yasher ko’ach “ben levi”! i’m starting to feel like i’m on this liberal american site where ‘am hanivchor’ is a dirty word. “we are all equal. live and let live. everyone’s entitled to his/her own opinion”. we are not the ones who decided who should be chosen or indeed, that anyone should be chosen. that was HKB”H’s decision as detailed countless times in the Tora. And so, to make the stupid comparison between Moshe Rabeinu’s ta’ana on HKB”H regarding His beloved and adored Chosen People, whom He had JUST sent Moshe Rabeinu to SAVE, and between the Ovdei A”Z in Haiti – as Shais Taub (One “Rabbi”) does, is just a sign of flattery toward Liberal secular Jews, and Goyim.
Actually, though, this whole approach to tragedy (“it just CAN’T make any sense, it just CAN’T be understood, it just CAN’T be any message”) comes from the difficulty we had after the Holocaust when noone was willing or able to accept or understand what HKB”H did to our – His – people then.
However, in reality, EVERY tragedy – including the Holocaust – is meant to send PEOPLE a message: “Hayoser goyim HALO YOCHI’ACH? HAMELAMED odom da’as!!” “Ashrei hagever asher t’yasrenu koh UMITOROSCHA T’LAMDENU!” “Rak b’einecho sabit, v’shilumas r’sho’im tir’eh!”
The only reason Moshe Rabeinu couldn’t understand what was happening in Mitzrayim was because we were already in the stage of ge’ula! He had just ben sent to SAVE us, and this suffering was part and parcel of the ge’ula and the BENEFIT for US! For such understanding one must see, feel, understand Hashem’s ENTIRE PLAN in advance! This was something Moshe did not yet understand at that time.
Besides, it is always beneficial and praiseworthy for a Jewish leader to argue WITH HASHEM that he can’t accept any suffering on k’lal Yisro’el, and that they should always be the recipients of obvious compassion and open good. We find the same later with Gid’on, who was chosen by Hashem for the very reason: that he displayed his love for HASHEM’S BELOVED CHILDREN by arguing With HASHEM for our benefit. We NEVER find, on the other hand believing Jews saying such things to the PEOPLE! We do find apikorsim doing that… So, if someone wants to talk to Hashem or his tzadikim about the subject, by all means, go ahead!
R’ Shmuel Birnbaum and Harav Avigdor Miller z”l were far from the only ones who were in Europe in the leadup to the Holocaust, lost family, friends and Rebbes there, and still went on to explain publicly and privately “lecho Hashem hatz’doko, v’lonu boshes haponim”. A lesson is a lesson, and going back to what ALL gedolei Yisroel warned BEFORE the destruction is one good place to start learning from.
Instead, the mantra became “it just CAN’T make any sense, it just CAN’T be understood, it just CAN’T be any message”, which, wonder of wonders, now carries over to HAITI as well! And Moshe Rabeinu’s ta’ana becomes an argument for the goyim of HAITI!!!
The first lesson, then, for some people, should be “hoyoh lo lilmod v’lo lomad!!!!!!”