Suffering vs Candy Corn
Question
Jews have been suffered horribly throughout ages. I firmly believe that HaShem has given suffering to Jews, exactly because Jews are chosen. HaShem gives suffering and chastisement to His beloved. My question is, why does HaShem give suffering and chastisement to His beloved, instead of giving candy corn?
Answers
It is a fascinating question and one that only God, Himself, can answer fully, but the Sages teach that suffering cleanses. As you write, the Jewish Nation has suffered through persecution and worse throughout the generations. The Rabbis explain that suffering is a form of purification. Just as gold is purified by purging the impurities through intense heat, so too the Jewish People are purified from their sins through the intense heat of persecution.
It seems, according to that, that however delicious and enjoyable candy corn would be, it would not remove our impurities – which is our task here in this world. The good news is that, once purified, the soul, in the World to Come will be given the spiritual equivalent to candy corn on a continual basis. Truly paradise!
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team