Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz
You always talk about God being so benevolent and compassionate. If that is the case, why do we have the concept of “Keil nekamot” — a vengeful God? Why would He take revenge if He is so nice?
Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds:
The Kindness of God
God is caring and kind, and everything He does is for our good. He loves us all unconditionally, and takes no satisfaction in seeing us suffer. On the contrary, as our rabbis (Sanhedrin 46a) teach, God actually suffers along with us in our pain. Therefore, when we witness Divine punishment, we know that it is for a purpose.
Why We Must Suffer
One reason for suffering is to awaken us from our slumber, exhorting us to change our direction in life. Another purpose is to atone for our sins, so that we can be worthy of great reward in the World to Come.
God’s “Revenge” is the Ultimate Kindness
Once we appreciate that all pain is for our gain, we will understand that God’s “revenge” is not the same as human retaliation. When man seeks revenge, he seeks his enemy’s downfall. In addition, human vengeance is often done out of anger, and can be far out of proportion to the insult or damage that was incurred. In contrast, God’s punishments are given to help us change our direction in life and clean away the grime on our souls. Since it is always for our benefit, any punishment is measured with precision, the exact amount needed to set us on the straight path or to atone for our sins. This is indeed the ultimate kindness, since it enables us to come closer to Him in this world, and earns us a beautiful place in the World to Come.
In short: God is caring and loving, so Divine punishment is always with a purpose, to awaken us from our slumber or to atone for our sins, so that we can be worthy of great reward in the World to Come.
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