The thumping bass and ecstatic singing of Christian praise music must have sounded unfamiliar to ears used to hearing the solemn chant of psalms at a funeral. Nor was it social outlook, though both can point to oppression and enslavement in their histories. According to a passage in the Talmud, the collection of rabbinical teachings that grew up around the Torah, a man who is visited by painful sufferings should examine his own conduct and conscience. If the suffering is not directly linked to some active misconduct in his past, then that man should attribute it to neglect of his religious duties. In other words, if things are going badly for you, you may deserve it.
People have a moral responsibility for their own conduct, and their actions have consequences.
Balinsky said that another way of interpreting that passage of the Talmud is to see the examination of conscience and rededication to God not as punishment, but as opportunity. It is, in short, a chance to act as a believer and not be acted upon as a victim. It's not causality, but given this suffering, a way to find meaning. Our moral condition is still in our hands. Human suffering is one of the most profound and complex problems that any theology encounters.