To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility

There is no answer to the question, “Why do the innocent suffer?” at the level of thought. The only adequate answer is at the level of deed, in the long journey toward a world in which the innocent no longer suffer. To be sure, there is acceptance in Judaism. We call this tzidduk hadin, coming to terms with suffering and loss, saying that “all that

Sincere, thoughtful caring-about is crucial but its main contribution, Noddings writes, is in “suggest[ing] ways to extend caring-for to many more recipients.”15 In the same vein, I think, the laws of tzedakah enshrine the primacy of caring-for.16

Sincere, thoughtful caring-about is crucial but its main contribution, Noddings writes, is in “suggest[ing] ways to extend caring-for to many more recipients.”15 In the same vein, I think, the laws of tzedakah enshrine the primacy of caring-for.16

To offer help to those in need, hospitality to the lonely, or encouragement to those wrestling with difficulties, is to do a mitzva, a holy deed. It is to do what God does: He “supports the fallen, heals the sick, and releases those who are bound.” We can heal some of the wounds of this world. We can do something; and we should never be discouraged