hiding God

Heschel argues there is a basic flaw in the premise on which the question Where is God? and how could He have allowed the Holocaust to have happened?, rests, ie, humanity blaming God for what are in truth our own sins and failures. Heschel cites the biblical prophets' distinction between a "hidden God" (one who is absent or elusive in essence) and a "hiding God" (one who forsakes the people only after they turn away from him). It is the latter term, the "hiding God" that properly describes the state of our current relationship with the diety as well as God's true nature. Man causes the tragic situation by fleeing from God. He argues that we who have turned away from our creator are responsible for what has subsequently befallen us, and it is now our responsibility to turn back to God, who waits longingly for our return.