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How can divine justice be reconciled with the idea that bad things happen to good people? Unlike earthly courts that only punish by taking away, heavenly justice operates through love—God removes impediments to give us more. Even a 99% righteous person may experience difficulties to address that remaining 1%, ensuring maximum eternal reward rather than letting small imperfections cost them in the world to come.
Rabbi Zweig opens by clarifying a misunderstanding from his previous shiur about people getting what they deserve. He addresses the concern that this teaching suggests bad people when bad things happen to them. He fundamentally reframes the concept of divine justice by distinguishing it from earthly courts. While earthly courts can only take away existing rights and never improve a person's situation, heavenly justice is God's mechanism for granting us life, health, sustenance, and all blessings. When God 'punishes,' He is not taking away but rather clearing impediments so He can give us more. Rabbi Zweig uses the parent-child analogy extensively: just as parents discipline children they love to help them grow, God's apparent punishments are acts of love designed to perfect us. He explains that a person might be 99% meritorious with only 1% imperfection, and God prefers to address that small imperfection in this temporal world rather than having it cost the person eternally in the world to come. The rabbi addresses the phenomenon of baalei teshuvah experiencing difficulties after their spiritual growth, suggesting this may be God's way of fine-tuning them for even greater rewards since they've demonstrated their commitment to growth. He emphasizes that we cannot measure our spiritual standing by our circumstances - good times don't necessarily indicate divine approval, nor do difficult times indicate divine displeasure. Using Yaakov's fear before meeting Eisav despite God's promise of protection, Rabbi Zweig suggests that Yaakov feared the 'cost' of that protection - that being saved might require using up spiritual credits that could otherwise yield greater eternal rewards. He concludes that everything that happens is ultimately for our maximum benefit, designed to cure us and make us better vessels to receive God's goodness. The only one who can truly harm us undeservedly is ourselves through our free choice, but no external force can affect us beyond what we deserve and what serves our ultimate good.
Parshas Vayishlach - Yaakov's fear before meeting Eisav
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