8
.
man? This question is greatly beloved
impose
upon
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.
h
b
Judaism, and she has placed 1t att
very center
yhf
ld of thought. The halakhah 1s concerned
o er wor
.
d . h
h,
·th th.15 problem as· it is concerne
w1t o t . er
Wl
d
roblems of permitted and forb·dd
1 en, 1·
1ab·1·
11ty an
xemption. We do not ·in q u ir e about the h1dden
ways of the Almighty, but, rather, bout he path
wherein man shall walk when suffer1ng str1kes.We
ask neither about the cause of evil nor about its
purpose, but, rather, abo‫ז‬.it how it might be mend­
ed and elevated. How, shall a pers n actina time of
trouble? What ought a man to do so that he not perish in his afflictions?.
The halakhic answer to this question is very sim.ple; Afflictions come to elevate a person, to purify
and sanctify his spirit, to cleanse and purge it of the
dross of superficiality and vulgarity, to refine his
soul and to broaden his horizons. In a word, the
function of suffering is to . mend that which is
flawed in an individual's personality. The
halakhah teaches us that the sufferer co111m.its a
grave sin if he allows his troubles to gQ to waste
and remain without meaning or purpose. Suffering
occurs in· the world in order to contribute som.e­
thing to man, in order that atonem.ent be m.ade for
him, in order to redeem him from. corruption, vul­
garity, and depravity..From. out of its m.idst the suf­
ferer must arise ennobled and refined, clean and
pure. "lt is a time of agony unto Jacob, but out of it he
shall be saved" Geremiah 30-:7); i.e., frorn out of
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