The Purpose of Suffering, Part 1

In the teachings of our sages, we find that there are many reasons and spiritual benefits for the suffering (yisurim) that God brings upon a person. As the verse says: “As a father disciplines his son, so does God discipline you” — all forms of suffering ultimately come for a person’s own good. Below are three major types of yisurim and their deeper purposes:

1. Suffering as a Test of Faith

“And I trained them, I strengthened their arms — yet they plot evil against Me.” (Hoshea 7:15)

At times, suffering comes to test a person — to see how he reacts, and whether he will strengthen his faith and trust in God. These challenges are like spiritual weightlifting: “I trained them, I strengthened their arms.” Just as lifting heavy weights builds muscle, enduring hardship with faith builds spiritual strength.

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 222:3) teaches: “A person must bless God for the bad with a full heart and a willing soul, just as he blesses for the good — for what seems bad to one who serves God is in fact his joy and his benefit.”

Every hardship, therefore, can be viewed as part of one’s divine service. The harder it is to accept, the greater the opportunity for growth — and the more one should strive to receive it with joy.

Rabbi Ezriel Tauber wrote: “A person should not ask for suffering, but when it comes, he must know that it is not merely a challenge to survive — it is an opportunity to reach spiritual heights that could never be attained otherwise.”

A remarkable story is told of the Vilna Gaon, whose daughter tragically passed away on the day of her wedding. Later, his mother appeared to him in a dream and said: “If only you knew the reward you received for how you accepted this decree, you would have danced at her funeral even more than at her wedding.”

As Chovot HaLevavot teaches: “If one accepts suffering with love, knowing it comes only for his good, the suffering itself brings him reward and blessing. But if he accepts it with anger and resistance, it becomes a burden that harms him.”

2. Suffering as Divine Reproof and Awakening

“My son, do not despise the discipline of the Lord, and do not be weary of His reproof. For whom the Lord loves, He reproves — as a father the son in whom he delights.” (Mishlei 3:11–12)

Sometimes suffering comes as a divine signal, intended to awaken a person to examine his life, return to God, and improve his actions. When everything is going well, people often become spiritually complacent — “Yeshurun grew fat and kicked” (Devarim 32:15). God may send difficulty to break that illusion and remind us of our dependence on Him.

The Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 3:2) says: “I bring suffering upon you until you prepare your heart to turn to Me.”

The Shelah HaKadosh writes that when life is smooth, the mind is clouded by worldly desires, but when one experiences hardship, the illusions fall away and he begins to seek truth and connection with God wholeheartedly.

A parable illustrates this idea: A man driving his car notices a red warning light on the dashboard. Instead of fixing the problem, he asks a mechanic to disconnect the light. For a short while, the car runs fine — until it suddenly breaks down completely. When God sends us “warning lights” in the form of suffering, we must not ignore them or seek shortcuts — we must address the message, introspect, and return to the right path.

Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer explained the verse “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Tehillim 23:4):

A father and his son walk through a dangerous forest. The father warns the boy never to stray. The boy, distracted, wanders off — until a slap lands on his cheek. He turns in fear, only to find it was his father’s hand, saving him. The child bursts into tears of joy — “Father! You’re here!”

So too, when we feel God’s “rod” of discipline, we should know it is not cruelty, but love — a reminder that He is near. “Your rod and Your staff — they comfort me.”

3. Suffering as Atonement and Soul Correction

Many hardships come to atone for sins and purify the soul. The verse says: “For there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” (Kohelet 7:20)

Sometimes God sends suffering in this world to spare a person from far greater suffering in the next. As the Ramban writes: “Even if a person were to lose all his earthly comforts and suffer as Iyov did all his life, it would still be better for him than to endure even a moment of punishment to his soul in the World to Come.”

We can understand this with an analogy: imagine a doctor who cures emotional pain through dreams. He induces a patient to dream frightening nightmares, knowing that they will heal his inner wounds. To an observer, this seems cruel — but when the patient awakes healed, he understands it was an act of kindness.

Likewise, we are living inside the “dream” of this world, unable to see how each hardship refines and heals our soul for eternal life.

The Ramchal (Da’at Tevunot) writes: “In the future, God will reveal how every hardship — great or small, was precisely designed for our ultimate good. Every rebuke and trial will be seen as preparation for blessing, for God desires only the perfection of His creation.”

Rabbeinu Yonah adds: “If a righteous person finds that his life is filled with struggle rather than prosperity, let him strengthen his faith. The suffering is not a punishment but a purification — a gift to cleanse his soul and increase his eternal reward. One hour of spiritual joy in the World to Come surpasses all the pleasures of a thousand years of life on earth.”

Every form of yisurim — whether as a test, a wake-up call, or an act of atonement — carries profound purpose. God, as a loving Father, tailors each experience for our growth. When one learns to see suffering not as random pain but as divine guidance, life itself becomes a journey of refinement, faith, and closeness to the Infinite.