Q&A: Punishment in the World to Come and Prohibitions in This World
Punishment in the World to Come and Prohibitions in This World.
Question
Hello!
What is the purpose of punishing the soul in the World to Come? After all, punishment is meant to distance someone from the act, to warn against the next time.
And what is the point of pure children under the age of one, who did nothing at all, being able to suffer from all kinds of illnesses?
I don’t understand this. I’d be happy for an explanation from you or for some kind of logical approach to these issues.
Thank you very much in advance
Answer
- As for punishment in the World to Come, I have no explanation. I’ve written here more than once in the past that it makes sense to threaten people with punishment, but there is no reason to actually punish in practice. After all, nobody in the world knows that someone was punished, so it doesn’t deter. So the most sensible thing would be to threaten without carrying it out. If the punishment is a consequence of the sin and not a separate decision, then maybe it can be understood. But really, who says there is punishment in the World to Come? Maybe there isn’t.
2. As for evil and suffering in this world, search here on the site for evil in the world, human evil, and natural evil. I explained it well there.
Discussion on Answer
That’s what I wrote.
From the answers you wrote about suffering in this world, I understand what you’re claiming. These are the laws of the world, and those laws can also cause suffering. “You can’t create a triangle with four corners.” My claim is: why not establish different, better laws from the outset, ones that cannot cause suffering?
I explained that there too.
If the laws are rigid and God can’t intervene in the laws of nature, then what good are prayers and the like for illnesses, for example?
Who said He can’t? Of course He can. I explained the matter of prayer in the past in several places. There was even a question in the responsa about it just recently.
The Rabbi wrote that maybe there is no punishment in the World to Come,
isn’t there an obligation to believe in reward and punishment?
In addition, even if the purpose of punishment is to achieve justice, can’t an all-powerful God achieve that same justice without needlessly tormenting the sinful soul?
If so, then what is the purpose of punishment?
It remains only to deter from committing a transgression (to create choice), and if so there is no reason at all to punish in practice…
Although if I understand this now, then the problem returns again, because I am not deterred, so I have no choice.
I’d appreciate clarification.
First, there is no such thing as an “obligation to believe.” Either you believe or you don’t. Second, if it were clear that this is a tradition from Sinai, I would believe it. But I have no clarification whether there really is such a tradition.
First, maybe He can’t. Justice means that the sinner should suffer. Second, even if He can, so what? The sinner deserves to suffer.
As for deterrence, I wrote about it above.
But if the purpose of punishment is not only deterrence, but also the doing of justice, then isn’t there logic to punishment in the World to Come? Do you think it’s unreasonable to assume that the purpose of punishment is also the doing of justice?