Kiddush Hashem and Tzidduk HaDin in the Wake of Tragedy

After such a tragedy as was seen in southern Israel last week, where 7 members of one family were ר"ל killed in a train/minibus accident, it would seem to an outsider to be hard for the family of the departed to forgive the driver, who appeared to be responsible for the accident.

This was not the case at all.

R' Chaim Gottstein, the father of the sole-surviving family member, Dovid Gottstein, who lost his grandson and daughter-in-law, said, after being asked if he's angry at the driver (with my loose translation):

"אי-אפשר לומר שאנחנו כועסים. אין טעם לכעוס. הקב"ה מנהיג את העולם ואין טעם להכניס מישהו באמצע כאן, כאילו שהוא אשם".

"It's impossible to say that we're angry. There's no reason to be angry. HKB"H runs the world, and there's no reason to bring anyone in the middle here, as if he's responsible."

Dovid Gottstein himself, who lost his wife and son and needs a Refu'ah Sheleimah (דוד צבי בן בת שבע), said:

"אני לא כועס על אף-אחד. הוא היה ´שליח רע´, זה מה שהשם רצה. אין מה לעשות".

"I'm not angry at anyone. He [the driver] was "an agent for bad". This is what Hashem wanted. There's nothing to do."

See the video there.

The driver's family recently went to visit the mourning Bernstein family. The grandfather of the departed told the family of the driver, "אתם כמו המשפחה שלי" "You are like my family." "מה שנגזר נגזר מן השמים" "That which was decreed was decreed from heaven." See the video there.

May this Kiddush Hashem and show of Ahdut among Jews during Elul bring Hashem closer to us.