Philosophy:Theodicy – צדיק ורע לו/2

Theodicy – צדיק ורע לו

Exegetical Approaches

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Mistaken Status of Person

This approach understands that just because a man might seem to be righteous or wicked he might not always actually be so, and Hashem is really paying him his true due.

Sources:Bavli TaanitTaanit 11aAbout the Bavli,¹ first opinion in R. Saadia GaonHaEmunot VeHaDeiot 5:3About R. Saadia Gaon,

צדיק ורע לו

• The righteous person is not truly innocent, and Hashem is punishing him for the few sins that he committed, even if the majority of his actions were right.

רשע וטוב לו

• The wicked man also performed some good deeds in his life, for which he is being rewarded.
• Hashem is rewarding the wicked man, because there is always a possibility that he will repent, and then be worthy of the reward – R. Bachye.

Moral justification – This approach claims that almost all humans are neither perfect nor terrible, rather everyone is somewhere in the middle, and that is how one can have a seemingly pious person who is being punished and the opposite as well.  However, this approach does not account for the many cases where the compensation does not seem exact, and a man who might have committed just one small sin, seems to be punished for far more than that.

Afflictions of love

Iyyov – The story of Iyyov seems to contradict this approach, since we don't hear from the book that Iyyov committed any sins.

"פֹּקֵד עֲוֺן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים"

How does justice work? These sources render, that justice works the way Torah describes it, every man is punished for all his sins and rewarded for all his positive deeds.

Collective punishment – This approach believes that every man is punished for his own sins.  The fact one person might have done something wrong does not require anyone else besides for himself to be punished.

Hashem's providence – This approach maintains that Hashem provides for every individual, and not just on a national level.

World to come

Misperception of Retribution

The retribution people are receiving is part of a wider picture where they are punished and rewarded as they deserve.

Sources:Sifre Devarim11:26About Sifre Devarim, YerushalmiChagigah 2:1About the Yerushalmi, Bavli ShabbatShabbat 30bAbout the Bavli, Bavli ChulinChulin 142aAbout the Bavli, second opinion in R. Saadia GaonHaEmunot VeHaDeiot 5:3About R. Saadia Gaon, first opinion in R. Bachye ibn PakudaChovot HaLevavot 4:3,

צדיק ורע לו

• The bad events which occur to the righteous man are not intended as a punishment, rather as a test.  Hashem knows they will tolerate the punishments even though they don't deserve them, and as a result, He gives them an abundance of good in the future or in the world to come.

רשע וטוב לו

• Sometimes Hashem keeps the wicked person alive in order for them to witness an even worse punishment than they would have witnessed.
• In some cases, the good is a cause for bad, and the whole purpose really is the punishment.

Moral justification – Hashem ensures that at the end of a person's life, or in the world to come, they will have received what they deserve, and the seemingly wrong compensation is just to ensure the strength of the real end of day compensation.

World to come – Most of these sources justify Hashem's ways by saying that the real retribution is in the world to come. However, the whole idea of the world to come is not explicated in the Torah at all.

"פֹּקֵד עֲוֺן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים"

Hashem's providence

Iyyov

Good and evil – According to this approach, not all good and evil in life is necessarily a punishment or a reward.

Not Aimed at the Doer

The righteous or wicked man is really not worthy of the retribution they received.

Sources:Bavli BerakhotBerakhot 7aAbout the Bavli, R. Yosef AlboSefer HaIkkarim 4:7Sefer HaIkkarim 4:12-13About R. Yosef Albo, second opinion in R. Bachye ibn PakudaChovot HaLevavot 4:3, 

צדיק ורע לו – The righteous man is being punished over the sins of his generation, or of his ancestors, and not his own sins.

רשע וטוב לו – The wicked man being part of a nation who is worthy of good, receives good as well, even though he does not deserve it.

Moral justification

Hashem's providence – According to this approach, Hashem provides only or at least generally on a national level, and not for each individual person.

Purposes of the Egyptian bondage – This approach can understand the Egyptian bondage to be a punishment for the sins of previous generations.

"פֹּקֵד עֲוֺן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים"

Iyyov

World to come

¹ It is unclear from the Bavli if they hold the person was not really righteous or wicked and rather had what to be rewarded or punished for, or that the real retribution would be in the world to come.