When tragedy strikes the innocent, can theology provide satisfying answers? Two influential Jewish works grapple with this timeless question through radically different approaches. Harold Kushner's bestseller "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" confronts theodicy through personal tragedy, proposing a limited God whose power is constrained - a perspective that, while emotionally resonant, fundamentally challenges traditional Jewish monotheistic doctrine and ultimately falls short of resolving the problem of innocent suffering. In parallel scholarly territory, Rabbi Irwin Haut's "The Talmud as Law or Literature" critiques David Halivni's groundbreaking methodology in "Mekorot u-Mesorot," particularly his theory of the stam (anonymous editorial layers) and departure from traditional talmudic interpretation. Through critical theological analysis, this review finds merit in Haut's legally-focused critique of Halivni's literary approach, while identifying gaps in Haut's grasp of literary elements within talmudic texts. Together, these works illuminate the persistent tension between traditional religious scholarship and modern critical methodologies in contemporary Jewish intellectual discourse.