What Is the Purpose of a Short Life? Rabbi Aron Moss on the Souls of Disabled Children

“My friend gave birth to a baby girl with a rare syndrome that left her severely disabled. The doctors say her life expectancy is no more than ten years. I just don’t understand why G-d would do this. If life has a purpose—what could possibly be the purpose of such a short and sorrowful life?”

Rabbi Aron Moss offers a deeply moving response, published on the Chabad website: 

“Every birth is a risk,” he begins. “The soul descends into this world pure and whole. But there’s no guarantee it will remain that way. This world is a maze of paths leading in many directions—some good, some not—and it’s up to us to choose which way to go. Once the soul enters a body, it becomes free, and therefore vulnerable. Vulnerable to evil. Vulnerable to corruption. While good deeds elevate the soul to great heights, wrongdoing can leave permanent stains on it.”

Then, he offers a profound insight: “Some souls are simply too pure to take that risk. They are too sacred to gamble with. These are souls that are too high, too lofty to be exposed to the dangers of this world. But if they didn’t come down at all, we would never get the chance to meet them—to hear their message, to be moved by their presence.”

So what happens instead? “These precious souls do come down into the world,” Rabbi Moss continues, “but in order to protect them from the potential dangers of earthly existence, they are placed in bodies that will shield them. Bodies that cannot compromise their sanctity. They enter the world in a way that is beyond sin, beyond corruption.”

“From a purely physical perspective,” he writes, “we may describe such souls as ‘disabled’ or ‘impaired.’ But from the soul’s perspective—they are protected. They will never sin. Their stay in this world is usually brief. And though from a worldly view it seems tragic, in truth, they fulfilled their mission while remaining completely pure.”

Rabbi Moss then shifts to a powerful lesson about love: “These special souls remind us that real love doesn’t need a reason.
We often love people for what they give us: We love our children because they’re cute, smart, and successful. We love our spouses because they make us feel good. We love our parents for their care and sacrifices. All of that is love—but it’s not pure love.”

But when a child is born who may never achieve success, who can’t offer pride, status, or achievement…“All those external reasons to love fall away. And what’s left is the purest love of all—Love not because of what they do, not because of what they might become one day, but simply because they exist.”

“These pure souls remind us how love is meant to be,” he concludes. “Only a holy soul like this can awaken such a holy response in us. We can only stand in reverence before them—and before the parents, caregivers, and friends who devote themselves to them. And we can only be grateful that, for even a short time, we were given a glimpse into what true love really means.”