Does Hashem's Justice Contradict the Attribute of Mercy?

Yitzchak asks: "Hello. I have two somewhat deep questions:

1. If Hashem has mercy on sinners and is patient, not punishing us immediately for all our bad deeds - where is the justice? Seemingly, justice and mercy contradict each other, and if Hashem shows mercy, He is withholding absolute goodness from His creations...

2. I heard in a lecture by Rabbi Zamir Cohen that Hashem pressed the Israelites between the Red Sea and Egypt, to elicit a sincere prayer from them, but it caused them very unpleasant fear. Could this not have been avoided? Thank you in advance".

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Hello and blessings, Yitzchak, and thank you for your insightful questions.

Regarding your first question, a response came to mind for your query: let's first ask what is mercy? As is known, mercy arises from understanding the other. A person who does not understand another cannot have mercy on them. True justice, as is known, needs to take circumstances into account - this means that if justice does not account for (-have mercy on) then it also is not just. True justice cannot be blind justice. Therefore, our Sages said that Hashem does not demand from His creations beyond their abilities, and conversely, they said that Hashem is precise with the righteous to a hair's breadth. That is, every person receives a unique judgment according to their level, ability, and the magnitude of their challenges.

Hashem's mercy is actually the balancing aspect of divine justice towards us, as He takes into account our personal situation, difficulties, and abilities in every situation. Without mercy, justice would be, G-d forbid, blind and without reason. Thus, our Sages said that Hashem first wanted to create the world with justice alone, but since the world could not exist solely with justice, Hashem created the world with mercy.

However, one must also remember that Hashem's mercy does not mean abdicating sins, rather, it is an extension and mitigation of judgment, with the goal of achieving repentance and atonement. Ultimately, everyone receives reward and punishment for their good and bad deeds, but the mercy determines that each person receives the reward and punishment according to their spiritual level and personal state. Justice exists, and the mercy channels divine justice in a logical way that considers each person individually. Divine goodness ultimately comes to each creation in accordance with their spiritual level. You don’t fill a small bottle with a lot of water, nor do you fill a large bottle with a small amount of water; rather, each bottle is filled with the appropriate amount of water for its size. So Hashem judges souls according to their ability and spiritual greatness. The mercy, therefore, is the personal consideration of the Creator for each creation since "His mercies are on all His works" (Psalms 145:9).

In addition, because of Hashem's mercy, He grants us a lot of reward - for the small effort we make. Our Sages expressed it well in Pirkei Avot: "It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task, nor are you free to desist from it," and explained by Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura that Hashem did not hire you to finish the entire task - "so you would lose your reward if you do not finish it." We see that the choice point, even the small effort you make according to your ability - will bring you reward above and beyond all your expectations. When one learns a lot of Torah, they receive even greater reward.

In this, you will also find an answer to your second question because, indeed, Hashem wanted the great salvation to come to Israel through the splitting of the Red Sea - but He also wanted the great miracle to come to the people on account of a justified reason that would increase their reward. Therefore, before the Israelites left Egypt, they were commanded the mitzvah of the Passover sacrifice. The purpose was to merit Israel and attribute the Exodus from Egypt to their merit, even though it was a relatively small act, Hashem attributed the miracles to them by merit and not only by grace.

The fear they experienced when leaving Egypt was meant to test their power of faith. Note that only after the sea was split does it say for the first time: "They believed in Hashem and in Moses, His servant" (Exodus 14:31), meaning that before the splitting of the Red Sea, the people had not yet reached that level of faith. The Israelites attained faith through sincere prayer from the depths of their hearts. Because they did not believe enough that Hashem would save them, they were afraid, and therefore needed a prayer to give them the merit for their miraculous salvation. Fear indicated a spiritual level that needed correction, and indeed, Hashem purified the people through this way. Thanks to the prayer, the people were sanctified and they reached the high spiritual level of the Exodus from Egypt. We thus see that Hashem wants to give the people of Israel kindness for a justified reason, even if it is minor. Mercy is Hashem's means of granting the people of Israel abundant reward with justice.