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Beit Midrash
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- Jewish Laws and Thoughts
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- The Coronavirus Pandemic
translated by Hillel Fendel
Question: * Hello Rabbi, my mother was stricken with a very serious case of Covid-19. I was abroad before the onset of the pandemic, and was not allowed back into the country to see and help her on her sickbed, even though others with less important reasons to return to Israel received a permit to do so. Thank G-d, I was ultimately able to return, and my mother recovered completely. But I don't understand why G-d doesn't ensure that there be justice in His world? How can it be that He did not enable me to fulfill His commandment of honoring my mother, yet allowed others with far less important needs to enter Israel?
* Shalom Rabbi. I am 15 years old and was born with a severe medical problem. I visited tens of rabbis who promised me, in vain, that everything would be OK. Every year on my birthday I undergo a crisis of faith as the same question again painfully arises: Why did G-d bring me into the world with such a defect?
* From the standpoint of faith in G-d, why did the Corona plague come upon the world? Could it be that everyone is wicked? If so, then shouldn't the Redemption already have arrived, given that we know it is supposed to come in a generation that is either totally guilty or totally righteous?
* Hello, I own a business, and in the wake of Corona and the various lockdowns, I was unable to make a living for my family for over a year. My children saw me in total helplessness. Happily, things are now better – but why did G-d want me to suffer? For what reason? Or could it be that there is no reason…?
Answer: During the course of our lives, we all encounter many different situations, some of which are very difficult and create great hardships. We strive to understand what could be their reasons, but generally without success. And the truth is, even if we would understand, it wouldn't help us very much – because knowing the reason we are suffering would not make it go away. We would still have to struggle with it and fight it, until we overcome the difficulty.
When faced with difficult questions, G-d expects us not to sink into the quagmire of asking "Why?" He wants us rather to invest our efforts into overcoming the problem. This is what happened when our forefathers found themselves on the shores of the Red Sea, being pursued by the Egyptians and seemingly with no way out. Moshe Rabbeinu began to pray to G-d, Who said (Ex. 14,15): "Why do you scream to Me? Speak to the Children of Israel and let them get moving!' That is, instead of crying out, "Why is this happening?" we must take responsibility and seek out what we can do to solve the problem – even if it means jumping into the Red Sea!
Several traditional Jewish sources explain that G-d purposely hides from us the reasons for evil and suffering in the world – for if a person would know G-d's reasons for allowing injustice and suffering, he would not fight against it! A person rises up against evil because he sees no purpose for it – and thus fulfills G-d's will! G-d wants him to struggle and fight against the bad that he sees around him - and not simply ask questions about it, and certainly not to ignore it.
This, then, is the "reason" for suffering: So that we will overcome it! The question that can really advance a person who is struggling with hardships is not, "Why did this suffering come upon me?" It is rather, "What is this suffering coming to teach me? What does G-d want to tell me via this hardship that I am facing?" One who deals with this type of question begins to learn new things with each aspect and facet of his struggle, and thus turns the hardship into a staircase on which he ascends and reaches higher heights.
Ein Aya Complete G-dliness Doesn't Weaken But Enhances Natural Drives
Ein Aya Shabat Chapter B Paragraph 50
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
