Children suffering for the sins of their parents?

Hi,

A stark, intellectual view of the way the universe works:

"It is possible, without any impropriety, for chance to cause children to suffer punishment for parental sin; there is no impropriety (עוול) involved, at all. 

"If a person were to sin against the government and they would punish him justly, such that he would lose his wealth, this would cause punishment for his children, who would be paupers and would not inherit anything that they had been due to receive from their father's assets."

(Commentary of Ralbag to Yehoshua 7:1)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

An approach to the success of apparently wicked people

Hi,

"Rav Huna said: What is the meaning of Chavakuk 1:13, "Why do You look upon traitors, why are You silent when the wicked swallow the one who is more righteous?" Does a wicked person swallow up the righteous? It is written (Psalms), "He will not abandon him to his hand", and "No bad thing will happen to the righteous"!

"Rather, the wicked can swallow up one who is more righteous than he is, but not one who is fully righteous. Alternatively, the time which is opportune for the wicked is different."

(Talmud, Berachot 7b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

When Gd is hard to find

Hi,

Responses to the Roman destruction of the second Beit haMikdash, and the massacre of Jews:

"Abba Chanan said: Psalm 89 says, "Who is like You, mighty Gd?" Who is like You, mighty and tough, such that You hear the mockery and blasphemy of wicked Titus and You are silent?

"In the yeshiva of R' Yishmael they taught: Exodus 15 says, "Who is like You among the mighty [אלים]" – "Who is like You among the mute [אלמים]".

(Talmud, Gittin 56b)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

And His Name will be One

Hi,

Zecharyah 14:9 says that in a Messianic Age, "Gd will be One and His Name will be One."

The Talmud comments:

"Is He not "one" now?

"R' Acha bar Chanina explained: The next world is not like this world. In this world people respond to good news with "Blessed is the One who is good and provides good," and to bad news with "Blessed is the Judge of truth," but in the next world all will be "The One who is good and provides good.""

(Talmud, Pesachim 50a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gd and Evil

Hi,

A provocative statement:

"All is envisioned by Gd beforehand; even the evil which Gd does not want to take place is foreseen...and Gd gives permission for that to occur, too."

(Maharal on Pirkei Avot 3:15)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Divine Control and Free Will

Hi,

"The evil a person commits generates its own evil, and the good generates its own good…

"This is what Gd desired when He created the world – He wanted one human being to be able to affect another, even to do harm, and even for evil to happen to a person on earth simply because of bad Mazal."

(R’ Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, Emek haNetziv, Sifri Bamidbar 42)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Good people suffer first?

Hi,

An interesting observation regarding Divine punishment:

"Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmeni said, citing Rabbi Yonatan: Punishment comes to the world only when there are wicked people around, but it begins with the righteous.

"Thus the Torah says, 'When fire escapes and finds thorns, and grain is consumed..." Fire escapes when it can find thorns [ie wicked people], but it starts from the grain [ie righteous people]."

(Talmud, Bava Kama 60a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Daily Torah Thought - 2/14

Hi,

"All is envisioned by Gd beforehand; even the evil which Gd does not want to take place is foreseen...and Gd gives permission for that to occur, too."

(Maharal on Pirkei Avot 3:15)

Have a great day,
Mordechai