Is it really always possible to change the evil decree over the Ten Days of Repentance?
Three years ago, it was decreed that over 1,200 people would be murdered in the largest and most barbaric pogrom since the Holocaust. Unfortunately, our beloved son, Daniel, was one of those killed and then taken captive on that tragic day.
With two sons then combat officers, my wife and I prayed so hard for the well-being of our sons among all the soldiers of Israel. The prayers of our people and so many families for their loved ones were unable to change the terrible decree.
Many of the dreadful and horrifying deaths that are mentioned in the famous and haunting Unetaneh Tokef prayer tragically happened on that fateful day.
“How many shall pass away and how many shall be born; who shall live and who shall die; who shall live out his allotted time and who shall depart before his time; who [shall perish] by water and who by fire.
“Who by the sword and who by a wild beast; who by hunger and who by thirst; who by earthquake and who by pestilence; who by strangulation and who by lapidation; who shall be at rest and who shall wander.
“Who shall be tranquil and who shall be harassed; who shall enjoy well-being and who shall suffer tribulation; who shall be poor and who shall be rich; who shall be humbled and who shall be exalted.”
Who imagined that in the year 2023, and in an independent Jewish state, so many Jews would wantonly be burned and tortured by hideous terrorists who harassed, tormented, and caused immeasurable suffering, as the stirring prayer emotively expresses?!
But then, dramatically, the prayer rapidly shifts – this terrible fate is not inevitable, and it can be changed.
Despite the harshness of judgment and the meting out of evil decrees, the stirring prayer ends with the powerful declaration: “And repentance, and prayer, and charity change the evil decree.”
According to this prayer, there is a way to avert the evil decree – deep repentance and return to God, intense and heartfelt prayer, and charity and genuine generosity can absolutely change the decree.
But do they?
So many people die every day of the year. So many died on that horrific day. Did all those who perished not pray and repent enough? Did they not give enough charity?
Clearly, it is not so simple. The question of why the innocent and righteous suffer is amongst the greatest questions and quandaries facing all who believe in a kind, caring, and just god.
How can the suffering of so many good people be reconciled with God’s absolute divine justice? This conundrum has confounded our greatest prophets and sages throughout the generations.
We clearly do not have all the variables, don’t see the full picture, and our understanding is finite.
God runs His world according to absolute divine justice, although we can’t always fathom it.
But how does the formula work?
Despite our best intentions, heartfelt prayers, earnest repentance, and commitment to charity, people die every day from sickness, accidents, or heinous acts.
It seems that no matter what we do every year during this time, so many people suffer during the year ahead.
Blessing even in a curse
If I can accept that, for some reason we may never understand, it was decreed on Rosh Hashanah three years ago that this would be Daniel’s last, it will open up a vista to deal with this ordeal.
Indeed, the very thought is harrowing for me, as Rosh Hashanah was the last time I had both our sons, Yonatan and Daniel, together with us, praying together with me over the two days.
They were both in the army over Yom Kippur and with us at different times over Sukkot.
So if I can accept that there was an evil decree that cannot be changed, that very acceptance can help me move forward.
To see that somehow within the ordeal of Daniel’s terrible death and capture, so much additional pain and suffering has mercifully been removed.
There is so much divine mercy, kindness, and compassion within the harsh and painful judgment.
Firstly, we couldn’t have asked for a more merciful death. Despite 163 days of pain and challenge for us while hoping that Daniel was alive and would return home, we found out that it appears that he had died instantly.
He was never alive in the hands of Hamas. He never suffered and will never suffer. There is much mercy in this.
Secondly, we could not have asked for a more meaningful death.
Daniel died while fighting for almost two and a half hours against a cruel invasion on arguably the most fateful day, not only of his life, but of the State of Israel. He died defending his people, living out his and our deepest values.
Thirdly, it was Daniel’s decision and his decision alone to leave the safety of his tank position outside Nahal Oz. Nobody commanded him, and nobody forced him.
He chose to be loyal to the pledge that he undertook when he entered the army to cling to the task at hand and do everything he could to save his fellow Jews and Israelis. He chose to charge into battle – it was his and his crew’s decision.
Fourthly, he died “al kiddush Hashem” – dying as a Jew and for being a Jew. This, according to our sages, is the highest spiritual level that a Jew can attain.
Lastly, he died saving many other lives – hundreds, according to the head of the Southern Command of the IDF around the Nahal Oz base and kibbutz, which amounts to generations of people.
None of this can bring Daniel back. However, it does soften the deep pain and challenge, adding measures of mercy and meaning around his passing.
Much evil within the harsh decree was mercifully removed.
There is much blessing even in a curse when we choose to live in God’s world.
Rabbi Doron Perez is the president of the World Zionist Organization and the executive chairman of the Mizrachi World Movement.