Ds asks how do we know...

imasoftov

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 5:15 am

LovesHashem wrote:

Yes but a judge can say "I know he did it" based on overwhelming evidence and not proof.
I can say that I know something. People say things like "I knew he was the right man for me" "I knew he was my bashert" "I know this is the best school for my daughter".

In THIS CONTEXT I do "know".

I am bookmarking this in case you ever defend a criminal who was convicted in secular court.

amother

Purple

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 5:39 am

As a side point, I think that sometimes the way emunah is taught in our yeshivos is over-simplified and can be a bit dangerous.

There's a black and white, cause and effect type of reasoning that's used.

Perfect example: Ds came home last week and told me a story about 9/11. A man went to minyan so he was late for work, at the Twin Towers. Going to minyan saved his life.

While it's true that the man experienced a miracle and should make a seudas hodaa and feel eternally grateful to Hashem for sparing his life, I worry that these types of stories send the message to kids that, If you do the right thing, you'll have it easy in life. (And possibly the converse message, which is terrible: That people who have it hard, must not be deserving.)

Then, when life doesn't work out like that, their emunah is shattered.

I told ds that, while that man has to be grateful, there were other stories that worked the opposite: People who weren't even supposed to be in the Twin Towers that day, but they were. And they died.

We don't know why Hashem does things, we can never know or pretend to understand. But every single person that day was exactly where he / she was meant to be.

Sometimes, people look for inspiration by trying to find reasons or meaning. I have a friend who used to say that she had good parnassa because she and dh paid their maaser on time and even gave extra tzedakah. Then her dh lost his job, and her emunah was shaken to the core.

She kept saying, I don't understand, we did everything we were supposed to! She said she felt Hashem was punishing her, Hashem was angry with her.

So I think it's important to cultivate a feeling of Hashem as loving, and to make sure we stay away from trying to ascribe reasons for why things happen.

holylandgirl

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 5:46 am

It's quite sad to read how people are confused and misguided about the basics of our faith. Before you add your opinion, make sure it's right!
I work in kiruv so know a lot about this.

Judaism is not based on belief, rather knowledge. Emuna does not mean belief but faithfulness to something you know. We take no leaps of faith, that's christian. (And christianity does NOT claim to be based on provable facts. Check out Tovia Singer's website if you're interested).
We use the word knowledge for many things, although nothing can be proven 100%.

Knowledge is therefore accepted to mean something beyond a reasonable doubt.
When you have to make a decision about something in life, eg what religion is correct, you are forced to choose between the options. So you choose the most likely. The overwhelming evidence is there for Judaism, but ultimately it's your choice. That's what bechira is.

I recommend

http://nleresources.com/additi.....ZRXIU

It is much easier to read and shorter than Permission to believe/receive and more direct with good quotes from scientists etc. OP please check it out and give your son the convincing answers that are there!

amother

Powderblue

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 6:10 am

Thanks so much- these are all wonderful ideas and very helpful. It is just so hard to think that an 11 year olds mind is thinking like this now- when adults can't wrap their head around it. Especially when the child is very a very black and white thinker. I just worry that if he is thinking like this now what will happen later on. I want him to be a thinker and to ask questions and I am glad he came to me to discuss. I worry as he gets older and asks this type of question to certain types of Rabeeim they will turn him off.....

LovesHashem

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 6:14 am

amother wrote:

Baruch Hashem!!! you know early onwards so you can give him the proper recourses and be on top of it so that he is always valued for his questions. You can be on top of his teachers etc..