Arutz Sheva reports that Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri foresaw the Tsunami, or to be precise, he "predicted 'natural calamities' over two weeks ago."
A little vague, no? Here's a test: "I, DovBear, do hereby predict that a great natural disaster will occur." Did that amaze you? Will you be impressed if something horrible happens at some unspecified time in the future? After the next earthquake or killer tornado, will you return to my blog and begin venerating me? No? Why not?
Wasn't my prediction, substantively, the same as Rabbi Kaduri's?
Moreover, if you think Rabbi Kaduri "predicted" the calimity, you are saying that he knew, in advance, that 100,000 people were going to be swamped by a killer tidal wave. Wouldn't certain moral obligations follow from that knowledge? For example, wouldn't he have had a moral (and also religious) obligation to tell people to avoid South East Asia?
The same question goes out to John Edwards and his crowd. This was an event that resonated around the world, yet it didn't resonate with any of the tabloid psychics who pretend to tell you with great certainty what the next celebrity scandal is going to be about.
As for Rabbi Kaduri, he gets the benefit of the doubt from me. I don't think he's in the business of making predictions, and I've seen no evidence that he attempts to trade on psychic powers. What A7 calls a predication was just a coincidence of timing. He had no advance knowledge of the disaster, and Rabbi Kaduri has made no assertions to the contrary.
Unfortunately, the mindless masses are going to run with this story. Before you know it, the tale of Rabbi Kaduri's Tsunami Prediction will be yet another Jewish fish story.
And that, unfortunatly, is a prediction you can bank on.