Why Do the Righteous Suffer, While the Wicked Prosper?

We all know righteous, honest, kind-hearted people who help others at every opportunity—they, in the end, experience suffering throughout most of their lives. On the other hand, we know quite a few negative people who enjoy success, splendid careers, beautiful families, and all the pleasures of this world. The required question arises: why? If there is a Creator and a system of reward and punishment, why don't we see it implemented in practice? Rabbi Yitzchak Gabay first attempts to understand what good and evil really are. "Many people think that good is fulfilling their desires and urges," he explains. "And when is it bad for a person? When they have many expectations and cannot realize them. But there is a difference between desire and good. For example, when I eat chocolate, it's indeed delicious - but ultimately harmful. When Hashem says the righteous will have it good in this world and the next, the intent is true goodness". Additionally, as Rabbi Gabay qualifies, no one can truly know who is righteous and who isn't. "I know a person who seems very righteous and suffers greatly. But who said he is righteous? And who said the wicked are truly wicked? Are we policemen in the heavenly court? We do not know the heavenly accounts".

Yet, there are good people who suffer.
"Who said that the supposedly suffering righteous really suffer? If you look deeply, you'll see that the religious individuals, though most are not in good economic standing, enjoy life much more. True, they don't fly abroad every couple of months, but there are other pleasures. Some people travel the world, pampered from head to toe, yet feel deep suffering and lack of fulfillment. The righteous, on the other hand, even when faced with troubles, can accept everything with faith. If their entire family perishes, like the young man who recently lost his family in an accident, he can stand at the funeral and say Hashem gave, and Hashem took away—blessed be the name of Hashem".

But he lost his entire family. What good is there in that?

"We only see part of the picture. Jewish faith requires believing that eventually everything comes full circle, and all the bad you faced in this world will turn out to be for your benefit. That's why in the World to Come it is written that our mouths will be filled with laughter after we see how all that was in this world turned for the good. That person right now cannot understand what good there is in it. His son has completed his spiritual task and reached a good place, but from the father's standpoint—the grief he received from his son's death atoned for everything, as he did something specific in the past".Rabbi Eli Ammer explains that it is a misunderstanding of the system of reward and punishment: "Our world operates under two combined systems—the attribute of justice and the attribute of mercy. Justice is like payment in cash. Suppose a person performed a good deed, like helping an elderly person cross the street. Suddenly, they receive an envelope with $1,000. This implies that even when a person commits a sin, they receive the punishment on the spot. If the world existed like this—there wouldn't be free will, and a person would be obliged to fulfill mitzvot. But Hashem wanted people to choose of their own free will to perform mitzvot. Therefore, besides justice, there is also a payment in mercy, not immediately but with the possibility of repentance. "We cannot fully understand divine justice, but we can illustrate a snippet. Hashem approaches a righteous person who, by nature, sometimes errs, gives them a bit of suffering, thus atoning for the sin so the righteous remain 100% with their reward. The wicked, mostly corrupt, Hashem provides with yachts, pools, and all the indulgences for the occasional mitzvot they performed. But then, after receiving the reward, they are left solely with their sins. This example can slightly bring us closer to understanding how our system works. How is your karma? As Rabbi Gabay concludes, suffering is also relative, reminding us of a well-known story about Rabbi Zusha, one of the greats of Hassidism, who was so destitute that he couldn't afford firewood for heating during cold winter days. His rabbi, the Maggid of Mezeritch, sent a person to him who couldn't grasp the Mishna "A person must bless for the bad just as he blesses for the good". When that person reached Rabbi Zusha and explained the purpose of his visit, Rabbi Zusha told him "I think there's a mistake. The Maggid didn't mean me at all. After all, I've never had it bad".