Abraham Twerski, a ḥasidic rabbi, has made his career as a psychiatrist specializing in treating addiction. He is also devoted reader of the popular comic strip Peanuts, which he frequently cites while working with patients and in his numerous books on Jewish topics. Eventually he developed a friendship with Charles Schulz, the comic’s creator. Aaron R. Katz writes:
During [their first] meeting, Schulz asked Twerski if he could pose a theological question, a proposal in which Twerski, of course, acquiesced. Schulz proceeded to ask Twerski for his thoughts on theodicy, the question of “why bad things happen to good people.” Twerski responded by noting that this question has its roots in the Bible, and even Moses asked and failed to receive an answer.
Remarkably, Twerski told Schulz that one response to the question of theodicy is in fact found in a Peanuts strip. When Schulz asked which strip, Twerski responded by reminding Schulz of a Peanuts strip from 1959: in it, Linus is seen laboring to build a very intricate sand castle. Suddenly, it begins to drizzle and before long, the sand castle is wiped away by the torrential rain. Linus then says to himself: “There’s a lesson to be learned here somewhere, but I don’t know what it is . . .” Twerski, despite being well versed in matters of Jewish theology, admitted that he found Linus’s statement to be a profound response to the age-old question.
Read more on Tablet: http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/194546/twerski-charlie-brown