Why Have You Done Bad to this People?!

Have you talked to G-d Today Esther. I was quite shocked to read you are quite shocked. Just as the Alter Rebbe Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi in Tanya quotes RAMBAM, Talmud, and Zohar that we can not even fathom G-d's knowledge for he is the Knower, Known, AND Knowledge. EVERYTHING happens for a reason. This is the foundation of Chabad Chassidus and all Chassidus. Divine providence. With that said, just because there is a reason doesnt mean we know it, understand it, or can even fathom it. You want to spend the day thinking up reasons for the Holocaust? You will never know if you are right so dont cheap the tragedy. All we can do is trust in G-d and beg him to redeem us with Moshiach! NOW! Reply

Since when are we such hypocrites? It's quite shocking to me to read such an article on Chabad.org.
If you say that we can't know why G-d does such catastrophies you take away meaning from this world of for everything that happens. I learned myself from a Chabad person that everything happens for a reason and that G-d wants us to see his hand in every action, be it small and minor or huge and signifiacnt. While we might be far away from being on level to interpret those calamaties I believe that there are righteous people who can do it. And to make such general statements that everyone who will comment on it is wrong will lead to hatred and is in a way Loshon Hora (evil talk).
In addition I really don't understand why everyone is so shocked about the fact that it happened to Haiti. Do people have eyes in their head? Everyone is trying to be so political correct that they corrupt the truth for it. Reply

There's an article in today's UK Times (by Ben Macintyre), that makes a connection between physical and spiritual slavery.

We should learn to place less confidence in modern science which mostly denies the very existence or God or at best, subsumes it under the a body of scientific theory that is not fully understood.

A lack of proper knowledge of God mankind of the ability to understand his own Personhood, prevents him from loving others, and of a sound mind needed to overcoming challenges such as this. Reply

why hve you done bad A Jew must know that "ein od milvado", there is nothing in this world but G-d and His will. Yes, an earthquake, like everythilng else in this world, IS His will.

While we do not know why those unfortunate Haitions where chosen, our Sages tell us in no uncertain terms what our reaction must be.

We must realize that "there, but for the grace of G-d, go I" . We must know that just as He made it happen there, it could have happened here.

We are supposed to take it as a warning. Yes, we have to be afraid for our own lives.

It says "when dissater strikes far-away islands (iyim rechokim), and I will lay them desolate , without inhabitants, if My people
will not repent, I will bring the disaster closer."

In short, it is very dangerous to take G-d out of the picture, and out of our lives, even if it seems the easy way out. Reply

Investigating my sins and others I found that quote interesting but got something else out of it. My understanding is that if something bad happens to me eg. if I get a lung disease, I should try to figure out if I did something to cause it (Did I smoke? Then I need to stop) However, I may find that I did nothing to cause it and that is a perfectly acceptable answer.
As a nurse I once took care of a man who keeps strict Kosher. The hospital made a mistake and sent him clam chowder. He ate one clam before we identified it and fixed his diet orders. Then he said "I keep making little mistakes like that. That;s why G-d has given me colon cancer." I told him I don't think G-d works that way. Then I remembered we were on the psychatric ward and I have often wondered which came first the psychiatric illness or the idea of an exessively punitive G-d.
On the question of whether the doctor is cruel to telll you that you have cancer, Drs tell you the problem and plan a cure. They don't blame. Reply

Donate! There are many organizations, and Chabad is one (see above). Donate to organizations that have a proven track record, such as Partners for Health, UNICEF, Oxfam, Physicians Without Borders. Beware of scams because, sadly, they do exist.

As to the Messiah, I think we're all going to do this together, and, as leader is to lieder, perhaps it's about the music, recognizing this, and joining together to do this "in concert". I think it's going to happen.

My life is strange, and I am recording constant astonishment of story by way of this entity, called by Carl Jung, synchronicity, and at the same time, I am seeing something very very deep about language itself.

So I know, and I can say this, because what I have on paper, cannot be refuted.

This story will lead us someplace deep, and we must perform acts of tikkun olam, whatever we believe, knowing this is about The Family of Man. Reply

Now CHABAD has a Donation Site Rabbi Shimon Pelman, the Chabad-Lubavitch representative to Haiti's neighboring Dominican Republic, has emerged as uniquely positioned to provide strategic assistance. Intimately familiar with the people, the culture, and the bureaucracy, he has proven himself a vital link in the chain of aid delivery.
Rabbi Pelman has mobilized an agile task force on the ground that has already delivered truckloads of fresh produce, medicine and moral support directly to those who need it most. He is also providing pivotal support to myriad of foreign volunteers and especially to the Israeli Defense Forces who have set up the largest, most advanced and effective hospital in Port-au-Prince.
Donate to the Chabad Haiti Relief Fund where you can also stay abreast of the latest information and the latest photos of this extraordinary work as it unfolds.
May the merit of the compassion you show be repaid by G-d, measure for measure

MyCHABAD.org/special/campaigns/haitirelief/donate.asp?site=chabad.org Reply

Whosoever sins in secret or walks with a proud and haughty bearing "crowds out the feet of the Shekinah" (Ḥag. 16a; Ber. 43b; comp. ib. 59a). Reply

An Eternal Plan It seems impossible that after having so much Jewish and other history passed and the world still suffering these kinds of disasters, that there is no eternal plan for the eventual messionic era of perfection and true peace. So my question is how long will it be?

And can we not hasten the time before it comes by making a few sacrifices of ourselves for the sake of later generations? Today we support a government which seems determind to get deeper and deeper in debt in order to ease our present-day troubles whilst storing up even worse trouble for our posterity. This behavor is immoral and seems to be a postponement of the messionic age.

By giving greater opportunities to earn a fair living it would achieve far more. The cost to Wall Street should be fairly balanced against the cost to poor unemployed families. My calculation suggests that 20% mortgage failures will cost perhaps 2 trillion Dollars compared to 5 years unemployment of 10% of the US labor which costs 100 trillion. Reply

Look to the words! I was going to stop commenting. I would say for all of us, in deep ways, life is a "mine field" and that can be taken in many ways. We hit the rocks in life, we all experience tragedy of one kind or another, and certainly loss. When it comes to a major unspeakable disaster, this earthquake, I think it's sobering for us all, because we're all in this together, the family of man, and I do believe, however you parse this out, what we can do is put the kind back into mankind.

To throw rocks at people who are down, is an act that is about the opposite, about hate, and it does presuppose this notion of "the other". We need to stop this entirely, as we are all of us together in life, and realizing we are more connected than we ever thought possible is moving into a unity, a union with all life, and I believe this is where we are headed, or should be.

If witnessing such a tragedy doesn't move us, then I think we still have a long way to go with respect to the notion of compassionate love. Reply

Comment Thank-you. Reply

Haitian tragedy Thank you for your beautiful, meaningful, thoughtful words. Reply

Very True I agree, that with any large crisis that occurs there are many that try to twist it into some form of damnation. It serves no good to be so unkind. Rather than spend the energy it takes t say such unkindness, take that energy to open your hands in aid, and close your mouth. It takes more strength to do that than to spout off with blame. My father always says, "We are responsible for our own actions, speech and thoughts, as well as the direct consequences of them. If you are unable to atleast restrain your own, what makes you think that some one else will?" Reply

Enough already I am fine with enough already. As to confusion, I am personally not confused and as to rabbis, and others, I read the Boston Globe on line and it's quite amazing, the stupid, unintelligent, and hateful commentaries on line. I am not saying the rabbis are about hateful or unintelligent though we might not necessarily, agree.

I agree that something so easy, seems to be so hard. But if we got it right, after all this time, we'd all be in a different place, and I think that's the goal. You are, so right. Reply

Thanks Ruth Why is it so hard or so complex to feel compassion. I have never seen so many troubled and confused Jews and Rabbis. Enough already. Shalom. Reply

Re: reward & punishment I find this man, Reb Daniel's statements repugnant. I think he needs to think before writing such garbage. God is not punishing the Haitians for their beliefs, and in fact, even in such misery, such astounding earthshaking events, events which might shake faith itself, they are praying, and they do continue to trust in God.

Please! People writing in this way, and a Rebbe??? So you probably believe that the Holocaust was due to the Jews lack of worship, and their superstitious and evil ways.

Maybe it's time you took a long look inwards at history and, yourself. Reply

To Reb Doniel I'm truly humbled to know that there are people like you who have the answers to all the questions, and know why G-d issues His "punishments."

Pray, would you like to share with us the terrible sins committed by all those killed in 9/11? Reply

Reward and Punishment This is likely not a popular idea, but it is certainly the Truth. G-d operates on the basis of reward and punishment (Deuteronomy 28:15). The Haitians are known to be idolaters, who practice Voodoo. In Brooklyn, where there is a big community of Haitians, there are stories of kids being kidnapped, women being set on fire, death curses being put on people, and all sorts of other horrors. Non-Jews are bound by the Noachide covenant, which forbids idolatry. G-d warns that those who violate His commandments will be cursed. Plagues came upon the Egyptians, Sodom and Gomorrah was cursed, and Greece and Rome were destroyed as well, all who were idolaters. G-d warns that unless all His children hearken unto His commandments, there will be a price to pay. While we should have nothing but compassion on the Haitians, who are suffering, and remember the quote from Sanhedrin 10b, in which G-d told us to have mercy even on our oppressors,. who are His children, G-d's promises are Real. Reply

Acts of God I believe we cannot judge another person in the sense that victims, innocent victims, of such cataclysmic events are not to blame for such events, and never were. There was a rebuke from God when the drowned Egyptians were spoken about in negative ways. Why? Because we're all in this together, all children of the same God.

When I see suffering I am moved to tears, and I am moved to trying, as best I can to figure out if there is anything I can do. I think deep empathy is absolutely putting oneself in that person's shoes. It could be us, and life teaches us how that feels, because yes, in ways we cannot know, as we go through life, we are asked to bear and deal with suffering on all levels.
There does seem to be an in built learning curve to all life.

As for Haiti, I am reading about problems of poverty, overpopulation, the lack of medical equipment, etc. on line in commentaries about such a nightmare, such a burden of suffering. Better a million and more acts of kindness! Reply

Rabbi Taub the Wise: You are an example to all When I see someone else suffering, I can take this as an impetus to examine my OWN conduct, but I have no right to use someone else's suffering as an excuse to look into THEIR conduct.

All moral lessons must be applied to MYSELF. I cannot judge YOU. I cannot preach to YOU... ESPECIALLY when you are suffering. Reply