Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

by the Ramban (Nachmanides)

The Ramban was one of the greatest Torah sages and Kabalists since the post-talmudic era.

(Translated excerpt from his book Shaar HaGemul page 1)

“Our sages taught (Talmud Rosh Hashana 16b):

‘Three books are opened on Rosh HaShana (the new year). One of completely righteous people (tzadik gamur), one of completely wicked people, and one of in-between people. The completely righteous are immediately written and sealed for life. The completely wicked are immediately written and sealed for death. The in-between people’s judgment stands pending from Rosh HaShana to Yom Kippur. If they are meritorious, they are written for life otherwise, for death.

This that the Sages have said ‘the completely righteous are written for life and the completely wicked for death’, does not refer to completely righteous which do not have any sins, nor to completely wicked which do not have any merits (good deeds). Because many righteous people die immediately and many wicked people live long lives pleasantly..Rather here is the explanation: There are some sins which it is the din (way of judgment) of the Holy One blessed be He, and mishpato (way of justice) of Him towards the righteous to pay their reward in this world while others the din (judgment) is to pay them in the next world (after death). And likewise for merits (good deeds), there are those which G-d pays in this world, while those which He pays in the next world.

And (for example) when a man sins throughout the year and soils himself with sin but he also does some (few) good deeds, then (on Rosh HaShana) all his actions go before the Almighty, who weighs and balances them against each other. And the tzadik which is completely righteous merits life, while the wicked whose judgment is that he be paid his reward for his good deeds in this world is also written and sealed for life; which means he is given a ruling for life and peace with wealth, possessions, and honor. Therefore we find this (wicked person) is a tzadik gamur (completely righteous) in his judgment (i.e. gets the same judgment as a completely righteous person, since he is given the good life now in payment for his few good deeds).

And a completely wicked person who is wicked from all sides is immediately written and sealed for death. And likewise for a righteous person who stumbled in only one sin, and is written on Rosh HaShana for death, which means that he will die that year or that he will live with great troubles, a life of pain and suffering. Therefore we find this (righteous person) is a rasha gamur in his judgment (i.e. gets the same judgment as a completely wicked person). Even though he is a righteous person and merited paradise in the afterlife, while the first which merited life is completely wicked (since he was paid for his good deeds in this world) and will be lost completely (in the afterlife). For this we find even the greatest of the prophets judged and punished for some tiny sin thereby receiving the judgment of the completely wicked.

And likewise that which our Sages have called “to life” (for completely righteous) and “to death” (for completely wicked) does not mean for days only (i.e. death) but rather for all punishments of this world – afflictions, poverty, death of children, or the like, all these things were referred to by the Sages as “death”. And they referred to the reward for good deeds as “life”.

This judgment that the Sages have said “that every man is judged on Rosh Hashana” (as above) does not deal with whether he will merit Gan Eden and the afterlife or whether he will be sentenced to Gehinom and Avadon (lost), because a man is not judged on Rosh HaShana except for matters of this world only, i.e. whether he is fitting for life and peace or death and suffering…rather this is the matter, on Rosh Hashana a man’s deeds are weighed and balanced and he is written and sealed to merit or to culpability (chov) in this world according to what he deserves according to his actions in this world. And when a man leaves this world his actions are again weighed and a ruling is made for his portion in the world of souls.” (Translated excerpt from his book Shaar HaGemul page 1)

Comment: Suffering is a very complex subject. Sometimes it is not because of anything bad a person did but rather as a test to bring out potential in him and see whether he will behave as a good person during tough times. Rabbi Avigdor Miller brought down a story of a person who asks his Rebbe “Why do I have all these problems of making a living, etc. Why can’t I have it easy so I can sit and learn torah all day. The Rebbe answered “who says G-d wants your torah? Maybe it’s your suffering that he wants. He wants to make something out of you.”
i.e. trials and tribulations can make a person grow spiritually. However the condition is that he acts according to the highest moral principles that he has. Otherwise, they can make him worse.

Other times, suffering can be a “kapara” (atonement, i.e. to suffer pain corresponding to the amount of pleasure in doing something bad). This is a great kindness since punishment in the afterlife is much worse than anything here.

The talmud (berachos 5) says one who suffers should examine his actions. If he doesn’t find anything bad, he should consider it is due to “bitul torah” (neglect of torah study). The commentators ask “bitul torah is also something bad. So how can one say he didn’t find anything bad??”
The Vilna Gaon explains “if a person learned torah properly, he would have found the “bad thing”, since torah opens a person’s eyes to good and evil. (i.e. according to one’s level of torah learning will be his level of sensitivity to good and evil).

Introduction to Punishment in the Afterlife

This is a complex subject, so this will be a simplified introduction. First of all G-d does not punish in the form of “revenge”. He does not have anger, joy, sadness or the like, and does not change (Rambam Yesodei HaTorah). He does not need anything from us whatsoever. So why punishment? When G-d created man he took an animal in one hand and a divine soul in the other and POOF! combined them together. The body is basically an animal and wants to be a lazy, good-for-nothing, gorilla. While the soul strives to be like G-d. The soul is very holy, more than anything else that exists in the creation. The Sefer HaYashar goes as far to say that it was not created but rather “drawn out” from G-d Himself. Like a candle, which is lit from a fire.

Due to the holiness of man’s soul, all of his actions in this world have cosmic repercussions and create forces whether of good or evil depending on the actions. After death, a man has to take responsibilty for all the good and bad things he created throughout the worlds due to his deeds. So punishment is not through revenge or the like, rather it is more like paying responsibilty for the consequences of your actions. Since “the seal of G-d is truth” (talmud), and truth requires justice, everyone gets paid what they deserve in the end (see the article Shaarei Kedusha for more on the soul).

With the kind authorization of Daf Yomi Review.