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 be so, and Hashem is paying him his true due.

Sources:Bavli TaanitTaanit 11aAbout the Bavli,¹ 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 as they deserve.

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

צדיק ורע לו, רשע וטוב לו – The bad events which occur to the righteous man are not intended as a punishment, rather as a test in order to give them an abundance of good in the future or in the world to come.  So too, the wicked man is not being rewarded, rather Hashem is strengthening the power of the punishment by giving him good first.

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.

Moral justification

"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,

צדיק ורע לו, רשע וטוב לו – The righteous man is being punished over the sins of his generation, or of his ancestors, though not his own sins.  And the wicked man being part of a nation who is worthy of good, receives good as well, even though he does not deserve it.

Hashem's providence

Purposes of the Egyptian bondage

"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.