God and Tragedy

Following this thread of discussion reminds me of how inspired I was after reading the Rav's exploration of responses to personal tragedy (using Iyov as an example) in Kol Dodi Dofek. The message I got from his writing is that there is an important line between attributing tragedy to one's sins and using tragedy as a personal, "teachable moment" of inspiration to look for ways to improve one's self. For all the reasons others have mentioned in this thread, and most importantly because I consider it hubris to draw conclusions (in a post-nevu'a world) about where and how God casts blame and retribution, I recoil from the idea of looking for individual or societal transgressions as motivations for God's allowing tragedies to occur. But I have found great personal comfort and benefit in looking for ways to improve myself as a way to work through (or around) the awful feelings surrounding personal trauma, and I think it could be equally beneficial in the case of collective tragedy.