JNS.org – And now for the weather!

No, I’m not a meteorologist, but we are all seeing very real changes in the weather around the world. The eastern United States recently experienced record-breaking low temperatures and lots of snowfall owing to a polar vortex. Here in South Africa, we experienced the most uncomfortable heat wave in memory in December. Now, Johannesburg has had nearly two weeks of nonstop rain. Both are highly irregular for a country that boasts one of the most delightful climates in the world.

Then there are the terrible natural disasters that have struck different locales directly or indirectly from the weather, from flooding in Europe to raging wildfires in Los Angeles. One of my cousins lost his home in Pacific Palisades, where entire neighborhoods burned to the ground.

According to the National Safety Council, weather-related deaths in the United States are up by 20% since 2019, and injuries are up by 120%. The question is: are we going the way of Noah and the great flood? Are all these weather-related disasters some form of Divine retribution? Should I get a poster proclaiming “Repent, ye sinners! The end is nigh” and stand in Times Square during rush hour?

Overwhelmingly, scientists believe that the main cause of climate change is not godly but human. Over the last century, burning fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas, which are “like a blanket wrapped around the Earth trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.” More than 90% of scientists agree that inappropriate human activity is causing climate change.

Scientists also have natural explanations for hurricanes, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and even tsunamis, but I’m not sure they can put the blame for those natural disasters on human wrongdoing.

For the most part, I think it is safe to say that we can connect the dots and argue that behaving irresponsibly with our planet brings its natural consequences. I may be a rabbi, but that doesn’t mean I must believe that every natural disaster is the Creator punishing us for messing up His world. It is not sacrilegious to believe in actions and outcomes, in deeds and consequences. That is nature, which is central to the Almighty’s vast eternal plan for the universe. Personally, I don’t appreciate all the catastrophizing, but maybe we really should get busier with renewable energy sources.

So why am I writing about the weather? Because, just as our every ecological action brings a reaction, so it is in our Jewish lives. If a factory has been dumping toxic waste into a river for 15 years and then the authorities discover that the river is contaminated, is that Divine retribution? No. We did that to ourselves. It is a natural consequence of our misconduct.

For instance, a man loses a loved one, God forbid, and decides to be a strong and silent tough guy. He doesn’t observe shiva, a week of Jewish mourning, and goes right back to work after the funeral. If he develops bleeding ulcers three months later, is it God punishing him for not observing our traditions of mourning? I don’t see it as a punishment, but the natural consequence of not having availed himself of the therapeutic benefits of the shiva experience. Non-Jewish psychologists have marveled at how our ancient Jewish mourning traditions are an effective form of bereavement therapy.

And so it goes down the line with all our traditions. God didn’t give us a “To Do” list of commandments to make our lives difficult. Each one carries with it a blessing not only in the Hereafter but here and now in our physical lives. Every mitzvah brings along its own set of blessings in this world, too.

A brit milah is a covenant with God. It is an indelible spiritual bond between the Jew and his Maker. It just so happens that it also has health benefits. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported, circumcision can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by about 60% (in addition to other health benefits). Is that why God commanded us to do it? Not at all. But God would not tell us to do something that is not good for us in any way. It is essentially a spiritual procedure but comes as no surprise that it is good medical practice, too.

And it is the same when the Torah guides us in our marriage choices. I was once counseling a young woman who had become romantically involved with a fellow she could not marry halachically, by Jewish law. She was angry at God, Judaism and the rabbis for ruining her happiness. It had taken her many years to find a partner, and now that she finally found someone she wanted to marry, we wouldn’t give her a chuppah. I really felt her pain.

As gently as I could, I explained to her that if the Torah prohibits a certain marriage, then it should not be taken as God sitting in heaven and throwing lightning bolts at her, but, rather, that Hashem Himself was whispering some infinite wisdom in her ear. “My dearest daughter, I know it looks good and feels good, but trust Me, this one is not for you.”

Marriage is tenuous at the best of times. Wouldn’t we all love to have a crystal ball to confirm if our choice of a partner is meant to be or not? Well, the Torah is God’s wisdom and much more reliable than any person reading a crystal ball. I was so pleased that she heard me out and broke off the relationship. I was even more pleased when I heard that she had later found someone else, got married according to Jewish law, and is, thank God, living happily ever after.

And so it is with all our Jewish traditions. While they may mainly be for spiritual reasons, they are good for us on every level, and bring physical and material blessings as well.

In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. It is one holistic, integrated universe. Heaven and earth are inextricably linked. God isn’t throwing darts at us. He is bestowing the most beautiful blessings on us and our families.

The post Deeds and Consequence first appeared on Algemeiner.com.