Punishment
Sefer Hamidos - The Book of Traits · 6 individual teachings
לִפְעָמִים כְּשֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מַעֲנִישׁ אוֹתוֹ, זֶה מֵחֲמַת שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה מִצְוָה כָּזֶה, כְּשֶׁבָּאָה לְיָדוֹ.
1. Sometimes, when a person performs a Mitzvah (Divine commandment/good deed) and the Holy One, Blessed be He, punishes him, this is because he did not perform a similar Divine commandment when he had the opportunity to do so.
לִפְעָמִים דָּנִין אֶת הָאָדָם עַל פִּיו.
2. Sometimes a person is judged according to his own words. (t.n see Likutay Moharan 113)
לִפְעָמִים הָאָדָם נֶהֱרָג, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהָיָה יָכוֹל לְהַמְלִיץ בְּעַד אֶחָד, שֶׁשּׂוֹנְאִין אוֹתוֹ בְּחִנָּם.
3. Sometimes a man is murdered because he had the ability to advocate on behalf of someone who was being hated for no reason.
לִפְעָמִים הָאָדָם נֶעֱנָשׁ, עַל שֶׁפָּשַׁע בִּמְלַאכְתּוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁנִּגְזַר גְּזֵרָה עַל אַנְשֵׁי מְקוֹמוֹ אוֹ עַל עַמּוֹ.
4. Sometimes a man is punished because of negligence in his work, or because a decree had been passed upon the people of his community or upon his nation.
הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מְמַהֵר לְהִפָּרַע מִכְּפוּיֵי טוֹבָה עַל־יְדֵי כְּפוּיֵי טוֹבָה.
5. The Holy One, Blessed be He, is swift to punish those who are ungrateful, through the agency of those who are ungrateful.
מִי שֶׁכֶּלֶב נָשַׁךְ אוֹתוֹ, בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁקִּבֵּל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, אוֹ שֶׁסִּפֵּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע.
6. Someone who was bit by a dog, it is certain that he accepted slander (lushon hura) or spoke slander.
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