Shalom Eleichem again,
Thank you for your generous praise. If I may, I would like to clear up a notion which you may have misperceived. The first topic, I may have presented in a confusing way, resting on the assumption that other knowledge in Judaism is known, which isn’t the case. As a result, I offer my humble apologies.
When one has a family who has an adolescent with autism, not one individual in that circumstance is devoid of purpose or a role to take part in the process of elevating our soul. The example I used is a complex one. The parents in this situation have a certain objective to achieve by having a child with such difficulties. The goal could be a variety of things which could build the character and the overall development of your persona, and the genuine qualities which your soul must encompass, to enter heaven. The child on the other hand has a purpose as well, and a specific goal he must attain to elevate his soul. The state of which his mentality was created is far different than the average brain function, thus, humanity views his responsibilities in life as far less. In the identical way that a man born into a poor family has fewer responsibilities in life when compared to someone G-d placed into a very rich family, a child born with mental disabilities in certain areas has far less expected on him by G-d, hence, his soul is almost at the height of attaining heaven, and his purpose to be sent back into this world is one that is either very specific, or an overall refinement into certain attributes which do not require the child to go into a great deal of depth. The difference in our views of such a process lies in the method we view the afterlife in general. If one does not believe in the reincarnation process of Judaism “gilgul” (which is far different from the pagan views of reincarnation) then the view that G-d could send a child with autism to a family to teach a lesson is one of barbarism, since life and its enjoyment can only be attained once. If your views are akin to mine, then the concept of a child be sent back to this world with autism, or the view that G-d explicitly sends countless to be born into poor families, is that these are actually blessings, because the less responsibilities you have in life, this means that your soul is at a high enough level, in which one is not anticipated to do remarkable things to elevate it because the less work it in fact needs on it is low because previous deeds in other lives propelled it to its current height. If I may with G-d's help quote Mishlei (Proverbs) 23:3, it states something which may have some connection to the theme our topic, I will let you analyze its correlation to our discussion if you wish:"Do not desire his delicacies, for it is bread of lies."
(Proverbs 23:3)
People who are blessed with unimaginable riches in this world are held accountable that much more for how they lived their lives, and how they used these blessings towards the goal of “tikkun olam” which means repairing the world.
I agree we have differing opinions on a variety of issues regarding the afterlife, as you’re in similar in many ways much more to the Christian view of the next world. I hope our faiths can still retain a mutual understanding of each other, and I pray that all Jews and Non-Jews utilize their purpose on this earth and we are able to direct our differing paths to the same goal, which is paradise.
These uses of human traits are to help humanity understand a certain action G-d is performing on our own terms of defining G-d, since our minds cannot comprehend the infinite being that is Hashem. The best example I can cite is this:
"Angry" is not at all meant literally, not more than when it says "the hand of Hashem" etc. It is merely a moshol. Hashem has no emotions. He does not get angry. But just as "Yad Hashem" represents when Hashem acts in a way that we would associate with out hand, so too "af Hashem" does not mean hashem gets angry but rather His actions are similar to what we would normally associate with as coming from anger.
When we say Hashem gets "angry" or Hashem "loves" it is not meant literally. It means that Hashem acts in such a way that it feels to us like He is angry or emotionally happy. Kind of like when you say about your compute that "it doesn’t like this software" - you don’t mean the computer has emotion; you mean that the computer acted in a way that makes you feel as if it didn’t like the software. So too when we say Hashem likes or doesn’t like something, we do not mean it literally - we only mean that Hashem acts in a way that feels to us as if He liked or disliked something.
Salaam Alykoum Rav:
I meant you no flattery..I spoke my mind on what I believed to be true of your person
Now--
I agree with you on two points
1- those who have more, have more to account for-- being rich or poor is both a test to us, and how we deal with it. I wanted to share these views on sickness in Islam from an Islamic point of view as say a family having a child born with a particular debilitating disease, its down side and its rewards.
Fiqh As-Sunnah
Sickness
Sickness, Expiation of Sins:
There are many hadith which explain that sickness expiates evil deeds and wipes out sins. Of these, some are given below:
Abu Hurairah narrates that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "When Allah wants to be good to someone, He tries him with some hardship."
Abu Hurairah also reports that Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said: "For every misfortune, illness, anxiety, grief, or hurt that afflicts a Muslim -even the hurt caused by the pricking of a thorn - Allah removes some of his sins." Ibn Mas'ud said: "I visited the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, while he had a fever. I exclaimed: 'O Messenger of Allah! You have a high fever! ' He said: 'My fever is as much as two among you [might have]. ' I asked: 'Is it because you have a double reward?' He replied: 'Yes, that is right. No Muslim is afflicted with any hurt, even if it is no more than the pricking of a thorn, but Allah wipes off his sins because of it and his sins fall away from him as leaves fall from a tree'."
Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, remarked: 'The example of a believer is like a fresh tender plant; from whichever direction the wind blows, it bends the plant. But when the wind dies down, it straightens up again. (Similarly a believer is tested by afflictions to strengthen his faith and heart, and he remains patient and firm). And an evil person is like a pine tree which remains hard and stiff until Allah breaks it whenever He wills."
Patience During Illness:
Anyone suffering from an illness should remain patient, for there is no reward better or more enriching than that reserved for those who endure in patience.
Suhaib ibn Sinan narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "How remarkable is the case of the believer! There is good for him in everything, but this is not the case for anyone except for the believer. When the believer receives any good, he is thankful to Allah, and gets a reward. And when some misfortune befalls him, he endures it patiently, for which he is (also) rewarded."
Anas narrates: "I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying: 'Allah says: "When I afflict a servant of mine with respect to his two most beloved things (meaning his eyes), and he endures it patiently, I grant him paradise in return'."
'Ata ibn Rabah related that he heard Ibn 'Abbas say: "Shall I show you a woman of Paradise?"I said: "Yes, indeed." He said: "A black woman came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said: 'I suffer from epileptic fits, and because of these, (at times) my body becomes uncovered. Would you invoke Allah, the Exalted One, to cure me of this disease? ' The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'If you wish, you can be patient and you will attain Paradise (for this suffering). But if you prefer, I will pray to Allah, the Exalted, to cure you of it?' The woman said: 'I will be patient,' then added: 'I become uncovered (when I have fits), so invoke Allah for me that I do not become uncovered. ' So the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed for her."
To Complain of One's Illness:
It is permitted for a patient to complain of his pain and illness to a physician or a friend, provided he does not do so to express his or her anger or impatience. It was mentioned earlier that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "My fever is as severe as that of any two of you." Once 'Aisha complained to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, about her headache, lamenting: "O my head." He retorted: "Nay, rather (I should say) O my head!" Likewise it is reported that 'Abdullah ibn Al-Zubair asked his ailing mother, Asma bint Abi Bakr, "How are you feeling now?" She replied: "I am in pain."
A patient should thank and praise Allah, before talking about his distress and complaint Ibn Mas'ud said: "If one thanks Allah before complaining about his pain or disease, then it is not considered impatience. Indeed, to refer one's complaint to Allah, is quite lawful." Jacob (the prophet), said: "I complain of my distraction and anguish only to Allah." The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, himself prayed: "O Allah! to You I complain of my weakness."
A Sick Person is Rewarded for All the Good Deeds that He Would (usually) Perform in a State of Health:
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "If a servant (of Allah) falls sick or goes on a journey, he (continues to be) rewarded for the good deeds that he used to do when he was healthy or at home."
Visiting the Sick:
It is Islamic etiquette to visit a sick Muslim, to provide him moral support, and to make sure that he or she is well taken care of.
Ibn 'Abbas said: "The first visit to a sick person is sunnah, while any subsequent visit is a voluntary act (a good deed)." Abu Musa reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and free the captives."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "A Muslim has six obligations to another Muslim." "What are these?" they asked. He replied: "To greet another Muslim when you meet him; to respond when he invites you; to give him your (sincerest) advice when he seeks it; to say 'may Allah have mercy upon you' when he sneezes and says ' may Allah be praised '; to visit him when he falls ill; and when he dies, to attend his funeral
2- Last point I agree with you on, is that, something are certainly meant in an allegorical sense...G-D all seeing, or his to hold on to his hands. I certainly wouldn't attribute human traits to G-D.. We are created for a certain purpose... I have no doubt he loves the good... and I don't take that to mean "emotions" as a complex net of nuclei in arising from the amygdala. Just like a decades ago people didn't even know what an amygdala is.. I believe G-D is far beyond our scope... this level of ingenuity, engineering and aesthetics from the tiniest cell to the grandest galaxy is far beyond what I can put in words. So I won't even bother giving it a try. We were given so little knowledge.. so it says in the Quran.. and so I believe!
peace
