New York – For those who didn’t notice, there was an earthquake in New York and across numerous states this past Tuesday. The Washington monument cracked and flights to JFK were diverted to Boston. My nephew’s flight from Israel was diverted to Boston and his arrival was delayed for five hours.
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Many people view earthquakes as the energy released from the random and meaningless movement of earth’s tectonic plates. They see it as layers of crust and brittle upper mantle moving over the athenosphere randomly colliding with each other, pulling apart, and rubbing against each other. The clastic energy that was stored is simply released. Randomly. They see it as nature at work. Nothing more. True, there is a massive release of energy and movement called an earthquake. But, they say, it is devoid of any meaning.
Not so the sages of Israel. The sages view earthquakes as containing messages – deep and profound signals to us.
The Gemorah in Brachos 59b discusses the subject matter at length. Rav Katina identifies the Mishnaic term “Zvaos” as “Goha” – meaning earthquakes. The Gemorah relates that Rav Katina was once walking on the road and reached the house of a sorcerer who read human bones. As he passed by the earth shook.
Rav Katina asked the sorcerer if he knew how earthquakes came to be. The sorcerer raised his voice and answered, “Katina, Katina, why should I not know?!? When Hashem remembers that his children are immersed in pain among the nations of the world, he sheds two tears into the Great Sea and His voice is heard from one end of the earth to the other – and this is an earthquake.”
The Gemorah concludes that although Rav Katina did not admit it to the sorcerer – the answer he gave was correct. Rav Katina personally explained based upon a verse in Yechezkel (21:22) that the earthquake is the result of, “And I shall pound My hand upon My hand and I will put My wrath to rest..”
Rav Hai Gaon and Rav Nissim Gaon both explain Rav Katina as saying that these tectonic plates are physically moved as a manifestation of Hashem’s of Hashem’s compassion for His people – bereft of the Dveikus that could have been achieved through the presence of the Bais HaMikdash, scattered among the nations of the world, and living in misery.
Rabbeinu Chananel explains things somewhat differently. In his view the earthquake is an expression of Hashem’s frustration at the treatment of Klal Yisroel at the hands of the nations – and that He remembers the promise made to Noach never to flood the earth again. The earthquake is a sign to the Jewish nation that Hashem has not abandoned or forgotten us. We should patiently wait until the burdens of the exile are lifted. The earthquake strengthens our fear of Hashem and allows us to rededicate ourselves to Torah and Mitzvos.
The Maharal (1520-1609) in his Be’er HaGolah (4:7) explains that the phenomena of nature are not solely on account of nature – they have a Divine cause behind them. The Anshei Knesses HaGedolah enacted the blessing of “Whose power and strength fill the entire world.” If earthquakes were solely a phenomena of nature – then why would they enact this blessing. Among the men of the Great Assembly were prophets as well!
The Maharal also explains that this Divine sadness is not actually to be attributed to Hashem because of His complete perfection – rather it must be understood as reflective of us – the recipients. In other words, explains the Maharal, we the Nation of Israel are not functioning as we should – we are broken from our true task – and thus the world appears to be shattering or appears to break.
He further explains that the earthquake is a message that things are not how they should be. Israel should be fulfilling its Divinely ordained role. The place of Hashem in the world should be different than they it is now. Thus, the earthquake indicates that things are, in fact, different, then they should be.
The message of this past Tuesday is twofold – one of what to long for and the other of reassurance.
From the Maharal we learn that we should not be satisfied with the diminished or limited role that we now have. We long for the time when we can once again be the light unto the nations – where we can inspire the nations of the world to form, as we pray for in the Rosh haShana Davening, “veYaasu kulam Agudah achas laasos retzoncha belaivav shalaim.. that the nations should form one Agudah to perform Your Will with a complete and pure heart.”
From the Gaonim the message is not to give up- to be reminded once more of Hashem’s undying love for us. It is a message of hope where we can continue once again – renewed with the knowledge of Hashem’s concern and love.
The timing of the earthquake too is profound. We need the reminder of the Gaonim in a time where an innocent child is murdered. When a great Rabbi is stabbed to death. When the nation of Israel is in danger of having a hateful state bent on its destruction.
We need the reminder of the Maharal right before Rosh haShana to pray for what should be. May we all be zocheh to take the message of the earthquake to heart. Amain.
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Good article, makes more sense than Rabbi Levin
There are always going to be earthquakes just like there will always be thunderstorms. Be good and mind your life as best you can. But don’t freak out. More likely if you are a bad jew, you might have bad dreams, bad mazel and bad relationships on this planet. And that is how Hashem really works. Be good and things will go better.
Excellent article! Meaningful and well sourced as always with Rav Hoffman
There is no messege! Its just an earthquake!
Of course this makes more sense. It is okay to say that everything that Hashem put in place with science behind it, whether an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, tornado etc…. is still activated with some sort of message behind it. However – it is not okay for any human being to apply a “specific” reason for a “specific” unfortunate event. I think we should feel on our own the need for each of us to reflect as an individual and figure out what it means to “me”. How can “I” be a better person and contribute to klal yisroel. Anyone who tries to specify a reason for G-d’s actions is as crazy as the guy on Broadway preaching from his soap box.
Rabbi Yair’s article is light years beyond what Rabbi Levin writes or says. Yet I will bet that by five pm today Levin’s article will have more comments than this one. What does it say about us? I hope, btw, that I will be proven wrong.
Very disappointed in R. Hoffman peddling this kind of Harry Potter witchcraft. We don’t rely on Chazal for science and they never expected us to — if we did, our worldview would be that of Babylonian cosmology.
We know what Chazal could never know — that just on Earth, there are tens of thousands of earthquakes every year, that across the universe exploding quasers are destroying entire solar systems, and in the star factories of say just the Orion Nebulae worlds brand new ones are being are created.
Ours faith is so powerful precisely because we don’t traffic in de minimus pseudoscience and we’re smart enough not to make easily challenged truth claims about provable phenomena – I’ve always admired R. Hoffman’s levelheadedness — I hope he rethinks on this issue.
Interesting article but if I have to object to the statement about the “timing of the earthquake”. There are so many earthquakes every year all over the world and this has been going on for centuries. So far in 2011, there have been at least 15 earthquakes. In 2010 there were at least 26, In 2009 there were at least 20, 24 in 2008, 25 in 2007, etc. etc.
How can Rabbi Hoffman point to yesterday’s earthquake and claim that it has some specific meaning, why not any of the other even more deadly earthquakes?
Does that mean it’s the nations’ fault or is it the Jews’ fault? And if nobody has any faults, will all the faults be taken away physically too or serve as a reminder that we had faults?
Great Article!
The world needs to get the message finally.
Read what the Lubavitcher Rebbe said in 1990 at: http://achasidsthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/08/todays-earth-quake-in-usa.html
With all due respect to Rabbi Hoffman and some of the readers here – Rabbi Hoffman didn’t say anything at all on his own. He is merely re-stating what great Rabbis before him have written. Now he may be explaining it, amplifying it, and organizing it in new ways – he is merely presenting the view of Torah authorities. Since we assume that everyone in this forum is Orthodox – the fact that they are questioning what he writes here is a negation of the Torah views themselves.
Levin’s piece is garbage. Rav Hoffman is reflecting the Gemorah and those that interpret it. Those that are disagreeing with him here are arguing with a Gemorah. Period end of story. If you disgaree with this piece just say it out – THAT YOU DISGAREE WITH THE TALMUD> AND THEN JUST LEAVE PLEASE
I’m confused, what makes yesterday’s tremor an earthquake. Did Chazal give us a cutoff on the Richter scale so that we know what quakes are relevant to R’ Hoffman’s analysis? In California this would be a blip in the news cycle.. is it all relative?
There wasn’t that much damage, death or destruction, just some people who weren’t used to this sort of thing getting scared- all in all this was a benign ‘quake.’
Perhaps Chazal were talking about the major quakes that happen every couple hundred years on the rift under the dead sea.
the earth is full of fault lines we have one called the ramapo fault that runs up from NYC thru weschester spring valley to canada as well as one that runs from NC to maine down trhe atlantic ocean and we all know that there is shifting in the earth so lets not blame it on god or people but on the mechanics god created to eleviate the tensions this causes
If it cracked the washington monument it warrants the term earthquake and is enough to warrant an article by Rav Hoffman
And Levin pulls in the lead with 64 to 24.. How much of a lead he will retain, only time will tell. Thanks for joining us on WVIN…
Hakol biday Shomayim chut miyiras Shomayim. Judaism does not recognize a concept of “nature” that is separate from Hashem’s providence. Anything that we experience, is by Hashem’s will. We may often fail to understand what we are being told, but that is our own shortcoming.
#2 : Said R. Huna: “A good person only has evil dreams, & an evil person only has good dreams. We have also learned the following: ‘David never in his life had a good dream, & Achitophel never in his life had an evil dream.’” Brochos 55b
Why should I think the rest of your statement (aside the dream part) accurate? The Gemara seems to say the opposite of everything you said.
Sure, just blame it on the Jews…
This is the same yair Hoffman who was funny enough to disagree with our Gedolim over Martin grossman
I guess he still has a sense of humor
Some people actually believe they have a crystal ball
And not only do they believe it
They convince others
L’maiseh the Levin article makes a lot more sense because it actually ties together the recent events as opposed to a backdrop or commentary which doesn’t necessarily flow as well. I agree with the Levin position & full on support the notion that this toievah morally repugnant behavior is the downfall of all the frumme yidden for their benign acceptance
I am ashamed at the ignorance in this Jewish community that I see daily on these posts.
Grossman. Yeah that’s right. Lets try to save the life of a cop murderer forget about Gilad Shalit..
Does anyone recall how many earthquakes there were during the Holocaust…or in the Soviet Union, or when arab filth is on the loose slitting the throats of Jewish families, or in Crown Heights in 1991, or on September 11th 2001? Just saying.
Shocking how many enlightened apikorsim on this site.
You can debate what the message is and to whoom but ignoring the messages and saying its a natrural occurance the RAMBAM calls him an Achzor in hilchos Tannis.
the bottom line is everyone should improve their behavior starting with myself.
what foolishness! Did the sin get bigger on Tuesday? Or is this just the usual Monday-morning quarterbacking.
You want to impress someone, don’t connect natural things with events from a month ago. Analyze them as you do, and tell us of the next earthquake BEFORE it happens, then I’ll be impressed. To blame Leiby and Earthquakes etc., after fact?
Not so impressive. Maybe you should go back to analyzing parking meters?