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The Holocaust: Who or What Was to ‘Blame’?
Whenever the topic of the Holocaust is brought up, you can feel the tension rise in the room. The small Jewish group I facilitate was no exception. In pursuing the topic recently, I learned a great deal, not only about others’ thinking, but about the issues I had been struggling with for years.
To be clear, I’m not talking about the Germans and the war and atrocities they committed; I’m referring specifically to whether G-d was to “blame” for letting the Holocaust take place, or whether the Jews were responsible, at least in part, for their own deaths. As you can imagine, it can be a pretty dicey topic to tackle, but I believe that it was worthwhile.
Almost everyone in our group believed that G-d should have interceded before 6 million Jews and a total of 12 million people died. I was prepared to present a more complex point of view, and I proceeded to lay out my own thinking.
Cynics are lapsed idealists. They began with great expectations. Then they discover that life is not easy, that things do not go as we hoped they would. Our efforts hit obstacles. Our plans are derailed. We do not receive the recognition or honour we think we deserve. So we retreat into ourselves. We blame others for our failures, and we focus on the failings of others. We tell ourselves we could have done better. –Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
Do you remember the phrase, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach”? I was thinking about this cynical comment, attributed to H.L. Mencken, and wondered if the teachers who chose to be teachers in the 20th century were aware of his statement and if their decision to become teachers was affected by it.
“I attribute my success to this — I never gave or took any excuse.” — Florence Nightingale
We all must be born with an irresistible impulse to blame others. From the time we are toddlers, one kid always steals another’s toys to get back at him, or one calls the other a name because she was mean. It’s always somebody else’s fault. Unfortunately, many people don’t outgrow that compulsion.
There’s nothing like getting up on a promising new morning, grabbing a cup of your favorite coffee, and browsing the news only to get depressed within minutes. The Drudge Report is now like forgetting to take out that rotten smelling trash last night. I thought well, the latest story from a respected journalist like Peggy Noonan might freshen the air. No, it belongs in the garbage can with the black banana peels. Trump can’t handle a crisis, his “photo op” at the church was stupid, Joe Biden is way ahead, the country is about to lockdown again, thugs are winning…. I’m ready to go back to bed.
“Responsibility is a unique concept… You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you… If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible.” ― Hyman G. Rickover
