[Avodah] who is going to Gehenim

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 12:53:57PM +1100, SBA wrote:
: 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??

It depends how.

Explanations that involve the many dying for the sins of a few not only
defy the whole thrust of seifer Iyov, as would any other explanation.
(As per my prior posts on the thread.)

In addition, any notion that 10s of thousands of people who never heard
of two boys in jail died, and countless mores injured, lost everything
they owned, etc... because of their country's sins defies "haShofeit
kol ha'aretz lo ya'aseh mishpat?" Hashem was willing to save the entire
Sedom vaAmora region for the sake of a few tzadiqim.

There are 50 or so "liquidators" in Fukushima right now. "Liquidator"
is an industry term, as shocking as the concept it describes. 50 nuclear
technicians who volunteered to be on the staff that can be sacrificed
to prevent the worst of the disaster. 50 people who chose to stay with
the reactor so that others can live. People who were able to conquer the
most basic yeitzer of survival for the lofty sake of the many... can we
ascribe terms of "justice" to their future suffering and death?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             With the "Echad" of the Shema, the Jew crowns
micha at aishdas.org        G-d as King of the entire cosmos and all four
http://www.aishdas.org   corners of the world, but sometimes he forgets
Fax: (270) 514-1507      to include himself.     - Rav Yisrael Salanter