רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה׃
See, this day I set before you blessing and curse:
רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֹא לְרָעָתָם נָתַתִּי לָהֶם בְּרָכוֹת וּקְלָלוֹת, אֶלָּא לְהוֹדִיעָן אֵיזוֹ דֶּרֶךְ טוֹבָה שֶׁיִּבְחֲרוּ אוֹתָהּ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּטְלוּ שָׂכָר, מִנַּיִן, מִמַּה שֶּׁקָּרִינוּ בָּעִנְיָן (דברים יא, כו): רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם וגו'.
The Rabbis say... "HaShem says, he did not give for bad the curses and the blessings... rather to show the people which path o choose which is good, so they receive reward.. how do we know? We see this in the first verse of Re'eh...
Question - Would we possibly come to think that Hashem could give us something like Blessings for the bad? What bad could possibly come from HaShems blessings?
Tangent to get to answer - We will now bring in a statement from Talmud to get a better idea of what's going on here..
Tangent to get to answer - We will now bring in a statement from Talmud to get a better idea of what's going on here..
בשעת פטירתו של רבי זקף עשר אצבעותיו כלפי מעלה אמר רבש"ע גלוי וידוע לפניך שיגעתי בעשר אצבעותי בתורה ולא נהניתי אפילו באצבע קטנה יהי רצון מלפניך שיהא שלום במנוחתי יצתה ב"ק ואמרה (ישעיהו נז, ב) יבא שלום ינוחו על משכבותם
It is further related: At the time of the death of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, he raised his ten fingers toward Heaven and said in prayer: Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before You that I toiled with my ten fingers in the Torah, and I have not derived any benefit from the world even with my small finger. May it be Your will that there be peace in my repose. A Divine Voice emerged and said: “He enters in peace, they rest in their beds” (Isaiah 57:2).
We have a serious question on this piece of Talmud because Rebbe was a very very rich man.. how is it possible to say he didn't enjoy this world?
מימות משה ועד רבי לא מצינו תורה וגדולה במקום אחד
From the days of Moses and until the days of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi we do not find unparalleled greatness in Torah knowledge and unparalleled greatness in secular matters, including wealth and high political office, combined in one place, i.e., in a single individual.
אֵל־נְקָמ֥וֹת יְהֹוָ֑ה אֵ֖ל נְקָמ֣וֹת הוֹפִֽיעַ׃
God of retribution, LORD, God of retribution, appear!
We have a serious question here... we know that El and YH-VH are names of mercy.. so why is King David attaching them to retribution here? What time of retribution has mercy??
מַה־תִּתְהַלֵּ֣ל בְּ֭רָעָה הַגִּבּ֑וֹר חֶ֥סֶד אֵ֝֗ל כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃
Why do you boast of your evil, brave fellow? God’s faithfulness never ceases.
We tell a story now to understand this.. There is a King with his guards walking through the villages and a young peasant throws a rock at the king... the guards get the boy and tell the King they are ready to kill him.. the King says wait! He doesn't know better.. this boy is used to throwing rocks all day.. Instead... let us teach him and raise him up so he understands what he actually did.. They took the boy and taught him and trained him.. and soon he realized how king and loving this King is.. This person ended up rising in the ranks.. became higher and higher.. surpassing the guards and the courts and the ministers in rank.. the higher he got.. the worse he felt for his actions... the higher he got the worse he felt.. --- so this is why King David said Pslams 52:3 -- he got so high he wanted his punishment to be just realizing how great the King is.
Wait!! We see this in the Torah also!!
קָטֹ֜נְתִּי מִכֹּ֤ל הַחֲסָדִים֙ וּמִכׇּל־הָ֣אֱמֶ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֣י בְמַקְלִ֗י עָבַ֙רְתִּי֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֔ה וְעַתָּ֥ה הָיִ֖יתִי לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃
I am unworthy of all the kindness that You have so steadfastly shown Your servant: with my staff alone I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
צְדָקָ֥ה תְרוֹמֵֽם־גּ֑וֹי וְחֶ֖סֶד לְאֻמִּ֣ים חַטָּֽאת׃
Righteousness exalts a nation; Sin is a reproach to any people.
This explains Rebbe when he said he didn't enjoy the world... even though he had everything... all the goodness he got was like a punishment to him, the higher one gets the more he sees his blessings as he isn't worthy and like a punishment.
וַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ אִם־שָׁמ֨וֹעַ תִּשְׁמַ֜ע לְק֣וֹל ׀ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ וְהַיָּשָׁ֤ר בְּעֵינָיו֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה וְהַֽאֲזַנְתָּ֙ לְמִצְוֺתָ֔יו וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֖ כׇּל־חֻקָּ֑יו כׇּֽל־הַמַּחֲלָ֞ה אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֤מְתִּי בְמִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לֹא־אָשִׂ֣ים עָלֶ֔יךָ כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה רֹפְאֶֽךָ׃ {ס}
He said, “If you will heed the LORD your God diligently, doing what is upright in His sight, giving ear to His commandments and keeping all His laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I the LORD am your healer.”
אמר ליה ר' אבא לרבה בר מרי כתיב (שמות טו, כו) כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך כי אני ה' רופאך וכי מאחר שלא שם רפואה למה אמר ליה הכי אמר ר' יוחנן מקרא זה מעצמו נדרש שנאמר (שמות טו, כו) ויאמר אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה' אלהיך אם תשמע לא אשים ואם לא תשמע אשים אעפ"כ כי אני ה' רופאך
Rabbi Abba said to Rabba bar Mari that there is an apparent contradiction in a verse. It is written: “All the disease that I placed in Egypt I shall not place upon you, for I am the Lord, your Healer” (Exodus 15:26). And since God does not place the disease upon the Jewish people, why is healing necessary?
אמר ר' חנינא כל האומר הקב"ה ותרן הוא יותרו חייו שנאמר (דברים לב, ד) הצור תמים פעלו כי כל דרכיו משפט א"ר חנא ואיתימא ר' שמואל בר נחמני מאי דכתיב
Rabbi Ḥanina says: Anyone who states that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is forgiving [vateran] of transgressions, his life will be relinquished [yivatru], as it is stated: “The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4). In other words, God does not waive heavenly justice. Rabbi Ḥana says, and some say that Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says: What is the meaning of that which is written
הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פׇּֽעֳל֔וֹ {ס} כִּ֥י כׇל־דְּרָכָ֖יו מִשְׁפָּ֑ט אֵ֤ל אֱמוּנָה֙ וְאֵ֣ין עָ֔וֶל {ס} צַדִּ֥יק וְיָשָׁ֖ר הֽוּא׃
The Rock!—His deeds are perfect, Yea, all His ways are just; A faithful God, never false, True and upright is He.
Thirteen Principles of faith from the Rambam - I believe by complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, rewards all who keep His commandments and punishes all those who transgress His commands.
Just like with a body there are medicines that are hard and painful, and others that are pleasant and joyful.. the same with healing of the soul... This is why the Torah says all the evils I put on Egypt I won't put on you.. don't punish us with suffering... punish us by bringing us closer to you!!! This is why it says I am GD your healer!