Description: Chapter 3 - 08
Derech Hashem
Section II – Chapter 3 – 08
Another important distinction to understand, regarding how Hashem determines what happens to a person, is that there are two kinds of events in a person’s life. One, is an event that he or she deserves and happens for its own purpose. For example, a person gets married, that is a life-changing event which has been decreed upon a person based on their combination of merits and debts. That event happened to a person to accomplish exactly that – to make them from a single person to a married person, and begin a new life that way.
However, other events happen to a person simply to accomplish a different purpose. The Gemarah gives numerous examples of this, basing it on a pasuk in Yeshayah, ‘Odechah Hashem ki anaftah bi,’ I praise You Hashem, because you punished me, which Chazal explain to mean, someone’s cow fell and broke its leg, and in the process of trying to drag the cow back to the barn, he uncovered a buried diamond. The event of the cow breaking a leg, which seemed bad, was in truth only there for the purpose of getting him the diamond. Or someone got delayed and didn’t travel on the boat he was meant to travel on, only to find out that the ship sunk.
All these are events which occur for a different purpose. All these are measured and judged according to all the principles which we have discussed up till now, and when Hashem decrees an event to happen to a person, whatever the purpose of the event is, it is also measured and weighed with the utmost exactness according to what the person deserves.
This finishes the third chapter of Section II, which was dedicated to breaking down how Hashem’s judgement works, and demonstrating how many different factors play a role in what happens to a person, to the point where it is impossible to imagine how they can all be possible made to fit together perfectly according to what a person deserves. It is solely the domain of Hashem, and a human mind can’t begin to comprehend the complexity of the process.
The Ramchal has also demonstrated an important principle which has ramifications on the judgement of Rosh Hashanah as well. He explained that there are tzaddikim that enter Olam Habah based on their own merit, and they are leaders there, whereas other people only merit entering Olam Habah because they are associated with a tzaddik. These two concepts are referred to by other seforim as judgement as an individual, and judgement as part of a klal or community, or din yachid vs. din hakelal. Each of us is judged as an individual, how we contributed or will contribute to Kavod Shamayim and perfection of ourselves and this world, based on what we have done and what we have the potential to do, and what we have demonstrated to be our potential. This can be a very difficult judgement, based on our actions alone. There is a second judgement where our actions and potential are measured as part of a tzibbur, or klal. If we serve a purpose which enables others to bring Kavod Shamayim and perfect the world, even if individually our actions don’t add up, in light of our position in the community we can be judged favorably. This is the concept which the Ramchal is referring to when he says that a person can enter Olam Habah as an associate of a tzaddik.
Derech Hashem
Section II – Chapter 3 – 08
Another important distinction to understand, regarding how Hashem determines what happens to a person, is that there are two kinds of events in a person’s life. One, is an event that he or she deserves and happens for its own purpose. For example, a person gets married, that is a life-changing event which has been decreed upon a person based on their combination of merits and debts. That event happened to a person to accomplish exactly that – to make them from a single person to a married person, and begin a new life that way.
However, other events happen to a person simply to accomplish a different purpose. The Gemarah gives numerous examples of this, basing it on a pasuk in Yeshayah, ‘Odechah Hashem ki anaftah bi,’ I praise You Hashem, because you punished me, which Chazal explain to mean, someone’s cow fell and broke its leg, and in the process of trying to drag the cow back to the barn, he uncovered a buried diamond. The event of the cow breaking a leg, which seemed bad, was in truth only there for the purpose of getting him the diamond. Or someone got delayed and didn’t travel on the boat he was meant to travel on, only to find out that the ship sunk.
All these are events which occur for a different purpose. All these are measured and judged according to all the principles which we have discussed up till now, and when Hashem decrees an event to happen to a person, whatever the purpose of the event is, it is also measured and weighed with the utmost exactness according to what the person deserves.
This finishes the third chapter of Section II, which was dedicated to breaking down how Hashem’s judgement works, and demonstrating how many different factors play a role in what happens to a person, to the point where it is impossible to imagine how they can all be possible made to fit together perfectly according to what a person deserves. It is solely the domain of Hashem, and a human mind can’t begin to comprehend the complexity of the process.
The Ramchal has also demonstrated an important principle which has ramifications on the judgement of Rosh Hashanah as well. He explained that there are tzaddikim that enter Olam Habah based on their own merit, and they are leaders there, whereas other people only merit entering Olam Habah because they are associated with a tzaddik. These two concepts are referred to by other seforim as judgement as an individual, and judgement as part of a klal or community, or din yachid vs. din hakelal. Each of us is judged as an individual, how we contributed or will contribute to Kavod Shamayim and perfection of ourselves and this world, based on what we have done and what we have the potential to do, and what we have demonstrated to be our potential. This can be a very difficult judgement, based on our actions alone. There is a second judgement where our actions and potential are measured as part of a tzibbur, or klal. If we serve a purpose which enables others to bring Kavod Shamayim and perfect the world, even if individually our actions don’t add up, in light of our position in the community we can be judged favorably. This is the concept which the Ramchal is referring to when he says that a person can enter Olam Habah as an associate of a tzaddik.