LESSON 5 Pirkei Avos (Ethics of the Fathers) 1:7 and 1:8
By Rabbi
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People
Introduction
From youth, we are trained to believe that good will be rewarded and evil punished. However, experiences in our daily lives may cast doubt on this assumption. There are times when we see a less-than-ethical person become more successful than a person who is scrupulously honest. As we admire their ill-gotten success, there is a danger that we may also emulate their behavior. In this session, we will explore the concepts of reward and punishment and how to retain our confidence that goodness will ultimately triumph.
Text of Mishna
7. Nitai of Arabel says: Distance yourself from a bad neighbor; do not join the endeavors of a bad person; and do not despair of retribution.
8. Yehudah ben Tabai and Shimon ben Shetach received the tradition from them. Yehudah ben Tabai says: [When you serve as a judge] do not act as a lawyer to either side. While the litigants are before you, view them both as guilty. When they take leave of you, view them as righteous, for they have accepted your judgement upon themselves.
Quick Questions
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Why would G-d provide a bad person with success to the point that we might be tempted to follow in their evil ways?
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Why must a judge view the litigants as guilty until after the court case is complete?
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Why is each litigant viewed as righteous once the court case has concluded?
Key Commentaries
- When it says that bad people will be punished and good people will be rewarded, it doesn’t necessarily mean immediately. At times, a person is deemed to be so evil that G-d wishes to reward him in this world for whatever good deeds he has performed, so that in the eternal World to Come he will receive his complete retribution. Likewise, there are people who are so essentially righteous that G-d punishes them for their relatively few and minor misdeeds in this world, so that they can be rewarded in totality in the World to Come. (Ramban-Shaar HaGimul)
- One should not think that it is possible to temporarily join an evildoer in his successful endeavors, getting out right before he suffers his punishment and downfall. A person should realize that the punishment might come about suddenly because eventually the wicked are punished, sometimes sooner than later. (Rabbeinu Yonah)
- Until the very end of a wicked person’s life, G-d retains the hope that he will repent and thereby merit eternal life. (High Holiday prayers)
- Once the final judgment has been reached, it becomes clear that one of the litigants was lying. If and when that individual accepts the judgment, that person is deemed to have done teshuvah and is not intrinsically a bad person. (Rabbeinu Yonah)
These Mishnayos offer two different perspectives on the age-old question of “Why do good things happen to bad people?” One approach cautions us not to join in unethical behavior despite its temporary appearance of success; an evil person may be receiving a brief reward during his lifetime for the limited good deeds he has performed (as explained in commentaries 1 and 2). A second point to consider is that even good people sometimes do the wrong thing. G-d has enormous patience and continuously provides blessing and sustenance in the hope that eventually the person will improve and see the error of his ways (as explained in Mishna 8 and in commentaries 3 and 4). Either way, one thing is clear: as long as people behave improperly, do not to join them, no matter how popular or successful they appear to be.
Practical Applications
Here are two examples of people who had to choose between good and bad associations. One chose correctly, the other did not.
- Lot, Abraham’s nephew, had a choice to remain with Abraham or to build a relationship with the evil people of Sodom. When Lot saw the prosperity of Sodom, he cast his lot with them. The city of Sodom was eventually destroyed due to the people’s wickedness and moral corruption. In most dramatic fashion, Lot is saved, but only in the merit of Abraham. Lot’s shortsighted decision to benefit from the temporary prosperity of Sodom put him in a precarious situation that resulted in the loss of his wife and two of his daughters.
- Moses grew up as an adopted prince in the house of Pharaoh. He could easily have lived a life of luxury while his Jewish brethren suffered through the Egyptian slavery. The Torah relates, however, that Moses went out to his Jewish brothers and attempted to help them and alleviate their suffering. This led Pharaoh to put a price on Moses’s head. Moses’s choice to align himself with his fellow Jews while rejecting the palace of Pharaoh and the threats on his life eventually paid off. Although in the short term he was forced to flee Egypt, he was ultimately chosen by G-d to redeem the Jews and to be their leader.
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Throughout the ages, the moral strength of the Jews has enabled us to maintain a high ethical standard despite the moral ups and downs of the societies that surround us.
The story is told of a story of a young boy who was present as a group of Jews was being rounded up during the Holocaust. He clutched his father’s hand as he witnessed the Nazis brutally beating an elderly man. The father desperately wanted to share an encouraging word with his son, but he was at a loss as to what to say. As the horror unfolded before their very eyes, the son suddenly exclaimed, “Father, these people are descendants of Eisav (Esau) while we are the children of Yaakov (Jacob). I’m glad that we are Yaakov and not Eisav!”
Recently, I noticed a bumper sticker that read, “The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off to save energy.” To believe in true reward and punishment requires energy. It requires continued reinforcement and recognition that what we see in the present is not the complete picture. Believing in ultimate goodness provides us with a bright light at the end of the tunnel towards which we strive. Don’t let energy conservation cause you to extinguish this powerful light in your life!
Resolution
I will align myself with good and moral people even when unethical people seem to prosper.
Review Questions
- Is a person’s success necessarily an indication that G-d is pleased with him/her?
- Why should a person not align himself with successful, but unethical people?
- Why do good things happen to bad people?
Points to Ponder
If a close relative became involved in unethical behavior, would you curtail your relationship with him/her? To what extent would you believe in the power of teshuva?
