Suffering in Shame
A man once asked me, “Honored Rav, how can one identify the cause of a certain punishment? For example, is there a modern-day version of karet, the punishment for acts of immorality, rachmana litzlan?”
I offered him an example of one such incident: “I know of a man who took a trip with his family. They were involved in a fatal car accident. All of the man’s family was killed. He alone was left alive to suffer in solitude. This is a prime example of karet.” Then I added, “Another instance of karet would be if someone were to die in the prime of life. This also comes in the wake of various sins.”
After this man heard my answer, he grievously related that he experienced a similar tragedy. He alone had been saved from misfortune which had claimed the lives of his entire family. He was left with no remaining relatives.
Now he finally understood the reason for this horrific catastrophe. It was in retribution for his shameful sins.
