Paths of Faith: "Bring Me a Little More Suffering!" Cried the Man

Sufferings save us from the judgment that takes place in the heavens after death. In doing so, they prevent the soul from undergoing purification in the world to come and grant it immediate access to Gan Eden to enjoy true pleasure.

The "Chofetz Chaim" of blessed memory says: "When a person passes away, and the soul ascends above, their merits and liabilities are weighed. However, sufferings tip the scale towards merit, for through sufferings, many of a person's sins are atoned for, and they are left righteous. They are happy and thankful to Hashem for all that has come upon them." (Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaKohen from Radin, Gates of Religion)

It is told of the genius of Vilnius who delivered a lesson to his students, greatly extending his discussion of Gan Eden and Gehinnom. One of the students, out of fear of Gehinnom's punishments, became ill and bedridden. They informed his teacher, the genius of Vilnius, who came to visit him. He said: Everything I have said about Gan Eden and Gehinnom is true, but there is one thing I forgot to tell you: how much sufferings in this world atone for all sorts of sins...

Isaac our forefather requested sufferings to be saved from the judgment in the world to come. And so says the "Chofetz Chaim" in his book Shem Olam:

"In the Midrash, we learn that Isaac our forefather, who knew well how terrifying divine judgment is for the future, demanded sufferings. Hashem's response to this request was: 'By your life, you ask for something good, and from you, I shall begin, as it is said: When Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim from seeing.'"

Isaac our forefather knew how difficult judgment is above, therefore he asked Hashem for sufferings, and this request found favor in Hashem’s eyes, causing him not to see well. (Of course, such a request can only be made by a righteous person like Isaac our forefather, who knew he could withstand the trial.)

The "Chofetz Chaim" adds: "I heard from an elderly man of faith who himself heard from Harav Yaakov Moshe, of blessed memory, who said in the name of his grandfather, the Vilna Gaon, of blessed memory, that without sufferings, we would find neither our hands nor feet in this world [meaning, in the world to come]."

Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Shabtai Yudelevitch of blessed memory recounted:

A story of a man accustomed to various sufferings and pains. Illnesses affected him and his household. His sustenance was not assured, and he faced various difficulties throughout his life. One day, he told his wife he was going to the righteous sage Rabbi Shalom Sharabi of blessed memory to ask how to interpret Hashem's conduct with him and what he should do to ease his burden. When he arrived at the rabbi's house, he was asked by the rabbi's wife to wait until the rabbi was available for him. He sat in one of the armchairs in the room and, being tired from the journey, fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he saw himself reaching the heavens and seeing a desolate path before him, with not a soul in sight. Absolute silence reigned. Slowly, he began walking up the path. Suddenly, he heard a great commotion behind him approaching rapidly, and then a large carriage full of angels as white as snow overtook him. The carriage quickly disappeared on the horizon. The place fell silent again, and the man continued on his way. Afterward, another carriage, like the first, passed him, followed by many carriages, all full of white angels, some large and mighty, some small and slender. When the procession of white angels ended, a great procession of carriages carrying terrifying black angels began to pass him. His curiosity aroused, he hastened his steps until he reached a wide square where he found all the carriages parked. The angels that descended from them approached giant scales standing in the square's center and began climbing them.

Not understanding what was happening before his eyes, it was explained to him that this was the heavenly court, and now they were judging a person. The angels climbing the scales were created from the mitzvot and sins the person had performed in their lifetime. When a person performs a mitzvah perfectly, a large, heavy white angel is created. When the mitzvah is incomplete, a defective angel forms, missing limbs or thin and slender. The same applies to the angels created from sins: those formed from deliberate or pleasurable sins were large and heavy, whereas those from accidental sins or felt compelled were thin and slender.

After hearing this explanation, he approached the carriages and indeed saw a sign on each one showing the name of a mitzvah or an aveirah (transgression). On the carriages with the white angels were signs reading: Torah learning, prayer, honoring father and mother, acts of kindness, keeping Shabbat, and more. On the carriages of the black angels were signs with the names of sins such as: neglecting Torah study, gossip, desecrating Shabbat, theft, jealousy, and more.

In the meantime, the scales were filling with white angels on one side and black ones on the other. As they climbed the scales, the man became curious to know who was the person being judged in this trial. When he was informed that he was the one being judged, he was stunned and terrified to see that nearly all the angels were already on the scales, and the judgment inclined towards the black angels. He understood that if this were the final result, his fate would be like the wicked, and so he began to tremble in fear.

Then the announcer called out, asking if any angels remained. The answer was no! The announcer asked again if the Jew had suffered in his life, for if so, the sufferings could be added to the merits?

Immediately, a great carriage of angels created from the sufferings he endured appeared, and against each angel of suffering, they removed several black angels from the scales, for sufferings cleanse and purge a person of their sins.

He felt relieved when he saw the weight of the black angels reducing, and the scales almost equalizing. When the angels of suffering finished, he saw that the scale still inclined somewhat towards the transgressions, and he realized that his situation was dire. Just a little longer, and the verdict might be announced, with the scale against him. In desperation, a loud and bitter cry suddenly escaped from his mouth: "Bring me a little more suffering!!!"

From the sound of his cry, the man awoke from his dream, and the household of the rabbi, alarmed by his shout, rushed towards him and asked: What happened? Only now did he realize it was all a dream. He rose from the chair and turned towards the door. The rabbi's wife called after him: But didn't you want to speak with the rabbi? He replied: There is no need, I have received the appropriate answer from Heaven.

(Yalkut Lekach Tov p. 251)

In light of these things, let us be grateful for those sufferings that save us from Gehinnom and bring us to Gan Eden, for there is no righteous person on earth who does not sin. If sufferings atone and bring eternal life – sufferings are for the good, for it is better to suffer in this world and spare ourselves the suffering of the next. A wicked man who has not suffered in his life should be worried, because Hashem – "repays His enemies to their face to destroy them" (Deuteronomy 7, 10), and Rashi explains: "In his lifetime, He gives him his reward to destroy him from the world to come."

In the Talmud, Yevamot, it is told that after one of the Amoraim named Avdan was punished greatly for a slight sin, Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: "Blessed is the Merciful One who shamed Avdan in this world" (Yevamot 105b). In other words, blessed is Hashem who punished Avdan in this world. For all sufferings in this world are not comparable to punishment in the eternal world.

We do not ask for sufferings: "Do not bring me to trial," but if, Heaven forbid, sufferings befall us, let us remember that compared to the sufferings of the world to come, the sufferings of this world are much lighter, and therefore we should not complain.

Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky of blessed memory recounted:

A story of a terminally ill patient lying on his deathbed, suffering great pains and connected to various machines that kept him alive. The attending doctor, seeing his many immense sufferings, decided that since there was no hope of curing him, why should he live, and removed from the patient all the machines he was connected to (needless to say, halachically, this is a total prohibition equal to shedding blood). Shortly thereafter, the patient departed from this world.

A few days later, the patient appeared to the doctor in a dream and said to him: The situation was that he had four more days to live by the machines, to suffer yet more great pains, and then he would have entered Gan Eden, pure and clean after having been cleansed by his sufferings. But now, since the doctor removed the machines, causing him to die four days earlier, he is missing those four days of sufferings and does not know how long it will take to be cleansed of the remaining sins (as it is known that sufferings in this world cleanse much more than the sufferings of Gehinnom, this is the 'privilege' Hashem gives us in this world). The doctor awoke from his sleep completely shaken by this dream, becoming penitent from the fear of judgment! (Leshachno Tidresho, Part 1, Chapter 31)

If we understand how much sufferings benefit us by atoning here for our sins and bringing us clean to the world to come – we will not collapse under their weight, for we at least understand that they have a purpose and a function.

Sufferings that atone for sins are sufferings of love. Because they bring us to be favorable before Hashem.

"Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: As long as a person is in tranquility, their sins are not atoned for at all. But through sufferings, they become pleasing before the Place, blessed be He. And it is said, 'For the one whom Hashem loves, He corrects.'" (Sifrei, Deuteronomy, Va'etchanan 6, 5)

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