Close To Torah

David once again dealt with a pressing question in this Psalm. Why do evil people prosper (verse 1) in this world? David’s greatness is manifest in his ability to pose deep philosophical questions and provide intellectually sound and emotionally powerful responses. This Psalm was written just after David’s coronation. The Pilistim who had killed Shaul were trying to subjugate the Jews and thus began to taunt David in an effort to show their power. They rose to attack David at that time (II Shmuel 5:17) but their threats were found to be worthless (see verse 2; Radak).

A Summary

David explains that evil only lasts in this world for a temporal time, but Hashem is Eternal and His Justice will always prevail (verse 4). The Pilistim wished to attack David as a means for expressing their anger and to wage war against Hashem Himself. Their actions were seen as an affront against “Hashem and His anointed one (Meshicho, the Messiah)” (verse 4). This hints to the war of Gog U’Magog, the final battle before Mashiach’s arrival. Just as the Philistim wished to wage war against Hashem, so too, Gog U’Magog will come with an attack against Hashem Himself. This is carried out with an attack against Hashem’s Chosen Nation. I would like to expand upon two points here.

Embassy of God

Time and again, nations have gotten up to wage war against Hashem. They were unable to fight Him and so they expressed their hate and anger by taking it out on the Jews. I once witnessed this in a situation where a married sister was visiting her parents and came with her new baby in arms. The young lady’s ten year old brother was not behaving and his sister reminded him repeatedly to please stop fighting. The little kid looked up and realized that he was much smaller than his sister and was in no place to ignore her requests. He continued to misbehave and when his sister came over to stop the fight, the 10 year old wished to show his anger at her and so he cruelly pinched the little baby that she was holding. The room was silent with expressions of disapproval and horror. The boy recognized that he had overstepped his boundaries and left the room crying. This image remained in my mind for over 15 years and has always reminded me of the attitude of so many of the nations that have persecuted the Jews, Hashem’s precious child.

The Age Old Question

It is certainly not possible to discuss the topic of why do bad things happen to good people and why do good things happen to bad people in one short section, however, I will share a few thoughts and perspectives for those that wish to pursue the topic further. This question has been asked by Moshe (Shemos 33:13; See Berachos 7a), David (here), Yirmiyahu (12:1) and so many others.

The Answer

Why do bad things happen to good people? The answer is actually rather simple: Either they are not bad things or they are not good people! Please allow me to explain! All that Hashem does is just and fair. We may not see this or fully comprehend it; however, we believe that Hashem’s actions are based on absolute Truth and Justice. Imagine a surgeon who cuts open someone’s chest in order to perform an emergency heart procedure. Imagine the reactions of the bystanders present. To a child, he may watch with horror and think that the surgeon is a violent murderer. To an adult, he recognizes that this is the greatest act of kindness and life-saving action! In our lives, only Hashem knows the exact surgical procedures that we need.

We believe in the afterlife, a time when good deeds will be rewarded and bad deeds will be punished in a most just and absolute way. Thus, Hashem gives Tzaddikim pain and suffering in this world in order to perfect them and give them only pleasure in the next world and Hashem gives evil people enjoyment and pleasure in this world in order to push them away from achieving a portion in the Next World (see Rashi who explicitly states this in Devarim 7:10). This answer is simple, basic to our faith and elementary. In fact, it is so true and obvious that Ramchal (Daas Tevunos) asks how are we to understand the question asked by Moshe, David and Yirmiyahu in the first place?! More so, the Gemara (Berachos ibid.) states that Hashem told Moshe that he cannot understand the answer in this world?! What part of the answer is not understood? What is going on here?!

What Did He Ask?

Ramchal explains that most people don’t even understand the question that Moshe was asking. He states that a complete reading of the Gemara (ibid.) will express the true question, which indeed has no complete answer that is fathomable to the human mind in this world. Only with the coming of Mashiach will the answer be fully grasped. The Gemara (ibid.) states: “Moshe asked Hashem… why does there exist a Tzaddik who has good fortune, a Tzaddik who has bad fortune and why does there exist a Rasha (evil person) who has good fortune and a Rasha who has bad fortune.” A close reading of this Gemara leaves one totally perplexed. What exactly was Moshe asking? Why did he mention a Tzaddik who has a good fortune and a Rasha who has a bad fortune? This was not the question that we had?!

The Real Question

A close reading of the Gemara, say Ramchal, shows that the question was not what the mechanics of good fortune and bad fortune was. Moshe understood clearly that bad things happen to good people in order to give them a greater Olam Habah and good things happen to bad people in order to take away their Olam Habah. Moshe was asking another question: How do You Hashem decide which Tzaddik will have a good life and which will have a bad life and how do You Hashem decide which Rasha will have a good life and which a bad life?! To this Hashem replied that the answer is not revealed in this world and involves the most complex issues of Divine Providence which will only be revealed in the future.

King David implores us dedicate our minds and hearts to Hashem and to strive to see Divine Justice throughout our lives. David turns to Hashem and expresses his unrelenting faith and devotion as a representative of Hashem and as a privileged member of the Jewish nation.

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