When Will We Ever Learn? A New Essay for Parshat Korach
Our sages famously proclaim ma’aseh avot siman le-banim that the deeds of, or events surrounding, our ancestors are a signpost for their descendants. In other words, we should expect similar occurrences as those experienced by our illustrious forebears to manifest repeatedly. Does that mean that history is inevitably and irrevocably destined to repeat itself? Here perhaps we should distinguish between the broad, panoramic sweep of Jewish history regarding which G-D has His masterplan and human free choice (bekhira) on an individual level. As individuals (save in exceptional circumstanc...
Source: timesofisrael.com