Good & Evil

A couple in our community is in the process of a bitter divorce. I have known them for many years and really like both of them. I have only seen good in them until now. Now each one is saying bad things about the other, all without proof, just word against word, with the expectation of being believed. I cannot tell what is true and what is not, but because their statements contradict, I know some of them are lies. People who know them are taking sides as they embark on a heated custody battle that could take months or years to resolve. How do the laws of lashon hara apply to this situation? What may I believe and what should I ignore?

I have worked with holocaust survivors for over 15 years. How can anyone who is Jewish have faith and trust in G-d Do the Holocaust? I've read that the Rebbe has said evil, and even Hitler was from G-d and that it is ultimately good. Like A surgeon cutting off a bad limb from the body. Is this true?

I have always been confused about the concept of punishing the people as a group for the sins of some. Indeed everyone did not sin, yet "the people of Israel" must endure punishment for the transgressions of some. I have been taught each of us must bear the responsibility for our actions. I don't recall being taught that I am responsible for the actions of others, even people I do not know nor have ever met. Yet, it seems that whenever there is a terrible event, wars, exiles, the holocaust, etc., it is because we are all being punished for the transgressions of some. I need a better explanation than a cryptic quotation from the Torah or Talmud. I would like very much to have a more complete explanation.

I met some people whose idealogies are exactly same as those of Amalek which is depicted in Torah. They made fun of my faith in HaShem. They claimed everything in this world happens by accident, and there is no God. The problem is that I could not make a stand. I was a coward. How wretched I am! How can I fight with Amalekites? Should I just wait for Moschiach? Can you give me some useful advice? What shall I do to fight with Amalekites?

The letter Shin~Pei~Yud~Pei~Nun spell "shphiyphon" meaning "adder" - an intriguing word in Genesis 49:17. Even more interesting is the word spelled Nun~Pei~Shin - "nephesh - meaning soul, also in this word. Is there a cerastes , a horned snake, in every human soul? Could this be likened to the "yetzer hara" - the evil inclination?

ntiyshah - Nun Tet Yod Shin Hei - tendrils plant battlements. This word has woven within it Shin Tet Nun - satan. Could Satan , super human adversary, accuser, archenemy of good, be likened to a vine, tendril, tree? What is the hidden connection between ntiyshah - Nun Tet Yod Shin Hei, and Shin Tet Nun - satan? 1Samuel 25:25: For as his name is, so is he.

A popular question asked by many people is why good people suffer and good things happen to bad people. Why does God sometimes give victory to the wicked people?

Does suffering elevate souls? I learned that suffering cleanses the sins. What else does suffering do? Can suffering cause spiritual growth?

Why did G-d put the tree of knowledge in the garden knowing that man would disobey?