Shemoneh Esrei: The Thirteenth Blessing: Part 3
“May Your compassion be aroused, L-rd, our
Why is it necessary to ask for a “good reward”? Are not all rewards from
G-d rewards both the wicked and the righteous. But how can that be? Why do the wicked deserve to be rewarded?
Since a person is usually not all good or all bad, a righteous person may be punished in this world for his negative deeds, and a wicked person rewarded in this world for his positive ones.
According to the above we can grapple, to some degree, with a perplexing subject in Jewish thought. Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? This is also stated in the Mishna in “Ethics of the Fathers”: Rabbi Yannai says, “It is not in our power to understand either the tranquility of the wicked or the suffering of the righteous.”
G-d wants to give the best reward possible to the righteous. However, there must be an accounting for their sins. To atone for the minor sins they may have committed,
For the wicked it is the opposite. Since they do not deserve eternal reward in the next world,
According to all of the above we can see that it is
Disclaimer: This is not a comprehensive guide, rather a brief summary to raise awareness of the issues. In any real case one should ask a competent Halachic authority.
L'iluy Nishmas the Rosh HaYeshiva - Rav Chonoh Menachem Mendel ben R' Yechezkel Shraga, Rav Yaakov Yeshaya ben R' Boruch Yehuda.