{"id":10075,"date":"2024-07-12T14:37:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T14:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/?p=10075"},"modified":"2024-07-12T14:37:46","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T14:37:46","slug":"suffering-in-this-world-to-atone-for-the-deceased","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/suffering-in-this-world-to-atone-for-the-deceased\/","title":{"rendered":"How does my suffering in this world atone for my deceased parent?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

During the year following the passing of a parent or teacher, when mentioning their name, the child or student should say \u201chareini kaparat mishkavo<\/em> \u2013 may I be an atonement for his resting place.\u201d In other words, I accept upon myself any pain that should befall my parent or teacher, as atonement for their sins.<\/em> How does a live person\u2019s suffering atone for someone who already passed away?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lofty Channel God’s Love to all Jews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Mesilat Yesharim <\/em>(Chapter 13<\/a> and 19<\/a>), written by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, tells us that one person\u2019s deeds or suffering can have an effect on others, and even atone for their sins. Since not everyone is capable of reaching the same lofty level, members of our nation who reach greater heights of sanctity are able to channel Hashem (God)\u2019s love and Divine Presence to the rest of the nation. He quotes the well-known Midrash that the four species on Sukkot<\/em> represent the four levels of Jews \u2013 ranging from the highest to the lowest \u2013 and we bind them together to symbolize that the great ones will atone for those on a lower level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suffering as Atonement – a Special Kindness from Hashem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In his sefer<\/em> Derech Hashem<\/em>, Rabbi Luzzato elaborates on this concept, explaining that allowing one person\u2019s deeds or suffering to atone for the sins of others is a special kindness with which Hashem created the world. This works as follows: Since all the souls of the Jewish nation are interconnected, whatever happens to one person can have some effect on the entire nation. One person\u2019s sins can bring down the entire nation, and certainly one person\u2019s mitzvot<\/em> can elevate the entire nation, making them deserving of great blessing. Similarly, Hashem, in His infinite kindness, through this connection allows one person\u2019s pain to help atone for the sins of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Good Deeds as a Merit for the Release of the Hostages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, after many of our brothers and sisters were taken hostage<\/a> this past Simchat Torah<\/em>, many people have accepted upon themselves to perform various good deeds, as well as abstaining from certain materialistic pleasures, as a merit for their release. Even one person refraining from indulgence on the other side of the world can bring a shower of Heavenly blessing to the entire nation, and help bring them home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Souls are Closely Intertwined<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The same applies for souls of the deceased, as they remain connected to the souls of people in this world. For this reason, people who perform mitzvot<\/em> in this world can bring merit to the souls of the deceased. And this is certainly the case for one\u2019s students and children, whose souls are closely intertwined with their parent and teacher, so any suffering they endure can serve as a merit for their souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short: <\/em><\/strong>This is a special kindness of Hashem, allowing one person\u2019s actions or suffering to atone for others. Because all Jewish souls \u2013 and certainly the souls of one\u2019s students and children \u2013 are interconnected, any mitzvot they perform, or any suffering they endure, can serve as a merit for the souls of their deceased parent or teacher.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Learn more about atonement in Judaism, with a TorahMate. Sign up for a weekly learning partner today!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Have another question to ask a rabbi<\/a>? You can ask Rabbi Mintz your own question at asktherabbi@oorah.org<\/a>, or head to oorah.org\/asktherabbi\/<\/a> to watch the latest Q&As or join Ask the Rabbi Live, Tuesdays at 9PM ET.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz During the year following the passing of a parent or teacher, when mentioning their name, the child or student should say \u201chareini kaparat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[598,702,8,701],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-the-rabbi","category-jewish-philosophy","category-judaism-101","category-mitzvot"],"yoast_head":"\nHow does my suffering in this world atone for my deceased parent? - Jewish Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Because all Jewish souls are interconnected, any suffering they endure can serve as a merit for the soul of their deceased parent or teacher.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/suffering-in-this-world-to-atone-for-the-deceased\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How does my suffering in this world atone for my deceased parent? 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