The Hovot HaLevavot shares six reasons for why the wicked prosper.
People often wonder: How could it be that a Nazi/Terrorist/Wicked man is prospering? What’s going on, they wonder. It doesn’t make sense.
The first reason the Hovot HaLevavot gives is:
יש שתהיה בעבור טובה שקדמה לו
It’s because of a good deed he did, and G-d will pay him off in this world.
If you think about this, it’s mind boggling. The Gemara cites cases of this:
-Nebuchadnezzar, the horrible, wicked king, once heard G-d’s name uttered and got up and walked 4 steps out of respect to Hashem. He got his tremendous power as a reward.
-Esav cried two tears, and for that he got all that he has in this world, until now!
This may seem ridiculous. It’s like saying someone became a world leader and went on to become billionaire just because he once gave a Jewish beggar $10. It sounds extreme to us, because we don’t appreciate the true value of our mitzvot. What is a pair of tefilin worth? We don’t appreciate it. To us, it’s unfathomable that this man gets to enjoy such tremendous prosperity just from one little mitzvah. But in actuality, it’s really a punishment. To get paid for a mitzvah in this world means you’re not getting paid in the next world.
But G-d has no choice, the rabbis explain. We need certain tools to appreciate Olam Habah, and if a person is so wicked that he can’t possibly appreciate the World to Come, G-d has to cash in his chips down here.
Another important rule that Rambam tells us is that any time the Torah describes worldly pleasures, this is not a reward. It’s a fundamental principle:
"שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא"
There is no reward in this world for mitzvot.
So why does it say that you if keep My Mitzvot, you’ll get rain, wealth, good children, etc? That just means that if we keep the Mitzvot, Hashem will make it easier for us to serve Him. It’s like saying if you’re a good student I’ll give you paper, pencils, erasers and air conditioning in the classroom. That’s not a reward- it just helps make you become better students.
We have to differentiate the rewards that we get (“we” being the good people here, who are working on themselves.) If you are getting a “reward”, don’t think, Has V’Shalom, that it’s your payment. It’s just something to help make it easier for you to serve G-d. A nice meal, nachat from your children, a good deal, a vacation....These are all G-d’s way of saying “Rest up and continue to serve Me.”
Don’t make a mistake and think that because you gave charity, G-d has paid you back. He didn’t. He just gave you more money to do more mitzvot with. It’s not a payoff (there are some mitzvot, however, such as giving sedaka, that we do get interest for in this world- but it’s just interest and not the principle).
Therefore, by and large, we are not getting rewarded here. If you see someone getting what looks like tremendous reward, and he’s not a righteous person, feel bad for him. He’s cashing in his chips. He ate up his Olam Habah in this temporary world and gave up all the wonderful things he could’ve had in Olam Habah, because he couldn’t wait. That’s a punishment.
The Hovot HaLevavot quotes:
ומשלם לשונאיו אל פניו להאבידו,
He pays off those who hate Him, to destroy them.
Targum says:
ומשלם לשנאוהי זכוון דאינון עבדין קדמוהי בחייהון לאובדיהון.
He pays off wicked for their merit in their life here, to lose out.
So when you see wicked people prospering, don’t let it shake your Emunah. Think: I feel bad, he’s getting paid off instead this world.