Ltz8FYy3tBs/w-d-xo.html
God did not kill those children, evil humans did. Their blood cried out from the ground, and He repaid the Nazis for their wickedness. Freewill is a double edged sword. If humans have freewill, they have the freewill to build as well as destroy.
@@criisp6240 if you want evolution, you get viruses and cancer as side effects. Sorry, atheists. You often don't dig deeply enough into reality. Good youtube somewhere that ran through the implications of a proof of God or a God-like being. Total chaos. Maybe we need a similar one for consequences of proof of life after death or its absence. All I could share with you are the stories of my and others' experiences with a God of Infinite Love and the utterly impossible, astounding "coincidences" which point to a hidden universe which has the attributes of personality, humor, wisdom, gentleness, power, with a level of restraint and tolerance to give us humans the two most important gifts: the freedom to change human history by our choices, and the self-awareness to make moral and immoral choices using our intellect, emotions, and imagination.
He ruins it when he says God is "helpless" or "powerless." I understand what he's trying to say, but he mars it by saying something blasphemous and not even true, perhaps to sound more profound or meaningful
@@danielm.4346 Yes ; though not always ; as it depends on the circumstances ! When there is "absolute real experienced known events " in ones life ; that is KNOWING ; as opposed to blind faith , that is 50/50 certain / uncertainty !
When he says God is helpless, he is meaning that the gentle and soft aspect of God that sits and ponders the human realm was found without a solution. That he had created this creature and given it the power of himself (the Will) and because that creature was given the ultimate gift, he must allow that creature to use it. And so as He gave the creature the power to choose and as that creature chose evil, His heart broke for humanity. That the God who is always the same and keeps His promises was forced, by his own power of balance and perfect understanding . . to restrain from interrupting the evil. And that by doing that he maintained the balance in that world that would allow the rules of causality to continue in their normal function. That by not interrupting the act, he preserves and continues to uphold his gift of free will that at once was given, and once taken, would break the construct of the entire functioning reality. Because He created that reality for the creature, He loved the creature and he sent his only son as the only remedy for the problem: instead of fixing the world: pave the way for it's transcendence. And that is what God did. So from the point of view of the Jewish faith awaiting the messiah the situation still appears that God is helpless to fix us.
Human search for God outside of himself or herself.... And unfortunately God is inside us... Donot learn to search for God but rather learn to experience him.... Because he is alive in us..
Marvelous man to hear on near any subject. I love the "footnote" for all the government school kids. They get a paragraph, brushed aside, now in their "History" class like most of WWII...
I held back till I watched the video, expecting Man's Search for Meaning to come up and you didn't disappoint. Read it 2 or 3 times and has been great also read When Bad Things Happen to Good People by a Rabbi. I'm not religious but I love the stories from the Bible so poignant. I don't understand why people ask where was God. Humanity was banished from paradise to feel pain and suffering, so early in the story why do they forget that. If you believe, He is a shoulder to cry/lean on for some advice or strength to carry on but he didn't send the bad aspects to you and can't change it.
The real avoided answer to Why do good things happen to bad people and visa versa is because There are two lives and the wicked are destroyed in hell after this life, But the righteous/shomer torah and mitzvot merit gan eden (eternal pleasure) And since the wicked may have a few deeds They are rewarded in this world, And the righteous have a few sins so they are punished in this world so they wont have to go to hell.
aye, the words flow ... and ultimately mean nothing. If there were a good god, he would have stopped it (or he is neither omniptent or good - pr maybe powerful and cruel ? ) but a better bet is he doesn't exist. Nonsensical back explanations and hearing voices are ultimately what they are ;)
“Even GOD was powerless - surely this is not correct, even when it comes down to our free will. GOD can take away one’s free will as HE did with Pharoah ....”GOD hardened his heart ......”
God only hardened Pharaoh's heart after the man consistently chose to harden that heart himself. I even think God gave the man a chance by hardening his heart even more. Pharaoh's actions, getting more and more ridiculous, could have been an incentive for him to start thinking: "What on earth am I doing?" If only he had had a grain of honesty and self-reflection, his increasingly ridiculous behaviour could have been the very reason for him to open his eyes to who he really was, and change.
I respect his thoughts and words. That said, in my journey the Source us not a king overseeing his flock. Life doesn't work that way. We are running this experience. The good is us as is the evil. The Source is a part of all of us. We are never separated and after life the journey continues. We have free will to control this part of the journey. We no one to blame but ourselves. We can change it too. Looking at the state of the world today, do we really want to?
I just love how people with those beliefs can say that their almighty god is kind of the reason of everything good in life, but in another sentence can say crap like you just did. Religion is and always has been only a lie to control crowds. Very effective one indeed.
@@mauryanthony1961 Your fallacious premise is ludicrous. Your mind is blinded by your own lack of reality. Man created the god character. He is as powerful as a printed word on a page.
@@aprilmay578 To my last breath I will believe the God of the Holy Bible. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged b ut has crossed over from death to life.John 5:24
@@billyd5317 Absolutely correct! He is responsible for our image but YOU are responsible for YOUR actions and there will be an accounting. Good luck with that.
@@eddiegood1776 Your living in a prison of your on making. There are currently over 3 thousand gods being worshiped on this planet. The one you decided on tortures people for eternity. Good luck with that.
@@billyd5317 The God I believe in doesn't send anyone to hell. He warns you what will happen but we all make our own beds and have to lie in them. You determine your own fate as you WILL find out.
As a Christian, this explanation can be for any situation we face in life. One must believe that God is in control and accept the outcome of what life offers as His will for your life. I think this is called "faith". Makes life so much less difficult and stressful.
You should not rely all of your problems to God. We have a saying in our language "nasa Diyos ang awa nasa tao ang gawa" (rough translation - god provides mercy(?) and the people do actions. You just don't accept the outcome of your life, YOU decide and make the outcome for yourself. So, don't rely all things to god.
@@sak_1017 if YOU think YOU decide how your life is going to be, you are quite young and very naive or you have no understanding of God as revealed to us by his word (Bible)
@@easttexan2933 so basically if something is in "God's will" it will happen. Alrighty imma just sit here and wait for that God's will for my life since whatever I do, there is destiny🌟 that God gave me and it doesnt matter even if I work hard for something because its not God's will it will not happen. Yay
@@easttexan2933 so basically we are just barbie dolls being played by God? I don't think so. God is wise enough to give us intelligence we need and he is only watching us and not interfering because life will lost meaning if he control everything to his desire.
Where is anyone's gods ? when atrocious deaths are happening! where are they when people including children are dying of starvation, We are responsible alone !!!! For our own horrors and failures and if you take a world view ! We are still an atrocious species!!! , it's more than time we realised!
I agree but things are not hopeless. I stopped calling myself an atheist because it is a negative term. Today I am a humanist. I believe it falls to us to take responsibility for our actions and to celebrate our achievements. We must no longer hide behind a god or thank one.
I'm so sorry to hear that. This is why we must always repent of our sins. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. When we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ we are washed clean. We must turn from sin and if we do sin, repent is key. 💚
Profound. The Latter-day Saints have a scripture in which Joseph Smith is told to endure trial and that "all these things shall give thee experience." It seems to me that God seems to view experience --our reaction in the face of anything at all--as more important as the basis for an eternal justice, than is any limited mortal sense of fairness. Rabbi Sacks is fundamentally correct--God will not take back what he has given in the form of agency. I had a neighbor who said something profound when she told me "God may not balance his books every day, but he is a very good accountant and balance them he will." I'll let him take care of reconciliation. Thank you, Rabbi.
The question that most carry in them but few know how to tackle. Rabbi Sacks' approach to finding answers is first not to be afraid to ask and face the question: Where was God during the Holocaust? You are greatly missed! I had the privilege of knowing you personally. תנצבה
When the English committed Genocide in Ireland by deliberate starvation of 2.000.000 innocent Irish men women and children 170 yrs ago God was missing then as well, makes you think ?
Sadie power I’m Irish I hear what your saying & when I learnt about the Holocaust at Covent school I burst into tears a had to leave class.I just cannot understand why God doesn’t strike down evil doers?!!Especially when suffering is on such a huge scale😢
If God is all knowing and all powerful then he knows I don't Believe in him he Created me I have free will and my mind is not convinced that God exists to Believe in God I would have to lie to myself Maybe it's something my Brain that simply incapable of accepting that God so I must be Punished for my Nature which God has Created
Not Jewish, never been through that kind of hellishness, but I vividly recall being near hysterically upset when my cat manged to catch a dove and badly mutilate it. My mom went to a quiet room and asked Jehovah what could we do? He told her that the dove was going to die soon, but that He'd taken away the pain of it [I assume by the shock response]. He didn't miraculous heal the bird even though I've witness such miracles of personal healing, but He did offer us that consoling knowledge.
Truly incredible how a all-powerful God can be thanked for everything good, but every time genocide happens - eh, he couldn't do anything anyway... but if you survive a car crash...? OH SHIT GOD IS GREAT !! HE IS REAL !!!
Jews are chosen people of god in old testament.he helped them in several time and their god watched everything and did nothing during Hitler's massacre
God was busy non-existing during the Holocaust........but he answers prayers, right ? Yes.........I prayed that Friday would follow Thursday and he has answered my prayer every week so far !
I have personally known camp survivors, some kept the faith, others lost it completely....i believe it just boils down to each ones personal views ... it is not up to us to cast judgement on those who had to live through that most awful and brutal time....
I agree, compassion and listening are more important in that situation and it's so important to lift up the voices of survivors who have so many important words of wisdom and warning to share, it is also the moral thing to do.
God was here in Israel, opening up the gates of Israel for his people. Once we were helpless, voiceless and homeless; now we are no longer helpless, we raise our voices loud and proud with the truth of Israel, and........we are HOME B"H
@Mono Dan . I think "slick" is an undue compliment. I thought it was a lame hypothesis, and he was uncomfortable about voicing an answer to a question that he didn't really know how to answer
I think you're wrong. The message was/is clear. G-d gave humans freedom of choice but with the guidelines to do the right thing. It is, therefore, up to all of us to speak up and act during horrific events. There's power in unified speech and encouragement. Not apathy. So, maybe, WE have the answers. It's up to us to push for them. Read Pastor Niemoller's quote about WWII and the holocaust.
Gail : I am facing the pandemic un phased by the the threat and isolation. Your last statement borders insanity. Are the 430,000 deaths the gift of Covid?
Gail : Well, I don't live either in heaven or hell. To me, these are imaginary places. I live here on mother earth. I live without fear and I don't need to feel that I am at either end of the proverbial horse you mentioned. Your retort failed miserably to address my question about the 430,000 Covid deaths, now over half a million, many of them believing to be under divine protection.
I have heard Rabbi Sacks in countless videos speeches and talks.This perhaps, is his most profound utterance. The beauty and power of his words, literally brought tears to my eyes.
@Captain Ron His chosen people are doing just fine. Better than ever.
Lech beShalom, my dear friend. You'll always be in our mind.
*"If there is a God, He will have to beg for my forgiveness.”*
This is a quote etched on the wall of a concentration camp as noted by Andrew Eames, the author of Blue River, Black Sea.
Wow, that’s heavy. I can understand why he or she would have that feeling.
@@mmabagain probably because they were in a concentration camp.
@@matthewwilliams7580 Might be a good guess. Think we need to ponder that for some more time
What if God created evil so that we can actually understand love what if we all experience hardships and pain so that when we finally stand in the presence of God we will fully understand how amazing love feels
We look for what we cannot find. We search for that which we cannot see. What we seek is not out there. The truth lies in where we look for it.
bfwriter35
This is still one of the most profound videos I have ever seen.
Thank you Rabbi Sacks .. both powerful and enlightening.
Was saddened to learn of his recent passing. May he rest in peace.
He knows now the fullness of the Father
Amen
@@jdavidviewer87 how could he???...... since Jesus IS the father
Amen! 🙏 I am deeply saddened by his passing as well!
It's incredible and sobering that there were people who found faith in those kind of nightmarish horrific conditions. That should teach us something about the power of the human spirit and also about the different ways people respond to anguishing contexts.
Franklin talks about the lady who was about to be killed after tomorrow. She had lived voluptuous life never cared about other people/God. She said she was so happy that this had happened to her.
There was only one thing sign of life on the premise, tree that she was talking to. Franklin played along asking if it talk back. She replied Yes, saying " Im here, Im life, Im eternal life"
I guess she made peace with God and passed to life eternal
I'm a Muslim girl and I going to be a teacher. As a teacher I hope to learn my students to choose empathy over war love over hate. The world war has learned a lot of lessons. God bless us.
When a child is taught to hate another religious group from childhood, he/she, is in essence poisoned. The heart becomes corrupted. Rising above that mindset is simply, miraculous.I commend you and pray you will always choose life over death. That is the challenge for us all individually n collectively.
♡ ⚘
@Paula Wallace what's your point? Christianity indeed has tainted hands with the afire mentioned but it has been under Islam when Jews hv suffered the most. Have you not read of the Antisemitism in the Muslim world and Europe!?
I wish you great success in your efforts as a teacher...hopefully you'll touch a few of your students' hearts at the right time.
Best option if you wish to teach peace is to drop Islam and its war cries
My Uncle Survived Auschwitz. He shared many many experiences with me. Sadly, he denied God but fought all his life for judaism.
Denied God? Judaism focus on God they deny Jesus being the Messiah
@@myballsitchsomethingfierce6319 Then they deny God.
You mean he fought for his race and not GOD
I pray and ask God this every night. I pray as ask God every night to STOP child trafficking.
Shalom Rab..thanks for your excellent shiur .. may HaShem bless you for 120 years
120 years,2 months,42 days,8hrs and 3mins to be precise. Shalom.
@@weemac4645 what do you mean
I wish that my weeping, my cry, my woes and my tears had words and speak out, but they dont have words, maybe the Almighty can read then and see my pain and my anguish!
Is that a quote? Or your own words?
@@reverie_song words from the very bottom of my heart.
The Almighty DOES know and understand. God's Son will soon return. Get your bible and turn your eyes toward Jesus. Your redemption draweth nigh.
Turn to Jesus Christ before its too late. 🙏
@@sohanpatel7594 The son of Zeus? The god eating pig
And now, looking back, we should be deeply grateful for what we have now, as we also know, with faith, that tomorrow would always be better than yesterday.
We do not know, not now,not then. We can only hope.
#october7th#ukraine
I remember going to Mauthausen concentration camp when I was 13. I did not sleep well for about 3 days afterwards. It was a lovely day the birds were singing and there were insects flying around. As soon as I stepped through the gate everything went silent, there is a heavy feeling in the air. I could not wait to leave. I am now 52.
I completely share your words, your feelings, the way you looked at the Auschwitz sites. I was there too. I had the same thoughts, I felt the same overwhelming pain and need of answers. I just felt very similar to you, cannot express myself in your great words, but right now, I can’t feel any closer to you, your experience and your words. I am Christian. But that is not really important here.
My grandfather Eizic Surived the Auscwitz camps, I an extremely greatful I was able to have a great relationship with this great man and I try to honor him each and every day of my life!
Jason, where did your grandfather come from. I am an australian landy.
@@paulgerard4503 One of my grandfathers Eizic Ingber is from Romania, and my other grandfather Milt Landy is from Brooklyn, New York
@@jasonlandy3491 Thanks, the Landy side of my family came from Ireland
@@paulgerard4503 ok yeah thats interesting my Grandfather Milt Landy's side from Brooklyn is originally from Russia and England
@@jasonlandy3491 My family side were Irish catholics but I have wondered if they were converted at some point in history. A number of Jewish Landy famililies live in my area. Our side of the family have John landy famous runner of the one mile race.
May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.
Amen
Too many human beings suffer from violence from hunger from disease for me to believe in a biblical god.
When you go through history, it seems like God is not very nice dude. Or, he is exactly like in his literature - angry and vengeful individual. I thought that if there are groups of people who have no reason to believe in god, that would be jewish people and black people in the States, but here we are...
Tom Mensch (is that really your last name?). People that make statements like yours do not know God or His Word. They do not believe in evil or that wickedness exists yet here we are living in a world with humans who murder, rob, steal, cheat and lie. Free will gives us free choice but without knowledge of HOW this all came to be, then statements like yours (and you are not alone) are made.
but it is written in jewish holy scriptures that we are the collaborators of G"D in distributing food and richness in this word we have the task to preserve our planet from explatation or super production that s why in our prayers after the meals we are thanking HIM n by remembering us what to do as HIS collaborators. At the end of the days G"D will judge and reward all the humanity be sure.
The Problem of Evil. Man with free will is free to do evil.
@@esterzach Now that was a powerful sentiment. Thank you for sharing.
Perhaps God is a witness and spectator to evil and brutality, primarily. One day we all leave the Earth through the death of the body and It is said that violent death keeps us attached to the Earth. Maybe the Earth experience is simply the Earth experiment that permits evil or love. We choose.
I wish that the Earth was more than a recycling bin, but in agreeing with you, here we are.
As a Christian I feel very sorry for all the atrocities on Jewish people...Jesus said " Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy"..
"This is for crucifying my son, it's payback time." - God
@@pongangelo2048 Thats not funny
@@lucashenriques4242 dark humor is also humor, also if so called "God" exists why did he program me to be an atheist
@@aleksandrskidan9262 He didnt
@@pongangelo2048 blame the Italians too.
Did I not mention it in my diary? HE was with me all the time, HE still is.
you have a strong emuna BARUCH HASHEM
I had a serious problem about that same question after watching countless documentaries on Hitler's concentration camps and his "final solution." Nothing however did more to destroy my faith in God than reading excerpts of the Nuremberg trials. It has been more than 30 years since reading about these abominable accounts. Although I did not live during that historical era, I must confess that to this day as I write this comment, I have never recovered from the trauma and feeling of shame to be a member of the human race. Never mind that this all happened under the watch of a supposedly omnipotent deity.
Shut up
Idiot
Jesus loves the Jewish people very much they are his special people. I'm a Christian and will always love the Jewish people my mum is Jewish Shalom friend
@@joeLlukeJesusYeshua111 if that’s love, I’d rather have him stay away instead.
@@howard3921 Unfortunately it is a result of being created with free will. Humans can do tremendous good, but they can also do tremendous evil. When it comes to evil, I don't think we are supposed to understand....if we understood it, we may find ourselves accepting it.
What a righteous man. Bless him.
As a Roman Catholic, I have no words. I only have a broken heart for what my brothers and sisters in faith have endured.
The perpetrators were catholic.
@@charliebrown4624 That's why I said "my brothers and sisters."
I was a Roman Catholic up until the age of reason. You should study the history of your self serving church and learn their duplicity with the Nazi.
@@MichaelBrown-zd1zk Perhaps, you have yet to reach the age of reason? You do know how to be rude to people you don't know.
@@angeloleone9793 Actually Charlie Brown of 7 hours was quite blunt about the Catholic Church. It would appear your are quite sensitive and protective about your religion. The comment I made on reason was accurate I simply grew out of the Catholic Church which is a flawed, and feckless religious institution. You also seemed to be offended by much suggestion that you study and learn the true history concerning your church’s history. It’s history of deceit, deception, control, murder in the church’s name, blood, and lets not forget torture is unimaginable history. Today Catholic Church does not require ancient history to harm it. Present day history is destroying it very foundations. Not to many years ago two Catholic church’s in two different parishes went Bankrupt do to child sexual abuse. Individuals who are mature adults, who read and learn are aware of this institution. That is why most Americans are moving towards the Evangelical style of religion and worship. You may despise me all you wish. The truth still remain.
I have met Rabbi Sachs briefly what amazing Man.
I met Jesus briefly, couldn't understand a bloody word he said.
God was in every person who hid and helped a Jew.
No
Thank you to the Rabbi Sacks Legacy for posting these videos.
The world should never never forget...God bless everyone who lost there life's..
'There life's'? I sincerely hope English isn't your first language?
@@Tony-oz6xi twat
@@teresamccabemccabe9997 Predictable. Abuse - the immediate refuge of the ill-educated
@@Tony-oz6xi hahaha.
@@teresamccabemccabe9997 You must admit, you are a bit of a tit.
This sounds like a guy trying to make sense of something that doesn't make sense
You’re on point
Everything makes sense
Is it possible that when the Jewish people cried out to Pilate, "his blood be on our heads and our childrens children", referring to Jesus, that the holocaust was destined? The old Testament is full of promises and also curses. Jesus himself said forgive them for they know not what they do
I absolutely love it when someone cuts through the problem like you just did. It makes no sense and for some very good reasons. I often listened to Rabbi Sachs in the morning on radio 4 for years and felt this is what he has always been tied up in knots about, unable to drop his faith and face the reality.
It does make sence if you step outside of the box.
This lesson finds its way right to my heart, as a human being imagining what it might have felt like to be there. Thank you for your unforgettable lesson.
And for including details about trains, suitcases, clothes, even books, and how survivors felt God's very real presence with them, in their darkest hours, sustaining them.
😮
Well explained Rabbi
Pray that never such an evil like the Holocaust ever happen🙏
According to the Bible a worse one is fixing to come but it'll be the last one before Jesus returns
God gives us freedom and never takes it back. God said, I was in the words - you shall not murder, you shall not oppress a stranger. Rabbi you're making perfect sense to me. Beautifully spoken - thank you.
Im pretty sure God did far far worse than any Nazi, from killing first born children to let the israelites go, and demanding the slaughter of the Amaleks and medianites, including women and children and even killing 3000 israelites - his own beloved nation, and all because they would worship another god.
And lets not forget - all of mankind in a flood.
So i doubt if any human can be as bad as God.
Even the jewish Rambam called for the killing of every man who doesnt believe in the mishna and oral tora.
Yes. Religion is fun and a great inspiration for mass murderers.
@@adarwinterdror7245 my faith is that god for real promises never to ask anybody to kill or tell lies. With that in mind, I would tell you that god is the one who restored life, through the power of the resurrection to all those wonderful talented people who lost their lives. As he will do again for as long as the people wish to live and that is a long long time.
@@durwinpocha2488 the bible disagrees with you on the "not asking to kill anybody" and i gave enough examples.
And the reincarnatiin sentiment - it's a lovely one.
I just wish it was substantiated and based on facts, observations or anything to go by rather than wishful thinking.
But i also am not sure what is so comforting in this thought - if a soul doesnt know it will incarnate nor does it remember anything from past life nor can it recognize any other soul that has been re-incarnated than this reincarnation process gives no benefit or joy. It when a sould reincarnates it doesnt save the memory of the person and cant recognize other souls than its no different than the face that the dead cells break down to simpler proteins and elements and become parts of the ground, the air or food for other animals (thus, become other animals).
It sounds a bit the same to me.
@@adarwinterdror7245 I normally am not one to comment, but with the recent passing of Rabbi Sacks I feel I should make some effort here to dispute your claims. Now, I will not claim to be the most devout, nor the most knowledgeable on this subject, but in my mind condemning religion as a means only to propagate mass murder is to simplify its elements as to be almost unrecognizable from their starting point. While I will not disagree on your words about the Amaleks, for I too see the slaughter of any group of people simply for a difference of belief to be heinous, I also think it’s important to acknowledge all the good that religion has wrought for many people. The 10 commandments of the Torah helped provide laws against murder, adultery, and theft among others, and while there is the need for improvement in many of the words as society has progressed, so too can this be held for any other document of a time gone past. Religion, while certainly not perfect, provides stability and hope for many people and teaches them about love and joy. Those people who are willing to use religion to further their own self-centered goals, such as greed and eugenics and hate, to me are just that- people. People who will use any means at their disposal to further their own goals- and this can be seen not just in the abuse of religion but in the abuse of other texts as well, such as government documents and mandates. And such abuses would continue without religion, because people who are willing to do such things will find always places in which to they can manipulate and twist words to their liking. As I said before, religion is by no means perfect- I myself know many people who have been hurt by places such as the Westbro Baptist Church or other such institutions which exist on smaller scales- indeed according to many religious men because I am a women I am lesser than they. But I am not going to blame religion for that, I am not willing to take away the blame that rightly falls on those willing to say such things and write it off as “because of religion.” Men who have just as strongly believed in science as those who believed in religion have said the exact same to me, despite falling on opposites of the spectrum. Religion, much like many implements, is a tool. It in itself is not an evil, how we choose to use it is what gives it its effects. And much like any tool, it has its flaws and parts that might be in need of repair, but that does not mean the tool altogether should be taken away. Personally, I am constantly in a struggle between religion and science in my own mind, and am unsure about the existence of God or any other power. But just because of that does not make it okay for me to only take the bad from religion and good from science or the good from religion and bad from science- because both have been abused by humans throughout history and to divide them in such a way is as nonesensical as it is confounding. Both are not living, breathing things, they are utilities humanity has at their disposal. They have no agency of their own, how we choose to act is reflective on us alone. You cannot blame the fact that scientists of the Holocaust were willing to create gases and elaborate methods to kill Jews (as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community and an non-aryans they deemed imperfect) on science. No one does. They blame it on the people who used such science. So too I think should this be true for religion. Now, I’m sure there are flaws in this argument, as I am as much a human prone to error as anyone else. Even so, I ask you to think on this instead of outright dismissing it as the propaganda of a religious person (because I am really not overly religious in any way). I ask you to look at my perspective with an open mind as I did with yours. I won’t ask you to agree with me, as I don’t expect to change your mind in a TH-cam comment, but just to look deeper. I am also not asking you to believe in God for a higher power, for I can certainly not ask you to do something which I cannot myself currently do, all I’m asking for is a willingness to learn. Either way- whether you comment back to me with hate or appreciation- I hope you have a good day and stay safe in these times.
@@mars8378 Hi Mars.
Thank you for the elaborated, well thought out and well articulated post.
It's always pleasant to read other people's opinion.
A few spaces would do wonders, I must add. All it took is a sneeze here and there and I lost track of where I was reading :)
Of course I won't dismiss what you're saying. Mostly because I agree with a lot of it, but also because you spoke so pleasently and wisely.
Religion is a tool. It's a story made up by man to convince and cause the people to act in accordance to the religious leaders. In order to do that it needed to have explanatory power for the masses. It needed to be simple, or people wouldn't understand. It needed to provide answers to everything, otherwise it wouldnt be considered wise. it needs to feel wise to be convincing.
Obviously it can be used for good or bad. Every tale can.
But just as you said - people can have good or bad intentions and so were the people who wrote the bible - their intentions were good and bad. But we can't say "good" nor "bad" without asking "good\bad for what?"
And the answer is "Good for their own culture at the time". So the people who propagated the Abrahamic religion had good intentions in preserving their own culture.
Cultures and our knowledge change over time. What was good back then is now understood as horrible. We now understand much better than benefits and harms of certain actions and dogmas. We can easily tell where the religion's dogmas and perceptions of society are bad for society. we can easily tell where religion is harmful through observation of history, understanding of psychology and even science.
So obviously, religion holds good ideas. But also a lot of bad ones. It's not that some people use religion as bad by misusing it. No. They are using it as intended. Since religion is a tool to convince people to hate and kill as well as love and respect, one can only expect the religion to convince people to do both.
But religion, as apposed to any other man made tool, is grasped as truth and the best we can possible hope for because it is said to be a word of a deity that on one hand we say it can't be grasped and understood, but at the same time is said to be all good, and for some reason, people assume it is good for mankind, in spite of the evidence on how horrible the universe can be for mankind.
It's a complete paradox.
So this tool is convincing people it should not be changed, is the truth, and the ultimate good for them. So if the bible tells people to mutilate 8 days old boys, hate the gays or kill practitioners of foreign religions (Avoda Zara) than this is the base for some people's actions in the real world and that's harmful.
Then you listen to a Rabbi in a synagogue who calls some people as Amalek and claims the bible asks people to hate them. Those Amalek can be the opposite political party, other nations, other people within the same religion... it can be anyone.
and this Rabbi is absolutely sure he is doing good by spreading hate. he is convinced he is talking God's words. Spreading the truth.
and people will listen because they are convinced that a man's interpretation of the bible is true as well as the bible itself.
As you said - the bible is a tool, but unlike other tools, it doesnt admit it can be wrong. Unlike science it doesn't seek peer reviews. It doesnt allow others to doubt it. and it surely doesnt allow us to test it's truth.
You know it can be wrong, but that's because you are more aware of the issue. Most believers think religion is the best way to live by.
Other tools we have admit that they are educated guesses and matters of perspective and opinions of man so people can think (and test) for themselves if these tools are good for us. It's easy to doubt science or philosophy if it tells you to harm society. and that's a good thing.
It's not easy to doubt religion when it's telling you to do the same thing.
It has been a question, probably as old as mankind. It has confronted my adult mind for as long as I can remember. Thank you for this inspiring insight.
That was beautifully said. Bless your heart and the hearts of all people
A very good man! God Bless him!
B"H Wrong question. Where was man? That's the question. Dennis Praeger
Alex Leonard Praeger over Victor Franklin? Truly your genius knows no limits. Oy.
In our grief many questions arise. Mr. Leonard projects, and the question “Where was man?” is from him, not Dennis Praeger. It is a valid question and worthy of pondering. There is no need for insult.
Fair comment Alex.
How is this a wrong question? And btw, he only gave an answer to the living, not the dead.
Stunning!!!
I am a 4th generation Okinawan in Hawaii, This sukkot I will be the first Okinawan-Messianic- Jewish Rabbi in over 3,000 years, my uncle during WW2 helped liberate Jews in Dachau, I discovered via Living DNA I am descendant from Siberia Russia, my Mom had red hair and always wore a wig, we are Ashkenazi Jews. I have studied Hebrew Studies from 1996, later I met a Holocaust survivor, his name was Armin, he showed me his tattoo on his arm from the concentration camp. My ancestors were all Buddha Heads, but Hashem had other plans for me, I will teach Japanese speaking people Torah and help them learn about Messiah Yeshua. We at Beth Israel Honolulu will start a Holocaust Museum in Honolulu.
He was with us the whole time, he never left, he stayed with us when the rest of mankind fell deaf. Shalom.
God is not powerless. He is God who doesn’t change he gives us freedom to choose good or bad, he uses our choices whether good or bad for his good purposes. I am glad I worship God whom I can’t comprehend, the transcendent God. He is above all knowledge and wisdom. To him be the Glory forever and ever Amen.
A lovely though deeply sad and moving video. That Rabbi Sacks should mention Viktor Frankl is pertinent to me as his book "Man's Search for Meaning" is one of only two books, when asked, I ever recommend that people read.
Deuteronomy 28:1-3: "And if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, Being careful to do all his commandments ... Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field."
On the other hand, Deuteronomy 28:58-59 warns: "If you are not careful to do all the words of this law ... The Lord your God will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting ..."
Well stated Semiramis. We are a hated race for whatever reason. Antisemitism is the main reason that we have a sovreign state of our own built at the cost of many many lives.
Zep_3:4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary,
Isa_1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; even the solemn meeting.
Isa_1:14 new moons and your appointed feasts .
What is meant by these words?
@@ateachableheart2649 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.Matthew 15:8
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned
Romans 5:12
Thank you. He was in His words. His words were not in them.
One of the most moving and amaazing thing in the survivors is their faith in GOD.
Thank you for sharing your words of moral philosophy and historical truth.
Yes, dear friend, Heaven and earth shall pass away but God's Word will never pass away. Thank you.
Then what good is His will?
@@AegisNova That is an excellent question, Brian and one which we humans have often grappled with. What I'm about to write is certainly not definitive but I offer it for your consideration. God does have a will; a Divine will, and he has not hidden from us what it is that he wills. He has revealed, by the giving of his law for example, much of what his will consists of. But in general God does not impose his will upon us. One of the ways in which we are made in our Creator's image is that he has given each of us a will somewhat similar to his own, and he allows us to exercise our individual, human wills even to doubt, reject or disregard his will. He has revealed that doing so most often results in some very negative consequences, but for the most part he does not override the resolve of the individual human soul. Historically though, it is apparent that when an entire culture stands collectively and resolutely in opposition to his will he has quite often taken what might be termed "corrective action", the ancient Babylonian conquest of Judah is one such example, the collapse of the Soviet Empire might serve as another.
Such a forum as this doesn't really allow for a very thorough examination or discussion of such a profound and fundamental question. So much more could be said.
@@thomasleehardy5727 Thank you for your kindness.
He’s not powerless but keeps his covenants. Thank you for helping me with this difficult question. 👍❤️🇨🇦
That's why the world crucified Jesus, because we sinners are wicked to the core and we hate goodness. I thank God for His patience with me, saved me even when I was rebellious, gave me chance to repent and get right with Him. Praise the Lord God of Israel.
If there is à god, he sure has his gang. Chldrens did not commit any crime.
@@MichaelTheophilus906 what did children and babies do to ask for things like cancer and birth defects?
YHWH is the God of purpose, it would be harder to prove that God does not exist. Everything has a purpose, you would have to show a time and place without purpose to show their is no God
@@criisp6240for me, to ask God to consistently stop one child's cancer, one woman's rape, one car accident, and not every one, makes him more a moral monster than allowing this reality to play out without His intervention.
It is also to believe in that reality you would have a consistent causality, free will, and the freedom to even deny a God exists.
I came across a good youtube titled :"What would happen if God could be proven to exist" or a similar title which explores such a reality.
We humans believe we could grasp the actual consequences of rewriting one single rule of how any given universe we could imagine.
We can't begin to.
None of us can see how leaving our home one minute earlier or later might have infinite consequences when played out fully.
An atheist scientific perspective on why the physical universe has to be this way, for life to exist on our planet: "Rare Earth."
An analysis of human evil: "The People of the Lie"
In NDE's suffering vanishes the instant you are separate from your body. If a soul is eternal, an entire human life of infinite suffering is equivalent to the pain of a Covid vaccination in a human lifetime.
No suffering, no empathy. No evil, no freedom.
What was God's answer to Job?
th-cam.com/video/Ltz8FYy3tBs/w-d-xo.html
God did not kill those children, evil humans did. Their blood cried out from the ground, and He repaid the Nazis for their wickedness. Freewill is a double edged sword. If humans have freewill, they have the freewill to build as well as destroy.
@@criisp6240 if you want evolution, you get viruses and cancer as side effects.
Sorry, atheists. You often don't dig deeply enough into reality. Good youtube somewhere that ran through the implications of a proof of God or a God-like being. Total chaos. Maybe we need a similar one for consequences of proof of life after death or its absence.
All I could share with you are the stories of my and others' experiences with a God of Infinite Love and the utterly impossible, astounding "coincidences" which point to a hidden universe which has the attributes of personality, humor, wisdom, gentleness, power, with a level of restraint and tolerance to give us humans the two most important gifts: the freedom to change human history by our choices, and the self-awareness to make moral and immoral choices using our intellect, emotions, and imagination.
Also consider THE GREAT PARTNERSHIP by the late great UK Head Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
He ruins it when he says God is "helpless" or "powerless." I understand what he's trying to say, but he mars it by saying something blasphemous and not even true, perhaps to sound more profound or meaningful
Essentially that means God did not give a damn !
No divine intervention , because of a more important God plan . What could that be ?
@@EGMAG . That the responsibility to do what needs to be done is ours.
@@danielm.4346
Yes ; though not always ; as it depends on the circumstances ! When there is "absolute real experienced known events " in ones life ; that is KNOWING ; as opposed to blind faith , that is 50/50 certain / uncertainty !
When he says God is helpless, he is meaning that the gentle and soft aspect of God that sits and ponders the human realm was found without a solution. That he had created this creature and given it the power of himself (the Will) and because that creature was given the ultimate gift, he must allow that creature to use it. And so as He gave the creature the power to choose and as that creature chose evil, His heart broke for humanity. That the God who is always the same and keeps His promises was forced, by his own power of balance and perfect understanding . . to restrain from interrupting the evil. And that by doing that he maintained the balance in that world that would allow the rules of causality to continue in their normal function. That by not interrupting the act, he preserves and continues to uphold his gift of free will that at once was given, and once taken, would break the construct of the entire functioning reality. Because He created that reality for the creature, He loved the creature and he sent his only son as the only remedy for the problem: instead of fixing the world: pave the way for it's transcendence. And that is what God did. So from the point of view of the Jewish faith awaiting the messiah the situation still appears that God is helpless to fix us.
@@NoahHornberger I'm sorry but that doesn't make any sense to me.
Human search for God outside of himself or herself.... And unfortunately God is inside us...
Donot learn to search for God but rather learn to experience him.... Because he is alive in us..
Amen
Marvelous man to hear on near any subject.
I love the "footnote" for all the government school kids. They get a paragraph, brushed aside, now in their "History" class like most of WWII...
I held back till I watched the video, expecting Man's Search for Meaning to come up and you didn't disappoint. Read it 2 or 3 times and has been great also read When Bad Things Happen to Good People by a Rabbi.
I'm not religious but I love the stories from the Bible so poignant. I don't understand why people ask where was God. Humanity was banished from paradise to feel pain and suffering, so early in the story why do they forget that.
If you believe, He is a shoulder to cry/lean on for some advice or strength to carry on but he didn't send the bad aspects to you and can't change it.
The real avoided answer to Why do good things happen to bad people and visa versa is because There are two lives and the wicked are destroyed in hell after this life, But the righteous/shomer torah and mitzvot merit gan eden (eternal pleasure) And since the wicked may have a few deeds They are rewarded in this world, And the righteous have a few sins so they are punished in this world so they wont have to go to hell.
Welcome to Purgatory?
A nice man as an individual, but I think he’s trying to shoehorn horror and his god into some non-existent rational place.
Thank you Rabbi !!! Only God has given me strength to SURVIVE almost a decade of pure hell!!!! Former xianty longing to Convert!!
Thank you to the generous supporters of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy.
Murdering 6 million innocent men women & children who were already massively traumatised is reason to think there is no god .
Yes how can even a believer answer this...How can God be powerless, helpless? He is GOD. Finally like this fellow does, the words go on and on...
aye, the words flow ... and ultimately mean nothing. If there were a good god, he would have stopped it (or he is neither omniptent or good - pr maybe powerful and cruel ? ) but a better bet is he doesn't exist. Nonsensical back explanations and hearing voices are ultimately what they are ;)
Thanks Rabbi
Consider the book THE PERIODIC TABLE by Primo Levi
“Even GOD was powerless - surely this is not correct, even when it comes down to our free will. GOD can take away one’s free will as HE did with Pharoah ....”GOD hardened his heart ......”
God only hardened Pharaoh's heart after the man consistently chose to harden that heart himself. I even think God gave the man a chance by hardening his heart even more. Pharaoh's actions, getting more and more ridiculous, could have been an incentive for him to start thinking: "What on earth am I doing?" If only he had had a grain of honesty and self-reflection, his increasingly ridiculous behaviour could have been the very reason for him to open his eyes to who he really was, and change.
@@gerlinde9374 maybe it's more like God gave him over to his hard heart.
I don't understand how R' Sacks first answer is congruent w/ Shaar Habitachon in Chovos Halevevos.
I respect his thoughts and words. That said, in my journey the Source us not a king overseeing his flock. Life doesn't work that way. We are running this experience. The good is us as is the evil. The Source is a part of all of us. We are never separated and after life the journey continues. We have free will to control this part of the journey. We no one to blame but ourselves. We can change it too. Looking at the state of the world today, do we really want to?
This makes great sense to me.
The Lord’s Prayer - “Lead Us…from evil”
God was in the same place as he was when I was in the children's hospital, AWOL.
We had a unique opportunity to do wonderful things and we squandered it, Geoge Carlin. It's not God's fault, God gave us free will, so it's ours.!
I just love how people with those beliefs can say that their almighty god is kind of the reason of everything good in life, but in another sentence can say crap like you just did. Religion is and always has been only a lie to control crowds. Very effective one indeed.
The creator of time and space, and the sustainer of it all should never ever, be considered powerless.
Especially since the god creature is a make believe storybook character.
My God can do ANYTHING, when he's in the right frame of mind over matter. 🤯.
@@aprilmay578 In your in mind. You see you were CREATED. Your mind is blinded by your own lie.
@@mauryanthony1961 Your fallacious premise is ludicrous. Your mind is blinded by your own lack of reality. Man created the god character.
He is as powerful as a printed word on a page.
@@aprilmay578 To my last breath I will believe the God of the Holy Bible. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged b ut has crossed over from death to life.John 5:24
A memory ; you're missed, as your words still echo loud in this day.
On His throne watching in disgust at what we do to each other!
He created us in his image. That's on him.
@@billyd5317 Absolutely correct! He is responsible for our image but YOU are responsible for YOUR actions and there will be an accounting. Good luck with that.
@@eddiegood1776 Your living in a prison of your on making. There are currently over 3 thousand gods being worshiped on this planet. The one you decided on tortures people for eternity. Good luck with that.
@@billyd5317 The God I believe in doesn't send anyone to hell. He warns you what will happen but we all make our own beds and have to lie in them. You determine your own fate as you WILL find out.
@@eddiegood1776 Extreme claims require extreme evidence.
As a Christian, this explanation can be for any situation we face in life. One must believe that God is in control and accept the outcome of what life offers as His will for your life. I think this is called "faith". Makes life so much less difficult and stressful.
You should not rely all of your problems to God. We have a saying in our language "nasa Diyos ang awa nasa tao ang gawa" (rough translation - god provides mercy(?) and the people do actions. You just don't accept the outcome of your life, YOU decide and make the outcome for yourself. So, don't rely all things to god.
@@sak_1017 if YOU think YOU decide how your life is going to be, you are quite young and very naive or you have no understanding of God as revealed to us by his word (Bible)
@@easttexan2933 yeah.. Yeah.. Still that bible thing that was written by humans thousand years ago...
@@easttexan2933 so basically if something is in "God's will" it will happen. Alrighty imma just sit here and wait for that God's will for my life since whatever I do, there is destiny🌟 that God gave me and it doesnt matter even if I work hard for something because its not God's will it will not happen. Yay
@@easttexan2933 so basically we are just barbie dolls being played by God? I don't think so. God is wise enough to give us intelligence we need and he is only watching us and not interfering because life will lost meaning if he control everything to his desire.
Where is anyone's gods ? when atrocious deaths are happening! where are they when people including children are dying of starvation,
We are responsible alone !!!! For our own horrors and failures and if you take a world view ! We are still an atrocious species!!! , it's more than time we realised!
I agree but things are not hopeless. I stopped calling myself an atheist because it is a negative term. Today I am a humanist. I believe it falls to us to take responsibility for our actions and to celebrate our achievements. We must no longer hide behind a god or thank one.
We are an imperfect species, with both good and bad in all of us. It is very sad to see how some people are capable of so.much evil.
We lost our first son to SIDS, I asked God. "What did I do wrong to have this happen to me?" I knew. I had had an abortion in 1974.
I'm so sorry to hear that. This is why we must always repent of our sins. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. When we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ we are washed clean. We must turn from sin and if we do sin, repent is key. 💚
Then what good is god, we need not kneel before another being we can stand alone and always have done.
Profound. The Latter-day Saints have a scripture in which Joseph Smith is told to endure trial and that "all these things shall give thee experience." It seems to me that God seems to view experience --our reaction in the face of anything at all--as more important as the basis for an eternal justice, than is any limited mortal sense of fairness. Rabbi Sacks is fundamentally correct--God will not take back what he has given in the form of agency. I had a neighbor who said something profound when she told me "God may not balance his books every day, but he is a very good accountant and balance them he will." I'll let him take care of reconciliation. Thank you, Rabbi.
"When human beings refuse to listen, even God is powerless." LMFAO 🤣😂🤣😂
geosal61 : You get the thumbs up, absolutely. His statement totally contradicts the concept of an omnipotent God.
These soft spoken tossers twist everything to suit their own beliefs. I would not listen to their bollocks,I've outgrown that type of shite.Amen.
The question that most carry in them but few know how to tackle. Rabbi Sacks' approach to finding answers is first not to be afraid to ask and face the question: Where was God during the Holocaust?
You are greatly missed! I had the privilege of knowing you personally. תנצבה
When the English committed Genocide in Ireland by deliberate starvation of 2.000.000 innocent Irish men women and children 170 yrs ago God was missing then as well, makes you think ?
Sadie power I’m Irish I hear what your saying & when I learnt about the Holocaust at Covent school I burst into tears a had to leave class.I just cannot understand why God doesn’t strike down evil doers?!!Especially when suffering is on such a huge scale😢
How can God save slaves by parting the sea but not intervene when the the mass murders of the holocaust
What a sad avoidance of the question. Why didn't a God with all of its power intervene to stop the Holocaust?
Because God gave man feel will .
If God is all knowing and all powerful then he knows I don't Believe in him he Created me I have free will and my mind is not convinced that God exists to Believe in God I would have to lie to myself Maybe it's something my Brain that simply incapable of accepting that God so I must be Punished for my Nature which God has Created
@@leebennett1821 exactly free will
Because ,, he" does not exist.
Not Jewish, never been through that kind of hellishness, but I vividly recall being near hysterically upset when my cat manged to catch a dove and badly mutilate it. My mom went to a quiet room and asked Jehovah what could we do? He told her that the dove was going to die soon, but that He'd taken away the pain of it [I assume by the shock response]. He didn't miraculous heal the bird even though I've witness such miracles of personal healing, but He did offer us that consoling knowledge.
This is more a poetic answer than one philosophical.
God is a psychological phenomenon.
"Even God is powerless" claims the esteemed rabbi... And, astonishingly, subordinates God's will to man's.
Amazing stuff.
Truly incredible how a all-powerful God can be thanked for everything good, but every time genocide happens - eh, he couldn't do anything anyway... but if you survive a car crash...? OH SHIT GOD IS GREAT !! HE IS REAL !!!
@@TheOneAndOnlyZeno Good luck with that depression. God assigned it to you for a reason.
@@allnoyz7895 And good luck being a stupid and gullible piece of shit. God works in mysterious ways amirite??!?!?!?
There is thus no point praying to God to save your children from the enemy, because God is powerless?
Correct
Jews are chosen people of god in old testament.he helped them in several time and their god watched everything and did nothing during Hitler's massacre
Where was God during the Holocaust?... In the heart of every man & woman that helped put a stop to it. To me God is unbounded Love.
The ultimate foolishness is the belief that abject mythology is fact and then trying to rationalize why fantasy makes no sense.
Almighty God is not powerless, but he never violate his own rules which are eternal. God never interfere in human action.
He was the same place Wotan and Zeus were.
God was busy non-existing during the Holocaust........but he answers prayers, right ? Yes.........I prayed that Friday would follow Thursday and he has answered my prayer every week so far !
Thank you for this video talk
Thanks sir for your speech.
I have personally known camp survivors, some kept the faith, others lost it completely....i believe it just boils down to each ones personal views ... it is not up to us to cast judgement on those who had to live through that most awful and brutal time....
I agree, compassion and listening are more important in that situation and it's so important to lift up the voices of survivors who have so many important words of wisdom and warning to share, it is also the moral thing to do.
God was here in Israel, opening up the gates of Israel for his people.
Once we were helpless, voiceless and homeless; now we are no longer helpless, we raise our voices loud and proud with the truth of Israel, and........we are HOME B"H
Thank you for sharing words of truth. May G-d bless you and your work.
This speech is nothing more than slick sounding metaphor for, "I have no f**king idea why a god didn't intervene."
@Mono Dan . I think "slick" is an undue compliment.
I thought it was a lame hypothesis, and he was uncomfortable about voicing an answer to a question that he didn't really know how to answer
@@danielm.4346 I think I like your interpretation of his total bulls**t explanation as much as mine...well done
I think you're wrong. The message was/is clear. G-d gave humans freedom of choice but with the guidelines to do the right thing. It is, therefore, up to all of us to speak up and act during horrific events. There's power in unified speech and encouragement. Not apathy. So, maybe, WE have the answers. It's up to us to push for them. Read Pastor Niemoller's quote about WWII and the holocaust.
I'm seldom speechless 😶
Pardon?
I believe he used the jews as an example of the denial of jesus as lord
I will always remember you. Rabbi...
WHO ?
Victor Frankl gives a 1972 lecture, at a chalk board, about a flying lesson, online, worth 4 minutes of your time.
God is helpless? Well that’s a new definition...
No. It is an ancient and lasting definition.
@@Peter_Kalve God is all knowing and all powerful. How can he be helpless?
,, God" is bullshit and nonexistent.
@@mikekaatman3194 What’s with the weird quotation marks?
@@carpballet ... dont' ask me* .
Very moving.
He was probably in the same place he is during the pandemic ..
@@balfe1gail I am an atheist and I am getting along fine.
Gail : I am facing the pandemic un phased by the the threat and isolation. Your last statement borders insanity. Are the 430,000 deaths the gift of Covid?
Gail : Well, I don't live either in heaven or hell. To me, these are imaginary places. I live here on mother earth. I live without fear and I don't need to feel that I am at either end of the proverbial horse you mentioned. Your retort failed miserably to address my question about the 430,000 Covid deaths, now over half a million, many of them believing to be under divine protection.
The power of free will.