In terms of the "why bother trying to be good" question, I think the idea behind Unetaneh Tokef is that one-liner in the middle, after the list of possible fates - that teshuvah (repentance), tefillah (prayer) and tzedakkah (often translated as charity, but it's got a connotation of something we are obligated to do rather than just helping someone out voluntarily) will avert the "evil of the decree" - that is, whatever is decided is subject to change if we do the right things
In terms of the broader question, that is one that was the focus of the sermon - how to explain evil in the world. The rabbi pointed out that there are two types of evil - man-made (things like war and crime) and God-made (things like earthquakes, hurricanes and genetic diseases). Within a monotheistic theology, the first is easier to explain - that is, God gave people free will, and this is a consequence of that. "God-made evil", however, is a very difficult thing to explain. He went through a bunch of possibilities, and his conclusion was, he just doesn't know. He did, however, note that one side-effect of "God-made evil" is that it makes mankind a bit more humble. I can't recall whether he said or implied that it's a reminder that we can't control nature. (This was not offered as a reason for it, but just as a consequence of it.)
As an aside, however, in the cases of both the recent earthquake and hurricanes, there is some manmade evil involved as well that probably made things worse. This comes in the form of neglect. For example, if people in the right places had listened, the levees in New Orleans would have been repaired and improved, and perhaps there would have been less flooding. Yes, there would have been damage, but it might have been less severe. Same goes for evacuation plans. In terms of the earthquake in Pakistan, I don't know for certain, but I am guessing that most of the buildings there are not build nearly as well as the buildings we are used to. From what I understand, most of the people affected by the earthquake were living in extreme poverty before the earthquake, which means their homes were not as well built, and they had less access to resources both before the earthquake and now.
None of that was said in the sermon, but I think that may have been at least slightly implied - that we can't control for "God-made evil", but that we can control for "man-made evil" - and that taking care of our fellow human beings can very much lessen the impact of the "God-made evil".
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In terms of the broader question, that is one that was the focus of the sermon - how to explain evil in the world. The rabbi pointed out that there are two types of evil - man-made (things like war and crime) and God-made (things like earthquakes, hurricanes and genetic diseases). Within a monotheistic theology, the first is easier to explain - that is, God gave people free will, and this is a consequence of that. "God-made evil", however, is a very difficult thing to explain. He went through a bunch of possibilities, and his conclusion was, he just doesn't know. He did, however, note that one side-effect of "God-made evil" is that it makes mankind a bit more humble. I can't recall whether he said or implied that it's a reminder that we can't control nature. (This was not offered as a reason for it, but just as a consequence of it.)
As an aside, however, in the cases of both the recent earthquake and hurricanes, there is some manmade evil involved as well that probably made things worse. This comes in the form of neglect. For example, if people in the right places had listened, the levees in New Orleans would have been repaired and improved, and perhaps there would have been less flooding. Yes, there would have been damage, but it might have been less severe. Same goes for evacuation plans. In terms of the earthquake in Pakistan, I don't know for certain, but I am guessing that most of the buildings there are not build nearly as well as the buildings we are used to. From what I understand, most of the people affected by the earthquake were living in extreme poverty before the earthquake, which means their homes were not as well built, and they had less access to resources both before the earthquake and now.
None of that was said in the sermon, but I think that may have been at least slightly implied - that we can't control for "God-made evil", but that we can control for "man-made evil" - and that taking care of our fellow human beings can very much lessen the impact of the "God-made evil".