[Avodah] proofs of G-d

[Eli Turkel]

RDE

<<Bottom line is that you have apparently totally misunderstood what I
have written. The sources I cited note that it is important to maintain
the belief that good and bad are the consequences of one's behavior.
Consequently these sources say that when something good or bad happens
one should make the attribution to particular behavior. In addition the
attributions are not just concerned with what happens to you as an
individual but what happens to your community. The Kuzari acknowledges
that we don't really know for sure what the causal relationships are.
Nevertheless these rishonim [not chazal] assert that it is important to
view causality between the actions of the individual and community and
positive or negative results.>>

If RDE is stating that we attribute punishments to actions in order to
do teshuva
then I completely agree and this is precisely what RYBS meant. He stresses that
we don't know why things happen but the important thing is to learn a
lesson from
these events.
I remember reading recently of some community that had several tragedies and the
rabbis gathered the community together for prayer and teshuva - this
is precisely the
correct attitude.

Unfortunately too often the tragedy is used to blame others and say we
are okay it
is "their" fault. If there is a drought it is the fault of the "those"
sinners if we have plenty
pf rain it is because "we" are good.

It is interesting that in the story of kamtza and bar kamtza that the
person who made the meal
and threw bar kamtza out is never mentioned. Even bar kamtza is a name
that has no meaning
beyond the story. The purpose of the story is not to blame these
people as individuals but rather
to learn for "ourselves" proper behavior

Eli Turkel



-- 
Eli Turkel