Job Chapter 16
Burn in Hell, Raisi
Her name was Nika Shakarami. She was a 16 year old Iranian girl. You can see her on videos singing without a hijab. She joined the protests against the theocracy. Security forces kidnapped her. They raped her. They beat her to death. They did it on behalf of the same regime that praises American protesters. She wasn't their only victim. A week ago, Ebrahim Raisi, who authorized Nika Shakarami's murder, died in a helicopter crash. Guess who the United Nations honored? Eliphaz wasn't completely wrong. The wicked do suffer. Sometimes they pay for their crimes. I like to think that Nika's blood cried out for vengeance and G-d answered her with a helicopter crash. Only she's still dead. Her family still misses her. Ayatollah Khamenei and the rest of the pig fuckers still run Iran. How many more innocents will they murder before they fall?
“If I was in your position, I could scorn you and shake my head. Only I would actually comfort you.” (16:4-5) That's Job claim. Would a tragedy free Job be any better than Eliphaz? Maybe. Maybe not. Job thinks that he would say the right thing and comfort the mourners, but mourning is hard. Grief does not bestow empathy. A Job knows not to act like Eliphaz, but there are so many other ways to make things worse.
Last Sunday was the 33rd day of Omer, Lag B'Omer, Shavuot is two weeks away. On the first 32 days of the Omer, we mourn the death of Rabbi Akiva's 2400 students. Rabbi Akiva was the religious authority in the Bar Kokhba rebellion that started about 60 years after Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Bar Kokhba and his followers resisted the Roman occupation, attempted to re-take Israel. Rome was too strong. Bar Kokhba died. They burned Rabbi Akiva and killed his followers. On the 33rd Omer day, we celebrate Akiva's five students (including Shimon Bar Yochai) who survived.
Her name is Shamima Begum. She was a 15 year old London-based Muslim girl. Her parents were from Bangladesh. Like most teenage girls, she was prone to extremism and poor decisions. She was groomed, brainwashed and raped. Ten days after she ran away from home to join ISIS, she married a predator almost ten years her senior. She convinced two friends to go with her. They died. She had three babies with her rapist. They also died. Britain removed her citizenship. YouTube videos treat her like a joke. According to many, she deserves everything. She's 24 years old and she's seen more tragedy than Job. She can't got home. Strangers gleefully hate her.
Job can't speak his pain. It doesn't make things better. It only invites abuse. G-d keeps fucking with him. He hears the jeers. G-d grabs Job by the neck and crushes him. G-d pierces Job's kidneys and spills his bile out. What did Job do to deserve this? Why does anyone deserve their pain? In very rare moments, we can see the answer and the answer is just. Ebrahim Raisi and Hitler deserved to die screaming. The Nikas and Shamimas deserved better. Where is the pity, G-d? Where is the justice?
Why did Rabbi Akiva's students die? According to our sages, they did not give each other k'vod (respect). Whether they were discussing donkey rental or shabbat laws, one would see things one way and the other would see them another way. They wouldn't consider each other's perspectives. They were too busy being right. What would the Book of Job be like if his friends actually listened? What would the world be like if people listened to each other instead of waiting for their turn to speak?
His name was Dursley McLinden. He was a talented young actor. When he was a teenager, the newspapers started reporting on AIDS. Had governments taken it seriously, they could have had treatments, community outreach and even vaccines by the end of the decade. They didn't, not until Ryan White, a hemophiliac child, got AIDS. By that time, Dursley was infected. In 1988, he played a soldier on Doctor Who. In 1988, he first fell ill. He was 23 years old. Two years later, he received his diagnosis. Instead of acting in Shakespeare and EastEnders and Merchant Ivory, he spent his late twenties raising money for AIDS charities and dying. In 1995, the AIDS cocktail transformed AIDS from a death sentence to a treatable condition. In 1995, Dursley MicLinden died. He was 30 years old.
Job's prayers are pure. He hasn't hurt anyone. He does not choose violence. He weeps perpetually. He covers himself in sackcloth. What is left for him? He can't find comfort. He has no hope. If he has a friend, an ally, a witness, they must be in Heaven, because they certainly aren't on Earth. The only thing he knows that he will die one day.
So many good people die too soon. So many bastards die late. We celebrated Lag B'Omer with bonfires and food. The Bar Kokhba rebellion was one of the greatest tragedies in Jewish history. After that rebellion, we would continue to live in Israel but as guests of colonizers – Romans, Crusaders, Ottomans, etc. - for another 1800 years. We celebrate the end of tragedy, but we cannot forget it. A week ago, millions celebrated the death of Raisi, the Butcher of Tehran. Sometimes the wicked die and G-d seems just. Yet, Raisi's victims are still dead. Nika Shakarami spent her last moments in terror. Shimon Bar Yochai lived. Thousands died.
Religious fanatics. AIDS. Evil regimes. The world is unfair and cruel. We should do all we can to relieve the burden. Sadly, too often we add to the cruelty. Eliphaz thinks that he's being kind. Job corrects him.
If only Eliphaz would listen.
Next Week: More from Job
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Thus is beautiful-- I have never seen the book of job tied to modern life so well.