This World Is a Hallway: A Jewish Perspective on Suffering and Purpose

For those who possess complete faith, it is accepted that Hashem rewards those who keep His commandments. This is the eleventh of the thirteen principles of faith formulated by the Rambam. That reward is primarily granted in the World to Come and must be understood as spiritual life, the highest form of human fulfillment.

But what about enjoyment in this world? As the saying goes, “This world is also a world.” When we look around, we see that pleasure, comfort, and success are distributed very unevenly.

Some people live peaceful and pleasant lives, while others endure constant pain, worry, and struggle. On the surface, we see no contradiction between material comfort in this world and spiritual reward in the next. Yet this reality gives rise to painful questions. Why is one person blessed with ease while another is burdened with poverty? Why does a righteous individual suffer terribly while a wicked one seems to live as if on an endless vacation?

Those with strong faith are not shaken by such questions. They accept that Hashem is the Judge and that we, with our limited understanding, cannot grasp the depth of divine justice. But many people are not satisfied with this answer. The questions linger. Why would a good and merciful G-d allow such suffering? Is suffering a punishment for sin? If so, why does it so often appear to strike the righteous?

At times, suffering can awaken bitterness toward divine judgment. It becomes difficult for the afflicted person to feel that “the judgments of Hashem are true” (Tehillim 19:10), meaning perfectly just without even the slightest deviation. Some struggle deeply with this and find it difficult to serve Hashem wholeheartedly when a quiet thought persists within them: “What profit is there in serving Hashem?” (Malachi 3:14).

Yet the root of this struggle lies in a misunderstanding of the purpose of this world.

This World as a Hallway

If we could view reality through the clarity of our sages, many of these questions would fade. Our sages taught: “This world is like a hallway before the World to Come; prepare yourself in the hallway so that you may enter the banquet hall” (Avot 4:21).

Every action requires purpose. When the goal is meaningful, a person is willing to endure hardship to attain it. The Torah tells us that Yaakov Avinu worked seven years for Rachel, and “they seemed to him like only a few days because of his love for her” (Bereishit 29:20).

The purpose of creation itself is the World to Come. That is the state in which the soul, freed from the body, delights in closeness to its Creator with a pleasure beyond human comprehension. This goal was established by G-d as the foundation of existence. In light of this, a person must be willing to face difficulty in this world, because this is the only path to the King. There is no alternative route.

True Values

A well-known parable tells of a wild man who does not recognize the value of gold, silver, or precious stones. After saving the king’s life, he is brought to the royal treasury and told to fill several bags with anything he wishes. Believing he is being punished with forced labor, he wanders idly, rests often, and makes little effort. When he later learns that he could have taken unlimited treasure, he realizes too late what he has lost.

So it will be when a person reaches the World of Truth. In this world, the World of Falsehood, the evil inclination distorts our sense of value. Happy is the one who recognizes true values while still in the hallway. Such a person will enjoy eternal reward in the banquet hall, but also lives with inner peace even in this world, knowing that no effort is wasted.

The Purpose of Punishment

If this world is preparation, then everything that occurs within it is aligned with that purpose. Every experience, every challenge, every encounter is precisely calibrated to a person’s spiritual needs and their portion in the World to Come.

When Hashem punishes those who stray, it is not because He is personally offended. A person does not harm G-d through sin, nor benefit Him through mitzvot. As stated in Iyov (35:6–7), the consequences affect the person alone. The purpose of punishment is guidance, correction, and awakening.

A teacher who rebukes a student does so not out of personal anger, but for the student’s benefit. If the teacher truly loses control, he becomes ineffective. A wise teacher measures his response carefully. So too, divine judgment is measured, purposeful, and directed toward spiritual growth.

Suffering does not remove free will. A person can respond to hardship with humility and growth, or with resistance and bitterness. As the prophet Hoshea teaches: “The ways of Hashem are right; the righteous walk in them, and the sinners stumble in them” (Hoshea 14:10). The same divine path becomes either a source of elevation or of stumbling, depending on one’s response.

Why Do the Wicked Prosper?

The prophet Yirmiyahu asks, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” (Yirmiyahu 12:1). The answer lies in understanding divine strategy. A teacher continues correcting a student only as long as correction may still help. When all efforts fail, continuing punishment becomes harmful rather than constructive, and the teacher reluctantly withdraws.

So too, Hashem sometimes allows certain individuals to prosper, not as reward, but because further discipline would only lead them to greater rebellion. The comparison between Yaakov and Esav illustrates this. Rashi explains that Yaakov is judged through justice, because he will grow through discipline. Esav, by contrast, would rebel if restrained, so Hashem deals with him through a different measure.

This explains why material success is not always an indicator of spiritual standing. Sometimes, prosperity itself is the most severe form of distance.

Congenital Suffering and Divine Design

What of suffering that is clearly not punitive, such as congenital illness or disability? Our sages teach that before birth, a person’s circumstances are decreed: strength or weakness, wealth or poverty, health or illness. Only one thing is not determined: whether the person will be righteous or wicked (Niddah 16b).

This does not mean life is unjust. Rather, it reflects a deeper design. Every human being is unique in personality, intellect, emotional structure, and environment. No two people share the same internal makeup. As the sages say, “Just as their faces differ, so do their opinions” (Sanhedrin 38a). This uniqueness is deliberate.

Hashem’s mercy is not only in granting reward, but in granting each soul a unique role. Every person has a distinct mission, a distinct struggle, and a distinct way to sanctify Hashem’s name. No two souls serve in the same way. Through this, each individual earns a unique portion in the World to Come, a portion no one else can claim.

A Unique Role for Every Soul

Some are tested through wealth, needing to resist arrogance and indulgence. Others are tested through hardship, needing to cultivate resilience and trust. For some, the challenge is illness; for others, it is responsibility, loss, or uncertainty. These are not punishments but assignments within the divine design.

Sometimes the suffering serves not only the individual but those around them, awakening compassion, growth, and spiritual sensitivity in others. We are not positioned to judge. The full design lies beyond our sight.

If a soul were asked before birth which path it would choose, it might well choose the path of struggle. A broken heart is closer to Hashem than a complacent one. As Tehillim teaches, “A broken and contrite heart, G-d, You will not despise” (51:19). Through struggle, the soul is refined and prepared for its eternal destiny.