A tragic and striking comparison is drawn between a stillborn child who never drew breath and a person who endures a long life filled with endless labor and unfulfilled desires. Ultimately, the complete nothingness of the stillborn is presented as a state far more peaceful than a life defined by frustration and missed opportunities.
The stillborn child never experiences the light of the world [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד]. It remains entirely unaware of existence, never facing hardship or the heavy burden of worldly struggles [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, it never even develops the basic awareness needed to prefer one thing over another [מצודת דוד]. This total lack of experience grants the stillborn a profound sense of tranquility and peace of mind [מצודת ציון].
This deep rest far exceeds the experience of a person who lives for many years. While the stillborn is spared from worldly efforts, a wealthy individual might spend a long life engaged in exhausting labor. This person works endlessly without true reward, rest, or pleasure, only to depart from the world completely empty-handed [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The difference between the two states also stems from the psychological impact of experiencing reality. Living and witnessing the good things the world has to offer naturally fills a person with desires. When an individual cannot fulfill all these cravings, the resulting pain is severe, because the mere act of seeing awakens a deep hunger for more. In contrast, since the stillborn never sees the good of the world, it never develops a desire for it, and therefore suffers no sadness over its absence [מצודת דוד]. This is similar to someone staring at a great feast of food and pleasures but being entirely blocked from enjoying them. In such a frustrating situation, it would have been much better never to have seen the feast at all [תורה תמימה].
On a deeper level, the stillborn enjoys a greater sense of peace than a soul forced to return to the world in a new reincarnation. A person who must live again faces constant uncertainty and danger, carrying the heavy risk of failing to correct their past mistakes during their second time on earth [תעלומות חכמה].