In Why Bad Things Happen To Good People - Why Not?, we dealt with the premise of this question that bothers so many. For those who received the post by email and did not get to see my cute (and very short) video, you can still see it here. (Sorry, it appears that Feedburner, the program that sends out the posts by email, does not embed the video into the email!)
We now know that suffering does not always equal punishment. (If you don’t know, go back and read the last post again!). In fact, there are many possible reasons why bad things might happen to a person.
The secret to dealing with perceived injustice in this world is to set your perception straight. God is just, and all His ways are just. We sometimes don’t understand how, but our lack of understanding does not make God unjust!!
How to “straighten” a crooked perspective
Now that we no longer have prophecy, we will never know with certainty the reasons behind God’s actions. However, by familiarizing ourselves with some possible reasons, we can know with certainty that there is some good explanation, even if we don’t know what it is in each particular case.
The Chovos Halevavos (Duties of the Heart) lists 5 reasons that good people suffer.
The first 2 reasons will be the subject of this post. Keep your eyes open for the next 3 reasons, coming soon! I hope to add a few of my own ideas on this subject in a future post as well.
Punishment for past sins
Pay up now so you won’t have to pay later.
Credit card companies and stores urge you to “shop now, pay later”. Sometimes they even offer 6 months with no interest.
But what happens if you buy something and don’t pay for it? What will it cost a year later? How much interest will you rack up in 5 years?
If you pay now, you’ll pay the agreed upon purchase price. The more you delay, the more interest will accumulate, and the more money you will owe.
Okay, so what do credit cards have to do with punishment?
Well, what happens when you sin but don’t repent? You need to pay. You can pay now, or you can pay later. Which do you think will be more pleasant?
Sometimes Hashem punishes a righteous person in This World in order to spare the person from the punishment in the Next World. Pay now, pay less!
No one is perfect. Therefore, no one is too good for punishment.
My daughter was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at the age of four months. This was a curable problem, though it was not entirely pleasant, nor was it aesthetically pleasing. She wore a harness that made her look like a frog. We had instructions not to remove it at all - not for baths, and not even for diaper changes. We learned to sponge bathe her and change diapers between the straps, messy as it sometimes was. We even got used to the “frog look” that the harness bestowed upon her.
I still remember a comment that someone made to me shortly after the diagnosis: “Why would this happen to you? You are such a tzaddekes (righteous woman)!”
I found this attitude very intriguing. While I try to be a good person and to serve my Creator, I am certainly not without faults! Punishment is only one of the many reasons that people suffer, and I was not about to decide the reason that God had sent a challenge my way. But even if it was a punishment, would I be presumptuous enough to believe it was not deserved?
No one is perfect. Even the best intentioned people and the most righteous sometimes make mistakes. That is part of being human! It therefore follows that no one is so good as to never deserve a punishment.
Increase reward in the Next World
How do people earn higher salaries in this world?
- Work more hours (hourly workers)
- Work overtime (some salaried workers)
- Bonuses for outstanding work and dedication
- Promotions when competence is displayed (which come with more responsibility!)
- Make more sales (commission based employees)
No one makes more money for doing nothing. Bonuses are doled out in accordance with performance.
The same is true of the Next World.
Example:
Yosef is a good, hardworking man. He sets aside time to study Torah, and keeps the mitzvos to the best of his ability.
One day, Yosef becomes ill. He suffers terribly from the pain of the disease. He is unable to work his usual hours, and suffers a loss of income as well. Times are difficult for Yosef’s family. They move out of their beautiful home into a tiny apartment.
Here are some of the many different ways that Yosef can respond to his suffering. He can:
- Ask “Why me? I am a good person, why is this happening to me?”.
- Accept the suffering as God given. He know that Hashem loves him and there is some reason for all this.
- Feel that Hashem doesn’t care about him and decide that he doesn’t care either.
- Look for ways to improve himself.
- View it as an opportunity to help or teach others.
Yosef’s reward will be in accordance with his response. Naturally, if he succumbs to a negative attitude (numbers 1 and 3), then he will not be rewarded for that! However, if he rises above his natural inclination to be angry or upset (numbers 2, 4, and 5), he can earn great bonuses in the Next World!
When a person rises to the challenge and passes with flying colors, he racks up “miles” to be redeemed in the Next World. The way a person responds to suffering in This World is an opportunity to increase his reward in the Next World. View it like working overtime and getting paid time and a half!
- Work more hours (hourly workers)
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