Why it's cool to work at a Temple
In looking for a business contract, I found this gem in one of my former bosses High Holy Days sermon stuff. Rebbe=Rabbi
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
A young man once came to Menachem Mendel of Kotzk and complained,
“Rebbe, I can no longer believe in God.”
“Why is that?” the Rebbe inquired.
“I cannot believe in God because the world is so filled with pain, with suffering, with ugliness and with evil. How could there be a God in such a world?!” the young man answered.
“Why do you care?” asked the Rebbe
“What do you mean, why do I care?” the frustrated young man explained. “How could a person not care?! Innocent people suffer, the world is ruled by the cruel and the heartless, its beauty is drowning in evil. I care because it hurts me so and I can’t understand why a God would let it be this way!”
Again, the Rebbe inquired, “But why do you care?”
The young man grew even more exasperated. “Someone has to care! Someone has to witness the pain of the world and cry. If not, then all the suffering is meaningless. If no one cries, then the universe is a dark, lifeless place. I care because I want with all my heart to see a better world for my children and for theirs. I owe it to them to care!”
And again, the Rebbe asked, “But why do you care?”
And now the young man lost his composure altogether and he wept. “I care. I have to care. I must. It’s what and who I am.”
“Well then,” the Rebbe responded, “If you care that much, then God exists.”
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
A young man once came to Menachem Mendel of Kotzk and complained,
“Rebbe, I can no longer believe in God.”
“Why is that?” the Rebbe inquired.
“I cannot believe in God because the world is so filled with pain, with suffering, with ugliness and with evil. How could there be a God in such a world?!” the young man answered.
“Why do you care?” asked the Rebbe
“What do you mean, why do I care?” the frustrated young man explained. “How could a person not care?! Innocent people suffer, the world is ruled by the cruel and the heartless, its beauty is drowning in evil. I care because it hurts me so and I can’t understand why a God would let it be this way!”
Again, the Rebbe inquired, “But why do you care?”
The young man grew even more exasperated. “Someone has to care! Someone has to witness the pain of the world and cry. If not, then all the suffering is meaningless. If no one cries, then the universe is a dark, lifeless place. I care because I want with all my heart to see a better world for my children and for theirs. I owe it to them to care!”
And again, the Rebbe asked, “But why do you care?”
And now the young man lost his composure altogether and he wept. “I care. I have to care. I must. It’s what and who I am.”
“Well then,” the Rebbe responded, “If you care that much, then God exists.”