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Why couldn't Moshe and Shlomo understand divine justice when later sages could explain it theologically? The concealment isn't about justice but about relationship - we cannot tell if good or bad events reflect God's approval or disapproval. This deliberate ambiguity preserves authentic moral choice by preventing us from becoming mere approval-seekers rather than genuine moral agents.
Rabbi Zweig begins with Koheles 8:16-17, where Shlomo HaMelech expresses his inability to understand God's ways, particularly why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. He notes that even Moshe Rabbeinu struggled with this question when he asked God "hodieni na et derachecha" (show me Your ways). The Gemara (גמרא) provides a theological answer: perfectly righteous people receive only good, while completely wicked people receive only bad. However, most people fall into middle categories. Righteous people who have committed minor sins receive punishment in this world to clear their slate for the World to Come, while wicked people who have done some good receive their rewards in this world, leaving them with only punishment awaiting them in the next world. This explains the apparent injustice we observe.
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Koheles 8:16-17
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Why do tzadikim and reshaim often face identical circumstances, as Koheles notes? The shiur develops that Hashem has an overarching plan where consequences themselves remain constant - what changes is our relationship to those experiences. Rather than viewing setbacks as divine rejection, we must recognize these as growth opportunities that happen to everyone, from Adam to Moshe to our own lives.
