Why Do We Righteous Suffer? 10 Jewish Teachings on Pain, Divine Justice, and Faith

​Human suffering can be impossible to accept and understand, and yet we continue to search for ways to make sense of the challenges we face. The following insights can provide some meaning to life's difficulties.

1. We must remember that God's conduct has a dimension that belongs to the realm of thought and is hidden and concealed from human understanding. In this world, it is impossible to fully grasp the intentions of the Holy One, blessed be He.

2. The Torah promises us that God acts with justice, even when that justice is hidden from our eyes. Nothing in the world happens without a reason or without a higher purpose. Therefore, we believe that if a person experiences particular pain or hardship, it is because that individual has a unique spiritual correction to achieve — something that another person may not need.

3. We must believe that God, who is compassionate and gracious and gave us the capacity to be compassionate, certainly knows all that we know, understands all that we understand, and is even more compassionate than we are. He is the Father of all mercy, and all compassion in the world originates from Him. If He nonetheless acts as He does in His world, we must trust that it is the only true path. We must also never forget that this world is temporary, and the true destination of our souls is the World to Come.

4. The Zohar teaches: “When God desires to illuminate a person’s soul, He strikes the body so that the soul can dominate. As long as the soul and body are equal, the soul cannot rule. But when the body is broken, the soul prevails.”

5. The Zohar also explains that the righteous suffer in this world in order to merit eternal life in the World to Come: “Come and see how many sufferings the righteous endure in this world — trouble upon trouble, pain upon pain — so that they may be rewarded in the World to Come…”

6. In Tractate Berachot it is written: “Rava said in the name of Rav Sechora in the name of Rav Huna: Anyone whom the Holy One desires, He afflicts with suffering … And if he accepts them with love, what is his reward? ‘He shall see offspring and prolong his days.’ Moreover, his Torah knowledge is preserved in his hands, as it says: ‘The desire of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.’”

7. God takes pride in those who serve Him without asking questions, especially during difficult times. This is a superhuman strength and has no substitute. Precisely in such hard times, your soul will shine with eternal glory in the Garden of Eden. The Sages said: “One moment of suffering is more precious than a hundred without suffering.” In other words, every mitzvah fulfilled with difficulty is worth a hundred identical mitzvot done without struggle.

8. The Talmudic Sages also taught (Berachot 5): “If a person sees that suffering has come upon him, he should examine his deeds … If he examined and found nothing, he should know that the suffering is from love.”

9. The teachings of the Arizal on reincarnation explain that we enter this world carrying a "history" from previous lifetimes. This is why one person is born into a certain family and another into a different one, why one is healthy and another is ill. It all stems from past spiritual calculations that are hidden from us and will only be revealed when we return to the World of Truth.

10. In all situations, we must remember that God is just. No pain or difficulty comes upon us randomly or without reason — not even the smallest of things. Let us try not to reject the suffering but to recognize that all circumstances are divinely orchestrated for our ultimate good. If God brings us into a difficult or uncomfortable situation, it is undoubtedly the best spiritual correction for our soul. Therefore, whenever trouble strikes, a person should tell themselves that what now appears bitter and painful is only the “cutting of the fabric” — a necessary step in preparing the good that is to follow. Even if one cannot yet understand the benefit of the hardship they are experiencing, they must believe with complete faith that goodness will eventually emerge from it. In this way, one can find comfort and healing, and accept their fate with joy.