We are discussing why we find sometimes that wicked people prosper. That doesn’t seem to follow the rules. The first reason we discussed is that it’s to pay them off for their good deeds.
The second reason is:
ויש שתהיה על דרך הפקדון אצלו
עד שיתן לו האל יתברך בן צדיק יהיה ראוי לה
The money is no more than a deposit until G-d will give him a righteous son or grandson that will be fit for it.
In other words, G-d has patience. This man isn’t necessarily using the money. He’s amassing wealth and watching it, but it’s not meant for him. It’s for someone else. That’s one of the reasons why we sometimes see the wicked prosper.
His third reason is one that Shelomo HaMelech describes in Kohelet, ה,יב
As one of the worst phenomenons:
עושר שומר לבעליו לרעתו
The money is there just for the owner’s detriment.
Studies have shown that many people who make a lot of money eventually become miserable from their money. They were happier beforehand. They were family men, they got along with everyone....Then people got jealous, etc. The money wasn’t good for them. Rabbi Miller uses Charles Lindbergh, the first man to cross the Atlantic in a plane, as an example of this. Due to his fame and fortune, his son was kidnapped and later murdered.
There are many, many examples of how money has caused people’s children to become spoiled; they become good-for-nothings, because they have no responsibilities. Eventually the money ruins their lives.
There are many people on the “Billionaires” lists out there who were happier before they were billionaires. They are now divorced, fighting over money, etc.
Just because you see the wealth, don’t assume it’s good, it might be to the person’s downfall or detriment. He might be excited by it but it’s ruining him. Don’t be fooled by the charade.
Another reason (#4) that wicked people prosper is that Hashem has patience, and He’s waiting for the person to do teshuva. The Hovot HaLevavot mentions the story of Menashe as an example. He was a very wicked king of the Jewish people. Then, after 22 years of wickedness, under very trying circumstances, he returned. G-d waited. G-d patience with him all that time. This is the first principle of Tomer Devora: The 13 attributes of G-d, as delineated by Miccah: מי אל כמוך
Who is like Hashem...that has patience and waits for this man or his children.
The next reason, #5, is that G-d looks to what happened in the past:
שתהיה לחסד שקדם אביו
בעבורו
This man may have had a great father or grandfather.
This is how G-d works. The Hovot HaLevavot brings a source from one of the kings called Yehu, as it says in Melachim:
בני רבעים ישבו לך על כסא ישראל
Because of the the good you did, you’ll have four generations of kings.
And furthermore he quotes Mishle:
(משלי כ ז) מתהלך בתומו צדיק אשרי בניו אחריו
A man that is simple and righteous, fortunate are his children afterwards.
Finally, he cites the the last pasuk from Bircat Hamazon: נער הייתי גם זקנתי ולא ראיתי צדיק נעזב וזרעו מבקש לחם
I’ve been young and old and never saw a righteous man forsaken.
These reasons are all interconnected. When we see a wicked man prosper, it’s not an indication of anything. It could be that the money is not for him, or that it’ll ruin his life, or that one day he’ll do Teshuva.
So don’t question G-d. He has a larger picture and He knows exactly what he’s doing. Everything works out perfectly.