Where Was G-d in the Holocaust?

The question in the headline is not one that is simply "asked;" it is rather cried out in pain! Unlike many questions that do not have an intellectual answer – such as, "Where was G-d when a baby died yesterday? Where was He during a variety of catastrophes that have occurred throughout history, some even worse than the Holocaust?" – it is specifically the Shoah that continually ignites anew the "Where was G-d?" debate. Delving deeper, we note that the reason for this actually directs us towards a more profound issue. Our question is actually a cry of despair that the Shoah appears to justify. For the Holocaust did not sprout up in a vacuum

14. Yom Ha-Sho’a: Holocaust Remembrance Day

Chapter 4: Yom Ha-Sho’a

Unlike Yom Ha-zikaron, to which the Chief Rabbinate consented, the Torah sages at the time objected to the establishment of this Remembrance Day (commonly known as Yom Ha-Sho’a) on the 27th of Nisan.

From Destruction to Revival

Translated by Hillel Fendel

Rav Tzvi Yehuda Hakohen Kook, saw the terrible destruction of the Shoah in the context of the great construction of the Redemption. While the Exile was being all but destroyed, he Nation of Israel was being built up in its homeland.

Four Fourever

The Cause of & the Solution to Antisemitism

Much has been written on the cause of Anti-Semitism, but, as usual, Rav Kook has an innovative take on the issue. The she'ur deals with this unique historic phenomenon of hate, but also sees the light, regarding the optimistic, but inevitable solution. Am Yisrael, as the conscience of mankind, inevitably is going to be hated until the world matures, but maturation is just an issue of time.

The State of Israel as the Moral Answer to the Holocaust

The State of Israel with her Jewish army, is clearly the national answer to the Holocaust, but Rav Kook sees it also as the moral answer, to bring morality not only to individuals, but also to the masses and the nations, as the Or LaGoyim, Light for the Nations. In short, Yom HaAtzma'ut should be the answer to Yom haShoah, in both security and ethics.

YOM HASHOA: FIRE AND LIGHT

The Key To Kedusha

Holocaust Memorial

The Spiritual Legacy of the Holocaust

Several stages of the continuing evolution of our nation's comprehension of its greatest tragedy: Rejection of the Diaspora, remembering the victims, and the beginnings of incorporating this indescribable catastrophe into our understanding of G-ds scheme for advancing the world.

The Tenth Day Of Tevet

Maybe Things Will Change Again

Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Day

Israel's Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Day on 27 Nisan ought to be dedicated to the promotion of the "Jewish family." Certainly the last request of the six million Holocaust martyrs must have been that the Jewish people should persevere and thrive.