n>When misfortune befalls the Jews, we often blame … ourselves, and say we had it coming. It happened because of some kind of moral transgression on our part. That was what we have done, historically. And that is a major theme of Lamentations, one of the readings for Tisha B’Av, the Jewish holy day that commemorates and mourns the destruction of two Temples, and other catastrophes and massacres from ancient times through the Middle Ages and beyond. It lists many reasons why the Jews deserved to lose what they cherished most. Some argue that it is that tendency—perhaps even ability—to examine, criticize, and blame ourselves, as opposed to others, that permitted us to get our tribal act together and survive for millennia. Examining one’s actions after a political catastrophe, in which there is often a human hand in the matter, makes sense. But blaming ourselves for plagues, famine, and drought, does, for someone living in the shadow of science, seem to take human responsibility rather far. It seems to partake of that egocentric frame of mind that characterizes the psyche in its earliest stages of evolution, or at its most primitive: The world revolves around us; the physical forces of the universe are woven into our lives, and if lightning strikes us, it is not random, it’s personal. If rain comes after long absence, it is because we are blessed; if a plague comes, it is because we are cursed. That seems so archaic. Read Full Article »