The Benefit of Suffering: Different Reasons for Bringing Trials in This World - Part B

Rav Huna said: "Behold it was very good" - this refers to the attribute of goodness, "and behold it was very good" - this refers to the attribute of suffering.

But is the attribute of suffering very good?! Astounding! Rather, it is through suffering that people come to life in the World to Come.

And so said Solomon: "And the way of life - the rebuke of discipline."

You said: Go and see which path brings a person to life in the World to Come? You must say it is the attribute of suffering.

(Genesis Rabbah, Parashah 9)

Moshe'le, Pray for Me!

Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch shlita recounted that in his youth, he went to visit his teacher, Rabbi Mordechai of blessed memory, who lay on his sickbed suffering from great pain. When his teacher saw him, he asked: "Moshe'le, pray for me!" When asked what to pray for, he replied: "Pray that I merit to receive all the punishment due to me in this world, so that I can come to the World to Come pure and clean."

After a few days, he returned and asked if he had already prayed, to which the student replied: "No, not at all! I want the Rabbi to be well! Therefore, I cannot ask that the Rabbi have more troubles and suffering." The Rabbi said to him: "Moshe'le, Moshe'le, surely you understand that I too want only what is good for me! But what is true goodness? To arrive in the true world pure and clean! How good that is! Please, pray that I receive everything here, and arrive there clean and pure."

Anything But Katringa!

Rabbi Shach of blessed memory told of a great sufferer who lived in the city of Slutsk. The man would accept his sufferings with joy, and this is what he would regularly say about suffering:

Among the infamous labor camps in Russia, the camp "Katringa" was known as the worst of all. The cold that prevailed in that place was unbearably severe, the living and housing conditions were terrible, and in addition, people were forced to work in extremely difficult jobs. A person sentenced to work in Katringa would beg for his life and ask to be sent anywhere else, even to Siberia, as long as it wasn't Katringa! If such a request was granted, and the person was sent to Siberia, it would be received with great satisfaction! This person would stay and work in Siberia without complaint, despite the suffering and difficulties, because by doing so he was saved from the terrible punishment of Katringa.

So it is with human suffering in this world: every person will eventually be judged in Gehenna for the sins committed during his lifetime, therefore he should rejoice greatly when suffering befalls him in this world, because through this he is saved from the judgment of Gehenna, and there is no comparison at all between the sufferings in this world and the sufferings of Gehenna.

More Suffering, Please!

There was a man who had many sufferings and various ailments. Diseases afflicted him and his household members, he lost several of his loved ones, he had difficulties with livelihood, and many other troubles and hardships that accompanied him throughout his life. He decided to travel to the righteous Kabbalist Rabbi Shalom Sharabi of blessed memory to explain to him why he had to suffer so much, and what he should do to ease his burden.

When he arrived at the Rabbi's house, the Rebbetzin asked him to sit and wait until the Rabbi could see him. He sat on one of the armchairs, and because he was tired from the journey, he immediately fell asleep and sank into a deep slumber. In his dream, he saw himself arriving in heaven and seeing a desolate road before him. The man began to walk up the road. Suddenly, a large carriage passed him, filled with pure and beautiful angels. The carriage passed quickly and disappeared over the horizon. Afterward, many more carriages passed, loaded with white angels, some large and mighty, and some small and thin. When the procession of white angels ended, a huge procession of carriages carrying black and terrible angels began to pass before him. This aroused his curiosity, and he quickened his pace until he reached a wide square, where he found all the carriages parked. In the center of the square stood enormous scales, and all the angels began to arrange themselves on the scales, the white ones on the right pan and the black ones on the left pan.

The man did not understand what was happening before his eyes, until it was explained to him that this was the heavenly court, and they were now judging a person. All the angels ascending to the scales were created from the mitzvot and sins he had done during his lifetime. When a person performs a mitzvah perfectly, a white, large, and heavy angel is created, but when the mitzvah is not done perfectly, a flawed angel, missing limbs or thin, is created. The same applies to sins - angels created from sins done deliberately or with pleasure are large and heavy, while from a sin done unintentionally, small and light angels are created.

Meanwhile, the scales were filling with black and white angels. The man was curious to know who was being judged in this trial. They told him that he himself was being judged, and then he was horrified to see that almost all the angels were already standing on the scales, and the verdict was leaning in favor of the black angels created from his sins. He understood that if so, they were going to judge him as one of the wicked, and therefore trembled with fear.

When all the angels had ascended, a herald came out and asked if there were any more angels. The answer was - "No!" And then the herald asked: "Perhaps the Jew suffered afflictions during his lifetime? If so, they can be added to the side of merits!" Immediately, a huge carriage of angels created from the power of his many sufferings endured during his lifetime appeared, and for each angel of suffering, several black angels were removed from the scales, because sufferings purify and refine a person from his sins.

Now he felt somewhat relieved when he saw that the weight of the black angels was decreasing, and the pans of the scales were almost equal. However, when the angels of suffering were also exhausted, the man saw that the pan was still slightly tilted in favor of the black angels, and from this he understood that his situation was dire. Soon the verdict would be announced, and the pan was tilting against him!

In his distress, a great and bitter cry suddenly burst from his mouth: "Give me more suffering... I want more suffering!!!"... From the sound of the scream, the man woke up from his dream, and the Rabbi's household members, who were startled by the cry, rushed toward him and asked: What happened? Only now did he understand that it was all a dream. He got up from the armchair and turned to leave the Rabbi's house. The Rebbetzin called to him and said: "But you wanted to speak with the Rabbi!" and he replied: "There is no need anymore, I have received the appropriate answer from heaven." (As told by Rabbi Yudelevitz. Lekach Tov 251)

The Chafetz Chaim testifies: I heard from an elderly, trustworthy man, who heard directly from Rabbi Yaakov Moshe of blessed memory, who said in the name of his grandfather, the Gaon of Vilna, that if not for sufferings, we would not find our hands and feet in this world! The matter is, that when a person passes away and the soul ascends above, a kind of scale appears before it, to weigh his deeds, whether merit will outweigh debt or the opposite, God forbid. And he hears a heavenly voice announcing that all his merits done throughout his life should be gathered, and the voice is heard in all the worlds where the root of his soul is embedded. Immediately, all the advocates created from the mitzvot gather, and they all stand on the right side of the scale. And afterward, a heavenly voice announces that all his sins committed throughout his life should also be gathered. And behold, multitudes upon multitudes dressed in black and wrapped in black gather, and they increase very much, and the pan of debt outweighs... And behold, when the person sees this, he becomes very bitter and thinks to himself what will happen to him, for surely they will declare him wicked since the pan of debt outweighs. And in the midst of this, a heavenly voice announces and says: Where are the sufferings he had while still in this world? Immediately, all the sufferings he had throughout his life gather, and they all run to the right side, and the pan of merit outweighs by much, because through the sufferings many of his sins were atoned for, and he remains presumed righteous, and he is happy and thanks Hashem for everything that happened to him. This is what I heard. This is what the Chafetz Chaim says in his book "Shem Olam" Chapter 3.

Rabbi Avraham Grodzinski of blessed memory says: "It is understood that if a person understands the purpose of sufferings and examines his ways and repents, then there is no comparison to his forgiveness, and with the lightest sufferings he can be healed from the greatest sins." (Torat Avraham, page 20)