כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי הָאָדָם יֵשׁ לוֹ זְכֻיּוֹת וַעֲוֹנוֹת. מִי שֶׁזְּכֻיּוֹתָיו יְתֵרוֹת עַל עֲוֹנוֹתָיו צַדִּיק. וּמִי שֶׁעֲוֹנוֹתָיו יְתֵרוֹת עַל זְכֻיּוֹתָיו רָשָׁע. מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה בֵּינוֹנִי.
Each and every person has merits and sins. A person whose merits exceed his sins is [termed] righteous. A person whose sins exceed his merits is [termed] wicked. If [his sins and merits] are equal, he is termed a Beinoni.
״רָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בַּצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁהֵם מוּעָטִים – עָמַד וּשְׁתָלָן בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר וְכוּ׳, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם״:
“The Holy One, blessed is He, saw that the righteous were few, so He planted them in every generation…,” [for,] as it is written, “The tzaddik is the foundation of the world.”
וּבַגְּמָרָא סוֹף פֶּרֶק ט׳ דִּבְרָכוֹת: ״צַדִּיקִים – יֵצֶר טוֹב שׁוֹפְטָן כוּ׳, רְשָׁעִים – יֵצֶר הָרָע שׁוֹפְטָן, בֵּינוֹנִים – זֶה וָזֶה שׁוֹפְטָן וְכוּ׳. אָמַר רַבָּה: כְּגוֹן אֲנָא בֵּינוֹנִי. אָמַר לֵיהּ אַבַּיֵּי: לֹא שָׁבִיק מַר חַיֵּי לְכָל בִּרְיָּה וְכוּ׳״.
In the Gemara, end of ch. 9 of Berachot, it is stated that the righteous are judged by their good nature…and the wicked by their evil nature, while the intermediate are judged by both. Rabbah declared, “I, for example, am a benoni.” Said Abbaye to him, “Master, you do not make it possible for anyone to live".
וְעוֹד, שֶׁהֲרֵי בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה עֲוֹנוֹת נִקְרָא רָשָׁע גָּמוּר [וְאִם אַחַר־כָּךְ עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה – נִקְרָא צַדִּיק גָּמוּר], וַאֲפִילוּ הָעוֹבֵר עַל אִיסּוּר קַל שֶׁל דִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים – מִקְרֵי רָשָׁע, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּפֶרֶק ב׳ דִּיבָמוֹת וּבְפֶרֶק קַמָּא דְנִדָּה. וַאֲפִילוּ מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדוֹ לִמְחוֹת וְלֹא מִיחָה נִקְרָא רָשָׁע [בְּפֶרֶק ו׳ דִּשְׁבוּעוֹת]. וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן וְקַל וָחֹמֶר, בִּמְבַטֵּל אֵיזוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לְקַיְּימָהּ, כְּמוֹ כָּל שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וְאֵינוֹ עוֹסֵק, שֶׁעָלָיו דָּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״כִּי דְּבַר ה׳ בָּזָה וְגוֹ׳ הִכָּרֵת תִּכָּרֵת וְגוֹ׳״. וּפְשִׁיטָא דְּמִקְרֵי רָשָׁע טְפֵי מֵעוֹבֵר אִיסּוּר דְּרַבָּנָן.
Furthermore, [at what stage can a person be considered a benoni if] when a man commits sins he is deemed completely wicked [but when he repents afterward he is deemed completely righteous]? Even he who violates a minor prohibition of the Rabbis is called wicked, as it is stated in Yevamot, ch. 2, and in Niddah, ch. 1. Moreover, even he who has the opportunity to forewarn another against sinning and does not do so is called wicked [ch. 6, Shevuot]. All the more so he who neglects any positive law which he is able to fulfill, for instance, whoever is able to study Torah and does not, regarding whom our Sages have quoted, “Because he has despised the word of the L–rd…[that soul] shall be utterly cut off….” It is thus plain that such a person is called wicked, more than he who violates a prohibition of the Rabbis.
״עַל דַּעְתְּךָ כִּי לֹא אֶרְשָׁע וְאֵין מִיָּדְךָ מַצִּיל״ – אָמַר רָבָא: בִּקֵּשׁ אִיּוֹב לִפְטוֹר אֶת כׇּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ מִן הַדִּין. אָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, בָּרָאתָ שׁוֹר – פַּרְסוֹתָיו סְדוּקוֹת, בָּרָאתָ חֲמוֹר – פַּרְסוֹתָיו קְלוּטוֹת; בָּרָאתָ גַּן עֵדֶן, בָּרָאתָ גֵּיהִנָּם; בָּרָאתָ צַדִּיקִים, בָּרָאתָ רְשָׁעִים. מִי מְעַכֵּב עַל יָדְךָ?
וּמַאי אַהְדַּרוּ לֵיהּ חַבְרֵיהּ [דְּאִיּוֹב] – ״אַף אַתָּה תָּפֵר יִרְאָה, וְתִגְרַע שִׂיחָה לִפְנֵי אֵל״; בָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע – בָּרָא לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין.
The Gemara continues to discuss Job’s statements: “Although You know that I am not wicked, and there is none that can deliver out of Your hand” (Job 10:7). Rava says: Job sought to exempt the whole world from judgment, claiming that all of a person’s actions are directed by God, and therefore one cannot be held culpable for his misdeeds. Job said before God: Master of the Universe, You created the ox with split hooves, making it kosher, and You created the donkey with closed hooves, making it forbidden; You created the Garden of Eden, and You created Gehenna; and similarly, You created righteous people and You created wicked people; who can restrain You? Seeing that You created people as either righteous or wicked, You cannot later complain about their actions.
And how did Job’s friends answer him? “You do away with fear, and impair devotion before God” (Job 15:4) with such statements. True, the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the evil inclination, but He also created the Torah as an antidote to counter its effects and prevent it from gaining control of a person.
בִּקֵּשׁ לְהוֹדִיעוֹ דְּרָכָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְנָתַן לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הוֹדִיעֵנִי נָא אֶת דְּרָכֶיךָ״, אָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! מִפְּנֵי מָה יֵשׁ צַדִּיק וְטוֹב לוֹ, וְיֵשׁ צַדִּיק וְרַע לוֹ, יֵשׁ רָשָׁע וְטוֹב לוֹ, וְיֵשׁ רָשָׁע וְרַע לוֹ? אָמַר לוֹ: מֹשֶׁה, . . צַדִּיק וְטוֹב לוֹ — צַדִּיק גָּמוּר, צַדִּיק וְרַע לוֹ — צַדִּיק שֶׁאֵינוֹ גָּמוּר, רָשָׁע וְטוֹב לוֹ — רָשָׁע שֶׁאֵינוֹ גָּמוּר, רָשָׁע וְרַע לוֹ — רָשָׁע גָּמוּר.
Lastly, Moses requested that the ways in which God conducts the world be revealed to him, and He granted it to him, as it is stated: “Show me Your ways and I will know You” (Exodus 33:13).
Moses said before God: Master of the Universe. Why is it that the righteous prosper, the righteous suffer, the wicked prosper, the wicked suffer?
God said to Moses as follows:
The righteous person who prospers is a completely righteous person whose actions are entirely good and whose reward is entirely good both in this world and in the World-to-Come.
The righteous person who suffers is one who is not a completely righteous person. Because he does have some transgressions, he is punished in this world so that he will receive a complete reward in the World-to-Come.
The wicked person who prospers is one who is not a completely wicked person. God rewards him in this world for the good deeds that he performed, so that he will receive a complete punishment in the World-to-Come.
Finally, the wicked person who suffers is a completely wicked person. Since he performed absolutely no mitzvot and deserves no reward, he receives only punishment both in this world and in the World-to-Come (Maharsha).