(16) who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your ancestors had never known, in order to test you by hardships only to benefit you in the end—

The Gemara comments: On the one hand, the text states: “Job has spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom” (Job 34:35). But on the other hand, it is written with regard to Job’s friends: “You have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, like my servant Job” (Job 42:8). Rava said: From here it may be inferred that a person is not held responsible for what he says when he is in distress. Although Job uttered certain words that were wrong and inappropriate, he was not punished for them because he said them at a time of pain and hardship.

(9) Yitzchak Avinu asked that man should endure suffering

Suffering cleanses a person’s transgressions, purifying him for a more sublime existence.

(20) For there is not one good person on earth who does what is best and doesn’t err.

(1)You have no man without suffering...

The Gemara continues its discussion of punishment in general and the relationship between a person’s actions and the punishments meted out against him in particular: Rav Ami said: There is no death without sin; were a person not to sin, he would not die. And there is no suffering without iniquity.

(26) To summarize what we have learned, the primary [purpose] of man's existence in this world is solely to fulfill the commandments, serve [G-d] and stand up to trials.

At a time when there are righteous people in the generation, the righteous are seized, i.e., they die or suffer, for the sins of the generation. If there are no righteous people in the generation, school children, who are also without sin, are seized for the sins of the generation.

Moses said before G-d: Master of the Universe. Why is it that the righteous prosper, the righteous suffer, the wicked prosper, the wicked suffer?
G-d said to him: Moses, the righteous person who prospers is a righteous person, the son of a righteous person, who is rewarded for the actions of his ancestors. The righteous person who suffers is a righteous person, the son of a wicked person, who is punished for the transgressions of his ancestors. The wicked person who prospers is a wicked person, the son of a righteous person, who is rewarded for the actions of his ancestors. The wicked person who suffers is a wicked person, the son of a wicked person, who is punished for the transgressions of his ancestors.

‘A righteous person who suffers’ refers to a righteous person who is not completely righteous. Therefore, he suffers because of his few sins, in order to cleanse him and grant him a share in the World to Come.

Conversely, a wicked person who prospers refers to a wicked person who is not completely wicked. Therefore, it is טוב לו בעוה"ז, good for him in this world, so that he may receive his reward for his few merits and then be driven away from the World to Come, as we said: ‘He repays those who hate Him to their face.’ See the commentators on this.

(1) ומשלם לשנאיו אל פניו AND HE REPAYETH THEM THAT HATE HIM TO THEIR FACE [IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM PERISH] — i.e. during their lifetime (cf. Rashi on Genesis 11:28 s. v. על פני) he repayeth them their good recompense, in order to banish them from the future world (cf. Onkelos).

So too the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, I created an evil inclination, which is the wound, and I created Torah as its antidote. If you are engaged in Torah study you will not be given over into the hand of the evil inclination, as it is stated: “If you do well, shall it not be lifted up?” (Genesis 4:7). One who engages in Torah study lifts himself above the evil inclination.

Reish Lakish says: Satan, the evil inclination, and the Angel of Death are one, that is, they are three aspects of the same essence. He is the Satan who seduces people and then accuses them, as it is written: “So the Satan went forth from the presence of the L-rd, and smote Job with vile sores” (Job 2:7). He is also the evil inclination, as it is written there: “The impulse of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuously” (Genesis 6:5); and it is written here: “Only upon himself do not put forth your hand” (Job 1:12). The verbal analogy between the various uses of the word “only” teaches that the evil inclination is to be identified with the Satan. He is also the Angel of Death, as it is written: “Only spare his life” (Job 2:6); apparently Job’s life depends upon him, the Satan, and accordingly the Satan must also be the Angel of Death.

It was taught in a baraita with regard to the methods of the Satan: He descends to this world and misleads a person into sinning. He then ascends to Heaven, levels accusations against that very sinner, and inflames G-d’s anger against him. He then receives permission to act and takes away the sinner’s soul as punishment.

Rava understood this verse differently and said: With regard to whoever forgoes his reckonings with others for injustices done to him, the heavenly court in turn forgoes punishment for all his sins, as it is stated: “He bears sin and forgives transgression” (Micah 7:18). Whose sins does He bear? The sins of one who forgoes his reckonings with others for injustices committed against him.

‘One who forgoes his measure’ — כלומר, someone who does not insist on precisely measuring out punishment or retaliation against those who upset him, but instead lets go of his own claim and walks away. This is like the principle ‘one does not pass over commandments’ (Yoma 33a) and ‘one does not pass over food’ (Eruvin 64b): one leaves it and moves on.

His transgressions are overlooked for him — the attribute of justice does not scrutinize them, but rather leaves them and goes on.

Anyone who has compassion for G-d’s creatures will receive compassion from Heaven...

The Sages taught in a baraita: One who judges another favorably is himself judged favorably.

(20) And he [should] say, "What are the best afflictions in the world, which will not disturb me from the service of G-d?" There is nothing more beloved in all of them than that they should curse him, and disgrace him and condemn him. As behold, they do not prevent him from his strength and vitality with sicknesses; and they do not prevent his eating and his clothing...

(6) The Torah by forty-eight things... By acceptance of suffering. [Learning of Torah is also acquired by one]...

And Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Initially, Moses would study Torah and forget it, until it was given to him as a gift, as it is stated: “And He gave it to Moses when he concluded speaking with him” (Exodus 31:18). Once the Torah was given him as a gift, it became his and he was able to remember it.

HALAKHAH: Rebbi Joḥanan said, all these 40 days which Moses spent on the Mountain, he studied Torah and forgot it. At the end it was given to him as a gift.

Additionally, it was taught in a baraita with regard to affliction: Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: The Holy One, Blessed be He, gave Israel three precious gifts, all of which were given only by means of suffering, which purified Israel so that they may merit to receive them. These gifts are: Torah...

Torah was given through suffering, because the pleasures of this world interfere with Torah study...

Regarding this unclear verse, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: If one engages in Torah study, suffering stays away from him...

Rava, and some say Rav Ḥisda, said: If a person sees that suffering has befallen him, he should examine his actions. Generally, suffering comes about as punishment for one’s transgressions...

If he examined his ways and found no transgression for which that suffering is appropriate, he may attribute his suffering to dereliction in the study of Torah. G-d punishes an individual for dereliction in the study of Torah in order to emphasize the gravity of the issue.

He examined and did not find - he did not find a transgression that corresponded to all of this suffering.

(1)Happy is the man whom suffering befalls through the Torah...

(92)Were not Your teaching my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

(3) The Holy One blessed be He does not bestow greatness upon a person until He tests them with a minor matter, and only then does He elevate him to prominence.

(1)The Holy One, blessed be He, does not confer greatness upon a man until He tests him in lesser things.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, does not deal tyrannically [beteruneya] with His creations, but wants them to feel that they have been judged fairly.

(1) The Holy One blessed be He does not overly exert His creations; He engages a person only in accordance with his strength...

(10) Whatever it is in your power to do, do with all your might. For there is no action, no reasoning, no learning, no wisdom in Sheol, where you are going.

(1)Whatever you are able to do. The will of your Maker— as long as you have your strength—do.

(1) (Psalms 60:6) – test [nisayon] after test, elevation after elevation, in order to test them in [the eyes of] the world, and in order to exalt them in [the eyes of] the world, like an ensign [nes] on a ship.

(1) Just as person is required to believe in G-d, so too is he afterwards required to believe in himself. I mean to say that [one must believe] that G-d has dealings with him, and that he is not a creation of G-d which is 'only for today, etc.,' an like 'an animal of the field' that after their death are gone and no longer. Rather one must believe that G-d, may He be blessed, delights and revels in his doing His will. And this is the understanding of, "and they trusted/believed in the L-rd and in Moshe His servant" (Exodus 14:31).

(2) Observe how Abraham strove to come nearer and nearer to Him, making Him the object of his longing the whole of his days. Not just one day, or just every now and then, but by his works advancing day by day from grade to grade, until he rose, when he was old, to the higher grades proper to him.

(5) Besides, the words of the Torah can best sink into the soul there in the desert, for there is no light except that which issues from darkness, for when that “other side” is subdued the Holy One is exalted in glory. In fact, there can be no true worship except it issue forth from darkness, and no true good except it proceed from evil. And when a man enters upon an evil way and then forsakes it the Holy One is exalted in glory. Hence the perfection of all things is attained when good and evil are first of all commingled, and then become all good, for there is no good so perfect as that which issues out of evil. The divine Glory is extolled and extended thereby, and therein lies the essence of perfect worship.