The Meaning of Suffering in the Thought of Abraham Joshua Heschel

This essay is dedicated, with gratitude, to the memory of A. J. Heschel, whose work has inspired both my religious vocation and my academic work, on the centenary of his birth.

In this essay I will first consider the mystery of evil from the perspective of the Jewish tradition. Then, drawing on the theological reflections of Abraham Joshua Heschel, I will elaborate on the theme of the sufferer as person and the person as sufferer. Next I will examine the topic of suffering as a matter of anthropodicy rather than of theodicy. Then I will analyze the prophetic vision which sees man as a source of evil and sees suffering as both punishment for sin and means of redemption. Finally, I will consider the problem of suffering and redemption in rabbinical theology and briefly outline some approaches to suffering in hasidic thought.