LEAD TIDBIT:
Another look at D'varim 29:28
Phil here. I try for the editorial “we”, but it doesn’t always work. If personalizing Torah Tidbits is a flaw, then I’m guilty. But I want to share some thoughts about what is sometimes (for me) the most important of the Torah’s 5846 p’sukim. I know that I’ve written and spoken about this pasuk many times in the past, but what I have to say bears repeating and there is also a new angle added.

Many questions challenge us in our lives as humans and as Jews. Some are relatively easy to answer and some are very hard. And some are close to impossible and some are actually impossible, although some of us will refuse to accept that notion. And that’s part of the problem.

The difficulty of a question should not discourage us from seeking answers. But the possibility of not ever being able to find an answer must be under- stood and believed, so that our failure to find an answer will not have adverse effects on our attitudes and behavior as people and as Jews.
Why can’t we wear garments of wool and linen, but the Kohein Gadol can and we can wear blends of cotton and wool? How does gravity work? Is the universe finite? And many more questions about Torah and Judaism as well as about the world in which we live.

And then there are these kinds of questions. How could the Holocaust have happened? How can a baby die in his crib? How can wonderful, special people be blown up on a bus or in a cafe?

There are (and will always be) hidden mysteries that are G-d’s; and there are many things that have been revealed to us. Because of this, says the end of the pasuk, we are required to “keep all the words of the Torah”. These words include believing unswervingly in G-d, loving Him, always being faithful to Him and Torah and Mitzvot. EVEN if we cannot understand everything He does... and allows to be done. Always ask questions, but know this pasuk.