In the Jewish tradition, doubt and despair are not sacrilegious. They are not signs of weak faith or spiritual sin. On the contrary, struggling with God, arguing with God, fighting with God, even accusing God of crimes against humanity—these are all very much a part of the Jewish, particularly the Hasidic, soul.

In the Jewish tradition, doubt and despair are not sacrilegious. They are not signs of weak faith or spiritual sin. On the contrary, struggling with God, arguing with God, fighting with God, even accusing God of crimes against humanity—these are all very much a part of the Jewish, particularly the Hasidic, soul. The willingness and courage to be aware of and experience the dark side of life, and the consequent despair we feel when we do so, is what distinguishes authentic faith from wishful thinking and denial. Despair is faith’s darker handmaiden. There is no faith without doubt and despair, just as there is no good without evil, no day without night. To be authentic, faith must be all-inclusive—encompassing Auschwitz as much as it encompasses paradise. ~ Miriam Greenspan, Healing Through the Dark Emotions