Why G-d Hides: Understanding Divine Concealment, Free Will, and Justice

Uri asks: “We see in this world that both righteous people and, in contrast, wicked ones often struggle with finances, illness, or infertility. On the other hand, we also see that some righteous people enjoy success, as do some wicked people—they have wealth, children, good health, etc. I believe completely that everything is just, and that there are reincarnations and hidden divine calculations for every soul that comes into this world. But why is there such a thing as divine concealment? Wouldn’t it be better if we could see, with our own eyes, the reward and punishment in this world?”

Hello Uri, and thank you for your thoughtful question.

Firstly, we must remember the purpose of creation. Souls are sent into this world in order to face the challenges of the yetzer hara (evil inclination) and to fulfill G-d’s commandments. By doing so, they prove their strength and merit spiritual elevation, drawing closer to G-d. This closeness is the ultimate reward—a joy far greater than anything this world can offer, and it is experienced in the World to Come.

The purpose of our time in this world is to choose between good and evil. As the Torah says: "See, I have set before you today life and goodness, and death and evil… and you shall choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:15–19). Free will is the only way we can truly resemble G-d in our actions, and it’s what allows us to earn eternal closeness to Him. In order to have real choice however, evil must be a possibility.

Every sin is rooted in some kind of temptation or “bribe” offered by the evil inclination. This might be money, ego, revenge, lust, or another earthly pull. Regardless of how seductive that temptation may be, it only works because G-d is hidden. If G-d’s presence were clearly revealed, temptation would be powerless.

Our sages tell us that before Cain killed Abel, he said: "There is no judgment, no Judge, no World to Come, no reward for the righteous, and no punishment for the wicked" (Targum Yerushalmi on Genesis 4:7). He said this shortly after G-d appeared to him and warned him:
"If you do well, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door." How can we make sense of this?

Although these events happened on a level far beyond our understanding, we can still see the core principle at work: free choice requires inner denial—a self-deception that ignores the Creator’s constant presence and involvement. This self-deception can only exist if G-d hides Himself. If His justice were always obvious, if we could see reward and punishment unfold in real time, who would dare rebel?

Later, when G-d confronted Cain and said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground," Cain finally broke down and confessed: "My sin is too great to bear…Shall I be hidden from Your presence?"

At that point, Cain acknowledged both his guilt and the reality that G-d is everywhere. As our sages say: “An eye sees, an ear hears, and all your deeds are written in a book” (Pirkei Avot 2:1). 

However, at the moment Cain committed the murder, G-d seemed hidden. He didn’t stop Cain or call out to him, but allowed Cain to act freely and believe, falsely, that his actions had no consequences.

The essence of free will is the ability to choose good over evil, precisely because evil seems like a viable path. Without divine concealment, this choice would not be real.

What Is "Hester Panim" – Divine Concealment?

Hester Panim means the divine "hiding of the face”—when G-d’s providence is not openly visible. However, “concealment” is not the same as “absence.” Like a father playing hide-and-seek with his child, G-d hides His presence but still watches closely.

G-d runs the world with precise justice and reward and punishment, but this is not always visible. The world often appears to run randomly in that righteous people suffer and wicked people thrive. The sages tell us that the divine concealment is so profound that even Moses was unable to fully understand it (Berachot 7a).

This concealment is incredibly intricate because G-d must constantly "weave" endless interactions and circumstances among people. As the sages said: "Good comes through the worthy, and hardship through the guilty" (Bava Batra 119). This is in addition to the complexities of reincarnation, where each soul enters the world to complete a personal rectification, shaped by the many lifetimes it has already lived.

If we could fully understand divine providence, it would no longer be hidden. If G-d’s justice operated like gravity—a clear, consistent law—then His involvement would be undeniable. No one could deny reward and punishment and no one could freely choose good or evil. Everyone would be compelled to follow G-d out of fear or self-interest.

Why Doesn't Everyone Believe?

Would there be billions of Muslims, billions of Christians, or millions of atheists in the world if G-d’s justice were visible and immediate? If every wicked person suffered obvious consequences and every righteous person thrived—if prayers always brought blessings in predictable ways—who would dare disobey?

Only a fool would reject G-d in such a world but such a world would eliminate free will. Free will gives our choices meaning. That’s why G-d allowed Cain to kill Abel and why He has allowed evil people throughout history to do terrible things. From the outside, it looks like they are acting freely, but in truth, G-d is allowing them to carry out their choices, which align with divine justice in hidden ways.

Free Will Can Only Exist Within Concealment

G-d’s justice and human free will can only coexist through concealment. This is the secret of faith.

G-d has planted a deep-rooted sense of justice and divine order in the human heart—a faith stronger than anything the eye can see. This is the reason that billions of Christians and Muslims still believe in divine providence, even though they see injustice in the world. They don’t know about reincarnation, but they believe.

Even in Eastern cultures, like Hinduism, people believe in karma—a hidden system of reward and punishment. Because the human heart instinctively knows there must be justice, even when it’s hidden. This instinct is divine. G-d created us with a sixth sense of spiritual intuition, a kind of moral x-ray vision that senses justice even when it’s obscured by pain or confusion.

When the Lubavitcher Rebbe was asked about the Holocaust, he answered: We don’t know why it happened—only G-d can explain it. But the very fact that people ask “Why?” proves that we believe in divine justice. If we didn’t believe there should be justice, we wouldn’t even ask the question.

While we don’t have a full answer to human suffering, we do have a truth inside us: G-d is just and merciful, and He planted in us the need to see the world as moral and meaningful.

Free Will vs. Revealed Providence

If divine justice were fully visible, there would be no temptation to sin, no real choice, and no spiritual heroism.

During the Exodus from Egypt, G-d’s miracles were so open that even the Egyptians admitted: "This is the finger of G-d" (Exodus 8:15). At that time, the Israelites didn’t have the option of atheism, although they still had other tests: Would they wait for Moses to come down from Sinai? Would they fall for the golden calf? Would they side with Korach against G-d’s prophet?

Their free will existed, but in a different form, and their temptations were correspondingly stronger. Because their awareness of G-d was higher, their consequences for failing were also more severe.

The Chazon Ish (Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz) pointed this out, explaining that heretics in our time are not the same as heretics in times of open miracles. When G-d’s presence was clear, rejecting Him was an act of extreme corruption. In an era of spiritual concealment however, the proper response to doubt is love, patience, and education—not punishment.

In the Messianic Era

When the final redemption comes, the world will reach its completion. At that time, divine justice will become visible, and souls will no longer need to earn their place through struggle.

The Sages said that the Messianic days will be days of peace and holiness, but they will lack one thing: "In those days, I have no desire" (Ecclesiastes 12:1), meaning that they will lack the spiritual effort that infuses our deeds with value today (Shabbat 151).

Because divine justice will be revealed, people will no longer be tempted to sin. Free will won’t disappear completely, but it will be far more limited. As the Chafetz Chaim once said: If people walking on the road could see Hell on one side and Heaven on the other, no one would sin. In the Messianic era, choices will still exist, but without the same depth and risk as today. We’ll still be able to choose how deeply we focus in prayer or how much we immerse ourselves in learning—but not whether or not to believe.

The spiritual greatness that we achieve in this hidden world of darkness is temporary, and unmatched. May we be strengthened to choose good even when it’s hard, to believe even in moments of silence, and may we merit to glimpse flashes of G-d’s light shining through the darkness—the reminders of His love that never leaves us.