בס׳ד

"Where does it say that you have a contract with G-d to have an easy life?"

the Lubavitcher Rebbe



"Failure is not the enemy of success; it is its prerequisite."

Rabbi Nosson Scherman



23 Dec 2012

The letter

A little over a week ago, Jeff Dunetz posted a letter to G-d in which he questioned how G-d could let a man walk into an elementary school and kill 26 people. My immediate thought turned to a post I had written a while back about how it is best not to ask G-d "why?" because you might be taken up to heaven for an answer.

This week I came across an interview of a journalst asking a rabbi "why did G-d do it?" No, I am not going to link to the interview as I disagree with what was said.

I asked a relative for his thoughts about the correct response to the question and he showed me an email with a photo of a T-shirt which is shown below. He didn't say that the words printed on the T-shirt were the right answer. And I am not going to provide one either. Because I am not 
G-d.

5 comments:

  1. Only shock to the public will cause necessary change. The tragedy that
    befell these children and their educators is so horrific, that it stands out from the other 10,000 annual gun deaths in America.

    America has a severe problem, which stems from the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. Until it is repealed, murders will remain commonplace. Perhaps G-d took his angels back to heaven so that America can once and for all do what it right!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. בימים אלו קיימת סכנה גדולה כשמדברים על דעת תורה והשקפה ובכך בנקל מגיעים לשפל המדרגה כאשר משוחחים סרה בגדולי ישראל בקרירות ובזלזול ח''ו, לצערנו כבר שומעים על כך בראש כל חוצות במחנות שונים, בתקשורת, גם אצל ציבור היראים בני התורה ועל כך יש מאוד להתחזק בענין זה של כבוד לתלמיד חכמים שההפך ממנו חמור עד מאוד כמובא בגמ' בשבת, 'כל המזלזל בתלמיד חכם אין לו רפואה למכתו'
    צריך לישא בעוז וברמה על חומרת הענין של הזהירות בכבודם של תלמידי חכמים והחומר שבדבר בלדבר סרה במנהיגי הדור אשר עליהם נאמר, 'לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יאמרו לך ימין ושמאל'. אוי לדור שכך עלתה בימיו, גדול יהיה כבודה של תורה ומנהיגיה אם יכבדו צדיקים ע"פ תורתנו הקדושה.
    עלינו לדעת כי זלזול בתלמידי חכמים ובמנהיגי הדור זוהי פגיעה בכלל עם ישראל, בכל התורה כולה. אנחנו צריכים לקבל על עצמנו הרבה תשובה והרבה תיקונים על הקלקול הזה, שלא יהיה לנו שום שותפות ושייכות לכך בכלל ובפרט, עין רואה ואוזן שומעת וכל מעשיך בספר נכתבים.
    הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה (שְׁלשָׁה) דְבָרִים. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, יְהִי כְבוֹד חֲבֵרָךְ חָבִיב עָלֶיךָ כְּשֶׁלָּךְ, וְאַל תְּהִי נוֹחַ לִכְעוֹס. וְשׁוּב יוֹם אֶחָד לִפְנֵי מִיתָתָךְ. וֶהֱוֵי מִתְחַמֵּם כְּנֶגֶד אוּרָן שֶׁל חֲכָמִים, וֶהֱוֵי זָהִיר בְּגַחַלְתָּן שֶׁלא תִכָּוֶה, שֶׁנְּשִׁיכָתָן נְשִׁיכַת שׁוּעָל, וַעֲקִיצָתָן עֲקִיצַת עַקְרָב, וּלְחִישָׁתָן לְחִישַׁת שָׂרָף, וְכָל דִּבְרֵיהֶם כְּגַחֲלֵי אֵשׁ:

    ReplyDelete
  3. In reply to Anonymous #1. Guns do not kill, people do. Those who are intent on committing these heinous acts will do so with a million and one tools you can think of. Everyday in the middle east, people are murdering others with suicide bombs. People have a right and obligation to protect themselves from crazies or just evil itself. Common sense would be if everyone would just think for a moment longer and realize that if there was even one person there with a weapon, the nut job could have been taken out before killing even one or at least reached him before he would have taken so many innocent lives. History has shown over and over again that once self-protection (weapons) are taken away from a country's citizenry, tyranny and dictatorships take over. Recent memory: Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin, Hitler and it goes on. There are so many laws on the books already for carrying and owning guns; the question is - are they enforced? What has to be looked into are psychotic drugs given to children, narcotics and the violent medias of today. Those are the real problems. Quite strange, there is such a flurry of so many mass murders within such a short time frame, isn't it? Only when Moshiach comes, will there be no more wars or need for any weapons. Until then, let's not be hasty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am anonymous #1. In anticipation of Moshiach's imminent arrival, it would show "good faith" for mankind to eliminate the scourge of guns. America, with all its freedoms, faces none of the concerns you cite. Instead, it should lead the anti-gun initiative by repealing the 2nd Amendment.
      Either with or without Moshiach present, all guns in America will soon be gone!!

      Delete
  4. To the last Anonymous here - you are completely wrong when you state that it cannot happen in the U.S. Most everyone today sees many, many signs which were no different than other countries, where first there was a democracy with great freedoms, and when things started going downhill, mainly because of the economy and social disorder (immorality, violence), it quickly turned to dictatorship, with first guns of the citizens being taken away from them. Read your history. Also, most Republics which the U.S. is, do not last more than 250 years. If you do believe in Moshiach, then you should understand, everything that is happening today is leading up to his arrival, but every Jew should always be on the right side of things, especially when we are commanded to do tshuva at this point of history, moreso than ever. What is really needed is common sense. Laws already on the books must definitely be enforced and maybe other minor changes, but to say that disarming the citizen even goes against Torah.

    ReplyDelete