[Avodah] Giving Reasons for God's Actions

[Joseph C. Kaplan]

On Mar 16, 2011, RSBA wrote, in connection with giving reasons for tragedies:

> A friend just sent me a scan of Brochos  59a.
> 
> The gemara gives the reason for earthquakes  (and tsunami) happening - when
> Hashem remembers His children suffering amongst the Umos Haolom, he is
> "morid shtei dimaos leyam hagadol - vekolo nishma misof haolom v'ad sofo"
> 
> So may be quote this gemara when discussing earthquakes??

You can quote any aggadata you want including references to God's anthropomorphic "tears in the ocean."  But I still believe it's a grave error, and without any real basis, to link these symbolic tears to any particular earthquake, especially one that resulted in the deaths of thousands of men, women and children. 
Joseph Kaplan
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