[Avodah] Punishment

[Akiva Miller]

.
R' Joel Rich asked:

> I’ve often heard it said that one is better off getting punished
> in this world that in the world to come. Philosophically why
> should the sum total of punishment for any transgression be
> different depending on where one receives the punishment?

Excellent question. I don't really know. I suspect that it has something to
do with the nature of the two worlds being so incomparable that we are
deceived into thinking that their "sum totals" are equivalent. And yet,
there must be some sort of equivalence, or else the results would not be
fair, and Ground Rule #1 is that Hashem is *extremely* fair. Midah k'neged
midah, everyone gets *exactly* what they deserve.

But I don't want to let the question go unanswered, so I will offer this:

Suppose someone is in a situation where he has two choices: Choice A gives
short-term benefits, but it is not so great in the long term. Choice B will
be good in the long run, but not so much in the near future. It has been my
experience in life that in (almost) every case, one is better off aiming
for what is best in the long run. The Yetzer Hara tempts us with short-term
benefits, but we end up regretting them once they've passed.

So too, I suspect, regarding Olam Haba, which is of an eternal nature. Even
if there would be a valid equation in which the reward or punishment in one
world would match that of the other world, there is something advantageous
about having "worked off" all his sins *here*, so that there is little or
nothing left to be endured *there*.

And conversely, if I can leave all my reward in the "bank", and not make
any withdrawals until "retirement", how much better that eternal retirement
would be.

Akiva Miller
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