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Why don't we understand divine justice, and what does Rashi (רש"י) mean that righteous people get evil people's share in Gan Eden? The shiur questions standard interpretations of suffering and reward. Rashi's explanation seems to suggest a fixed allocation system where shares are transferred rather than earned individually.
This shiur examines Pirkei Avos 4:14, where Rabbi Yannai states that we cannot understand why the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. Rabbi Zweig presents multiple difficulties with Rashi (רש"י)'s interpretation of this Mishna. The first major question concerns Rashi's claim that we don't understand divine justice - but everyone knows the standard answer that righteous people suffer in this world to earn greater reward in the world to come, while evil people prosper here to diminish their portion in the afterlife. If this explanation is so well-known, what does the Mishna mean by saying we don't understand? The second interpretation in Rashi suggests that if it were up to us, we would distribute rewards differently than God does. Rabbi Zweig questions this approach - if God's method is correct, shouldn't we also believe it's the right way rather than claiming we would do it differently? The shiur then focuses on Rashi's specific language about shares in Gan Eden and Gehenna. Rashi doesn't simply say that righteous people suffer here to get a bigger share in the world to come - rather, he says they suffer so they can get the evil person's share in Gan Eden. Similarly, evil people prosper here so they will take the righteous person's share in Gehenna. This formulation raises fundamental questions about the nature of divine reward and punishment. How can someone receive another person's predetermined share? Rabbi Zweig challenges the concept that there are fixed allocations that can be transferred between people. If reward and punishment are based on individual actions, how can credits or debits be transferred from one person to another? The shiur questions whether God operates with a fixed number of 'brownie points' that get redistributed based on behavior in this world. Additionally, there's a logical inconsistency in Rashi's explanation. If righteous people are punished in this world specifically to avoid punishment in Gehenna, then they shouldn't have any share in Gehenna to begin with. How then can evil people take the righteous person's share in Gehenna if no such share exists? The shiur concludes with Rashi's assertion that everyone has a share in both Gan Eden and Gehenna, which contradicts the conventional understanding that good people earn Gan Eden while bad people earn Gehenna. This raises fundamental questions about the nature of divine justice and the allocation of reward and punishment in both this world and the next.
Pirkei Avos 4:14
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