B”H

Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5

The Confusing Consequences
of Good and Bad Actions (Part One)
© M. Zauderer 2012

LECTURE OUTLINE
Lecture 5 1) Overview of the Issues
Part #1: a) A Non-comprehensive Study
b) General Attitudes Towards G-d’s Justice
c) The Emotional Element
2) Asking the Question
3) Answers
a) Incomplete Information
i) "Good" People
ii) "Good" & "Bad" Situations
Lecture 6 b) Only G-d Knows Who is Good & Bad
Part #2: c) This World & the World-to-Come
d) Reward and Punishment Correspond to One’s Life Focus
e) Other People Influence the Way We Are Judged
i) Associating With Others – Either Righteous or Wicked
ii) Intergenerational Influences

Introduction
One of the most perplexing of theological issues is that of G-d’s system of reward and
punishment, and the related, nagging question of why, often enough, we see the righteous
suffer, while the wicked so frequently lead tranquil lives. Throughout Torah literature, we find
some of the most upright personalities questioning or commenting on this vexing problem of
what appears to be divine injustice. Among these personalities are Moses (Exodus 33:13, as
explained by the Talmud, Tractate Berochot), Assaf/King David (Psalm 73), King Solomon
(Ecclesiastes 8:14), the prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 1), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 12), and the
Prophet Malachi (Malachi 2:17); these, as well as the entire Book of Job (whose historical
period is a matter of midrashic dispute).
The questions are weighty ones, and the solutions are neither simple nor one-dimensional. In
fact, Rabbi Yosef Albo (1380-1444, Spain; The Book of Fundamentals) notes that the very fact
that different prophets and wise men throughout Jewish history (Moses asked the question in
1313 BCE, whereas Malachi, the last of the Jewish prophets, lived in the 4th century BCE, and
many Sages have also addressed the issue in later generations) have felt the need to reexamine
the question, indicates that no single answer can resolve this issue.

Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5 Page 1 of 8

The Confusing Consequences of Good and Bad Actions (Part 1)
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
Overview of the Issues
A. A Non-Comprehensive Study
In light of the complexity of this issue and the limited scope of this forum, we will present the
topic through a survey of several – not all – approaches to resolving the problem, culled from
the Bible as well as from classical sources. In our brief study, we will not discuss the various
intricate, esoteric arguments presented in the lengthy and complex Book of Job (which warrants
independent study – interested readers are directed to "Iyov/Job" Mesorah Publications, 1994),
nor will we attempt to outline the mystical, Kabbalistic dimension of this issue.
B. General Attitudes Towards G-d’s Justice
It is crucial that we begin our study with the understanding that we have only a very limited
grasp of the infinite wisdom with which G-d directs the course of human history. While G-d has
communicated to us many of the principles involved in the worldly manifestations of divine
providence, their interrelationships and practical applications to actual situations are known only
to G-d. No matter what spiritual or intellectual level we achieve, we can never hope to
understand fully G-d’s ways in this world, unless G-d chooses to communicate them to us
through prophetic channels. We can never presume to know the "why" of any event in this
world, even if it appears to be a matter of simple logic. There is nothing at all simple in the
pathways of G-d’s relationship with Creation.
Mishnah (Tractate "Ethics of the Fathers" 4:19)

"Rabbi Yanai says: We can explain neither the tranquility experienced by the wicked, nor
the suffering experienced by the righteous."
Rabbi Bachyai (d. 1340, Spain; Commentary to "Ethics of the Fathers")

In our limited understanding of how the world ought to be managed, we would likely
tend to endorse rewarding the righteous, both in this world and in the World to Come;
similarly, we would choose to have the wicked punished in both worlds. Instead, we are
confronted with circumstances wherein the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper.
With our human limitations, the secrets of G-d’s management of Creation are far beyond
our ability to comprehend. As G-d Himself expressed through the prophet Isaiah, "As the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9) Knowing that understanding G-d’s
actions is beyond the ken of the restricted human intellect, we can accept and believe
that G-d’s ways are absolutely just, even though we cannot see the justice.
In this lecture, we make no attempt to apply any reasoning we may identify to any individual
circumstance. We must abstain from judging G-d’s motives in any particular case. We must
never allow our own shortsighted view of any event we witness to influence our assessment of
the situation.
C. The Emotional Element
In the course of this lecture, we will offer several possible reasons one might consider for the
manifestation of divine justice on earth. However, any intellectually satisfying approaches to
viewing seeming injustices do not address the emotional needs of people who suffer. We
cannot offer them reasons for events, for our limited understanding of G-d’s management of
our lives precludes such explanations; beyond this, we cannot overlook the human need for
emotional support when one is in distress. The following Mishnaic statement – and Rabbi
Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5 Page 2 of 8
The Confusing Consequences of Good and Bad Actions (Part 1)
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
Yehudah Loewe’s ("Maharal" – 1526-1609, Prague (Czechoslovakia)) commentary – isolates a
few examples of the sensitivity we must show when relating to someone who is suffering:
Mishnah (Tractate "Ethics of the Fathers 4:23)
"Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: Do not appease your fellow man in the time of his
anger; do not console him while his dead lies before him… and do not attempt to see
him at the time of his degradation."
Rabbi Yehudah Loewe (Commentary to "Ethics of the Fathers)
While someone is in the grips of extreme or increasing suffering or discomfort, do not
attempt to pull his emotions in the opposite direction, toward consolation and comfort.
Attempts at comforting a person at such times will backfire, for they will only frustrate
him and drive him further in the direction of suffering and discomfort.
Talmud (Tractate Berochot)
The reward one earns for the mitzvah of visiting a house of mourning is given on
account of the silence that the comforter displays.
Intellectual rationalizations are of questionable value at best, for people who are undergoing
severe emotional stress. Generally, we can best comfort a mourner by our mere presence
alone, more than by any attempts on our part to justify the tragedy.

Asking the Question

When we examine the various Biblical sources (see the list of citations at the beginning of this
lecture) that address the difficult problems involved in the suffering of the righteous and the
wicked’s prospering, we discover that there is a proper manner of posing the questions. Let us
contrast the different approaches of two prophets:
Biblical Verses (Incorporating Biblical commentary of Rabbi Yoseph Kara [late 11th -early 12th
centuries, France])

G-d, I know that all Your ways are righteous, and I would find only truth in Your deeds,
if I would dare contend with You [but I do not challenge You]. Rather, I seek Your
guidance as a student approaches his master: Why do the wicked prosper? Why do the
rebellious live in tranquility? (Jeremiah 12:1)
O G-d, how long shall I cry out to You over the violence perpetrated by Nevuchadnezer
[King of the Babylonian Empire, who would destroy the First Temple] against the Jewish
people, without eliciting a response from You to save them? (Habakkuk 1:2)
Jeremiah prefaces his question with a declaration of his conviction that G-d governs human
affairs with absolute justice. He approaches G-d as a perplexed student would approach a
teacher, wishing to understand what he sees; Jeremiah seeks G-d’s guidance to help him
fathom the causes for the success of the wicked.
In contrast, Habakkuk introduces his question with a cry of complaint. Midrashic literature notes
Habakkuk’s cry to G-d in which he points to G-d’s "injustice," and offers a metaphor of a clay
pot that quarrels with the potter who made it, over its seeming faulty design. In this way the
midrash highlights the absurdity of Habakkuk’s approach.
Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5 Page 3 of 8
The Confusing Consequences of Good and Bad Actions (Part 1)
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
Midrash (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni to Habakkuk)

G-d replied to Habakkuk’s quarrelsome complaints: "Woe unto one who quarrels with his
Creator – to a clay pot [that quarrels] with its potter. Should the clay tell its creator,
‘What a [faulty pot] you have made! Your action [of fashioning the pot] appears to have
been done without [skilled] hands!’? (Isaiah 45:9) … When Habakkuk saw at last,
through a prophetic vision, G-d’s timetable for punishing the wicked Babylonians, he
reacted with a prayer in which he begged G-d’s forgiveness for having spoken so
brazenly: "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, over his error in judgment [in quarreling
with G-d]…" (Habakkuk 3:1)
G-d’s reply to the inquiries of both Habakkuk and Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 12:14-17) focuses on
the limitations of human understanding. We cannot possibly know all the factors that G-d takes
into account in any given situation. Each prophet perceived what he considered to be a
complete enigma, for each was viewing events from the vantage point of the world of human
understanding of history. Yet for both of them the question was resolved to their satisfaction
when G-d allowed them to glimpse, in some small measure, something of His precise
management of history.
In this lecture, we will consider one answer to the problem of why the righteous suffer and the
wicked prosper in this world. In lecture six, we will present other answers.

Answers
A. Incomplete Information (i.e., False Appearances)
Mistaken impressions, of both people and circumstances, are commonly at the root of
misconceptions regarding the justice of G-d’s judgments that we see in the world.

#1. "Good" People

Rabbi Yosef Albo (1380-1444, Spain) identifies two factors that limit our ability to perceive and
assess a person’s righteousness: a) concealed evil, and b) forgotten evil:
Rabbi Yoseph Albo (The Book of Fundamentals):
A person can conceal his evil deeds from others, giving them the impression that he is a
righteous person. [The Talmud (Tractate Sotah) refers to such people as "fraudulent
evildoers." These are people who place themselves in positions of leadership,
encouraging others to emulate their righteous behavior, while they themselves are
concealing their own wickedness from the public eye.]

[Another common mistake is that] people tend to forget that their sinful behavior of
times past may be the cause of their current sufferings. One likely reason for such
forgetfulness is that, in His great mercy, G-d does not punish people immediately for
their sinful behavior, but rather delays the punishment, and gives sinners an "extension"
of their comfortable lives, as it were. In this way G-d allows a sinner a chance to awaken
of his own accord to the need to correct his moral behavior, without the need for a
punishment. If he does not change his moral attitudes and behavior on his own, then
eventually, when G-d finally does punish him, the sinner often does not associate the

Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5 Page 4 of 8

The Confusing Consequences of Good and Bad Actions (Part 1)
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
 punishment with his sinful behavior of long ago, and complains that G-d is unjust.

This can be compared to a creditor who generously extends the term for the repayment
of a loan, in order to allow the debtor to raise the amount necessary to pay off his debt.
By the time the payment is finally due, the debtor has forgotten completely that he ever
borrowed the money. When the creditor resorts to legal measures to collect the money
that is rightfully his, the debtor complains that he is being treated unjustly. Outsiders,
who never knew that the money had been loaned, seek to justify the debtor’s claim,
arguing that if there ever was a debt, the creditor would not have delayed collecting the
money that was coming to him. These people fail to appreciate the great kindness that
the creditor has shown his debtor.

#2. "Good" & "Bad" Situations

There are numerous midrashic sources that give us an inkling of G-d’s absolute and
inconceivable control of historical events. Often, we cannot begin to see the true good that lies
hidden within any situation until much later – if even then.
Talmud (Tractate Niddah):
"On that day you will say: ‘I praise You, G-d, for having shown me Your anger; now
your anger has subsided and you have comforted me." (Isaiah 12:1) – How are we to
understand this verse? (i.e., are we then to praise G-d for the punishment he inflicts
upon us?) It can be explained through the following incident: Two businessmen were
preparing to embark on a business trip, when one of them inadvertently stepped on a
thorn and injured his foot. Thus he was unable to make his scheduled journey. He
complained bitterly about his misfortune.

Later, the businessman received word that the ship on which he had planned to embark
had sunk in the ocean [leaving no survivors]. What is his response to the news? "I
praise You, G-d, for having shown me Your anger [in causing me to step on the thorn];
now your anger has subsided and you have comforted me [by saving me from certain
death]." Rabbi Elazar added that the verse, "G-d does wondrous deeds alone" (Psalms
72:18), teaches us that generally, even the person who is miraculously saved from harm
does not recognize the miracles himself. Often it is G-d alone Who knows of the miracles
He performs for people.
Midrash (Midrashic Collections):

"If I have found favor in Your eyes, My G-d, show me Your ways." (Exodus 33:13)

The midrash relates that when Moses requested that G-d reveal to him the hidden ways
of His Divine providence, G-d complied by showing Moses the following two scenes:

In the first scene, a soldier dismounts from his horse to drink from a stream. As he
remounts, he drops a bag of money without realizing it. After riding off, a man passes
by, finds the abandoned money and takes it. Later, an old man arrives at the stream
and lies down to rest. By now the soldier has realized that he has lost his money, and
returns to stream to search for it. Assuming the man sleeping at the banks of the stream
took it, he awakens the old man and demands that he return his money. The man
repeatedly denies having taken the money, whereupon the furious soldier kills him.

Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5 Page 5 of 8

The Confusing Consequences of Good and Bad Actions (Part 1)
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
 G-d said to Moses: "See! Perfect justice!" Moses did not understand. G-d then showed
him a second scene:

A young boy and his father are walking along a forest path. Suddenly a bandit attacks
them, knocks the father unconscious and takes his money. A young soldier, who had
been resting nearby, remains passive as he witnesses the event. As the bandit prepares
to leave the scene of the crime, the soldier suddenly appears before him, brandishing
his sword, The bandit drops the money and flees, and the soldier takes the money and
rides away.

Once again G-d told Moses, "See! Perfect justice!" Once again, Moses did not
understand.

G-d then explained the mystery that lay behind these two scenes: the second scene
occurred many years before the first scene. The bandit of the second scene became the
old man who is killed by the soldier in the first scene. The soldier of the second scene,
who witnessed the theft without reacting, and then took the father’s stolen money, loses
that money in the first scene and kills the bandit – now an old man – who had originally
stolen the money. Finally, the child of the second scene, whose father had been robbed,
became the man who finds the money in the first scene. G-d "remembered" to
implement Divine justice in every detail.
th th
Midrash (Midrashic collections of Rabbi Nissim Gaon, 9 -10 centuries, Mesopotamia):

Rabbi Yehoshuah, son of Levi (3rd century, Israel) once prayed that G-d allow him the
privilege of meeting Elijah the prophet. G-d granted him this request, and Elijah
appeared before him.

"What do you request of me?" asked Elijah.

"My only request," replied Rabbi Yehoshuah, "is that you allow me to escort you as you
conduct your heavenly affairs here on earth. I hope to gain much wisdom from this
experience."

Elijah consented, but made Rabbi Yehoshuah agree that if he would ask him to explain
any of his actions, Elijah would answer him, but then he would immediately depart,
never to meet him again.

This agreed, they began their journey. They arrived at the home of a pauper, whose
only asset of worth was a single cow. Despite their poverty, the pauper and his wife
joyously greeted them, extending them such meager hospitality and food as their means
allowed them to provide, including lodging for the night. As they prepared to leave the
following morning, Elijah prayed that G-d should kill the pauper’s cow – and the cow
died. Rabbi Yehoshuah was bewildered. "This is the poor man’s reward for his hospitality
– to kill his cow?" he thought to himself. Unable to control himself, he asked Elijah for
an explanation.

"Remember our agreement," said Elijah. "If you want an explanation, I will give it to
you, but I will then depart from you forever." Rabbi Yehoshuah remained silent, and
they proceeded on their journey.

Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5 Page 6 of 8

The Confusing Consequences of Good and Bad Actions (Part 1)
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
 That evening, they arrived at the home of a wealthy man. The rich man ignored their
needs, offering them neither food nor drink. While they were there, the man was
planning to rebuild a fallen wall of his house. As Elijah prepared to leave the next
morning, he prayed that the wall should miraculously rebuild itself – and that is exactly
what happened. Observing Elijah’s behavior, Rabbi Yehoshuah was dumbfounded, but
he remembered their agreement and remained silent.

That night, they arrived at a very large and magnificently arrayed synagogue. Its chairs
were made of gold and silver, and everyone there was seated according to his rank in
the community. An announcement was made on behalf of Elijah and Rabbi Yehoshuah:
"Who will feed these two poor travelers tonight?" "It is enough that they receive bread,
water and salt," replied one of the community members. No one in attendance offered
them more than that, and Elijah and Rabbi Yehoshuah were left to sleep in the
synagogue that night. As they departed the town the next morning, Elijah told them,
"May G-d make you all communal leaders!" Hearing this, Rabbi Yehoshuah became
despondent, although to Elijah he said nothing.

The next night, they arrived in another town, whose residents all turned out to greet
them warmly. The townspeople brought them to the finest home in the area and served
them a sumptuous meal. The next morning, Elijah prayed that G-d should provide them
with only one leader.

At this, Rabbi Yehoshuah could restrain himself no longer. "Now, please tell me the
meaning of all your actions!" he requested of Elijah.

"Before I take leave of you, I will explain each episode," replied Elijah. "In the first
incident – when we visited the pauper, I was aware that G-d had decreed that his wife
should die. [In the merit of their hospitality,] I prayed to G-d to take their cow in place
of his wife. In the second incident – when we met the rich man, I knew that a treasure
was buried under the foundation of the fallen wall he had been planning to fix. If he had
been allowed to rebuild that wall, he would have discovered the treasure, so I prayed
that the wall should be rebuilt miraculously – hiding the treasure from him.

In the city where we were forced to sleep in the synagogue – I knew that numerous
leaders would cause greater dissension among them. When there are many leaders,
many disputes follow, so that my prayer was no blessing; in fact it was quite the
opposite. In the final incident, I blessed the kind people of the community with a single
leader, who would be able to promote peace among the townspeople, for they will
readily follow the guidance of a single leader.

"Now I take my leave of you," Elijah began, "But I leave you with this bit of advice: If
you see wicked people succeed in life, do not allow what you see to influence you to do
evil. Know that their very success will bring them harm. In contrast, if you see a
righteous person suffering, do not be tempted to become angry with G-d on that
account, for G-d is righteous and His justice is righteous."

Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5 Page 7 of 8

The Confusing Consequences of Good and Bad Actions (Part 1)
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
Rabbi Yissachar Frand (my personal mentor) once explained in a class how difficult it is to
understand whether historical events are "good" or "bad," employing the following metaphor:
Imagine that you are holding in your hands an intricate work of needlepoint. If you were to
view if from its reverse side, you would see nothing more than a mass of twisted yarns, which
defy any order or pattern. However, when it is turned over so that you can view it correctly, it
reveals a complex, well-designed pattern. In the same way, many events in our lives seem to
lack any rational explanation, as if they simply fell into place at random. Although there are
moments when we are able to guess at their deeper meaning, a full understanding of G-d’s
historical "pattern" will be ours only in the future, when all the imperfections of the world will be
rectified, and a state of perfection reigns, during the Messianic Era.

Lecture Six continues with several other answers

For Consideration

1. David enters a house of mourning. What might he say to the bereaved family?
2. Through no fault of her own, Janet has just unexpectedly lost her job. How might you
console her without upsetting her?
3. How do Jeremiah and Habakkuk’s different formulations of the question of the suffering
of the righteous and the wicked’s prospering teach us how to approach this difficult
issue?

Foundations of Judaism Lecture 5 Page 8 of 8

The Confusing Consequences of Good and Bad Actions (Part 1)
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org