[Avodah] Feedback, causality & G-d

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Daniel Eidensohn wrote:

> I am working on the issue of feedback. I can not find any Jewish
> sources regarding feedback - to pick a reference and modify behavior
> or processes or efforts to maximize the referent. This is a
> fundamental Western idea - but not Jewish. It seems that the
> official Jewish view is that human effort does not cause success but
> only provides merit which justifies G-d making you successful. This
> issue cuts across a wide range of issues from child abuse, education,
> parnossa etc etc.

I don't have a clear understanding of what you are referring to. When I think of "feedback", I think of some sort of self-reinforcing mechanism.

For example, many mitzvos regulate our emotions: we are told to be happy at these times, to be sad at those times, and to believe in G-d at all times. When the question is raised, "I either feel that way or I don't; how can I control it?", one of the answers frequently given is to immerse oneself in a group of people who feel that way, and their feelings will slowly but inexorably "rub off" on the individual.

It seems to me that this would be the sort of Torah idea that RDE is looking for in the first half of the portion that I quoted. But the second half confuses me greatly. RDE seems to be saying that even if an individual immerses himself in a society which is sad on Tisha B'Av, and which is disgusted by child abuse, this does not guarantee that he will be successful in his efforts to become a person who is sad on Tisha B'Av, and who is disgusted by child abuse.

I suppose I'd have to agree. Guarantees are hard to come by in this world.

But be careful, be *very* careful. If one gets too close to "the official Jewish view ... that human effort does not cause success but only provides merit which justifies G-d making you successful", he'll run the risks of relying on his merits and not bother with the required hishtadlus. He'll choose not to buy a lulav, figuring that even if he buys one he might lose it, and even if he doesn't buy one, a lulav might happen to become available. So why bother?

And similarly, because there is no guarantee that feedback will work, he'll also not bother with immersing himself in a community which is sad on Tisha B'Av and which is disgusted by child abuse.

Or, more likely, I've totally misunderstood the question.

Akiva Miller

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