By Rabbi Nissan Telushkin
I once heard from the Chofetz Chaim that people complained to him that Jews, especially the righteous, suffer and are poor. “Why, in earnest, do righteous Jews not merit the pleasures and joys of this world?” they asked.
The Chofetz Chaim responded that before a tailor begins making a custom suit, he must set a price. This way, he will not have to beg for his due share at a later date, and the customer will not be angry or surprised by the final cost. Once the tailor completes the suit, he is entitled to withhold it until the customer pays in full.
There are also customers who add a tip, perhaps as a token of acknowledgment for superior work, or because the tailor invested more time than originally anticipated. The “tip” is not a set amount, nor can the tailor demand it.
G-d does the same, the Chofetz Chaim explained. He rewards the fulfillment of mitzvahs in the World to Come. Whatever pleasures or joys that G-d allocates in this world are only a “tip.”
He concluded, “Why, then, would the righteous complain about a trivial amount?”
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Causes a person to do averias?
Not just poverty, but being bullied, and all kinds of other suffering?