There Is No Pit Too Deep: A Jewish Perspective on Suffering and Divine Purpose

There’s a popular saying that sounds Jewish, but it actually isn’t: “Even if you’re in a pit of darkness, even if you’re in deep trouble, always remember—there’s no pit so deep that G-d isn’t deeper still.”

At first glance, it’s comforting. It’s intended to lift our spirits, stir emotion, and remind us that G-d is present even in our pain. However, something about this message is off.

The quote implies that no matter how low you sink, you can rely on G-d because He’s still deeper than your lowest point, and so He can meet you there, even in the darkest moments.

Is this really how Judaism teaches us to think? The answer is an emphatic no.

Anyone who treats good and evil as two separate forces—with good coming from G-d and evil coming from Satan or some opposing dark power—may believe that the darkness is truly evil and foreign to G-d. That G-d can “help” you in that darkness, but He’s not the one who created it.

Judaism teaches something very different: There is no pit so deep that G-d didn’t dig it Himself.

Any suffering you’re experiencing right now—the unbearable hardship, the overwhelming crisis—was personally designed by G-d. Even if you, I, or anyone else can’t possibly understand what good could come of it, we still trust that G-d knows exactly what He’s doing.

It’s not that G-d is “deeper” than the pit. The pit itself was dug by G-d, for you. While it doesn't feel that way, it is in fact the safest possible place for you to be in that moment. Pray, talk to G-d, and with that connection, you’ll find a way out to rise, and start a new chapter.

Judaism doesn’t view good and evil as two opposing powers. Everything comes from G-d. There’s no such thing as “evil descending from Heaven.”

There are painful things. There are moments that make us cry. We don’t always understand, and we’re not expected to. And yet we trust that G-d is behind both the good that feels good and the “good” that looks and feels like suffering.

This is the way we get through life’s hardest chapters—with faith, humility, and strength.