Life often presents a painful paradox where moral behavior does not always align with practical rewards. Observing human existence reveals moments that seem to contradict divine justice, raising profound questions about the nature of reward and punishment. King Solomon reflects on witnessing these deeply unsettling realities during his short, fleeting life, which he characterizes as a passing breath because it lacks eternal permanence [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אלשיך]. However, the primary approach among commentators is that these troubling occurrences are not the general rule, but rather rare exceptions to how the world typically operates [אבן עזרא, תורה תמימה].
The first of these exceptions is the tragic reality of a righteous person who suffers and perishes despite his goodness. Commentators offer several perspectives to understand this mystery. One approach suggests that this suffering actually highlights the true greatness of the righteous individual. Even while enduring deep distress and agonizing pain in his final moments, he maintains his integrity and remains fiercely loyal to God and His laws [רש״י, צאינה וראינה, תורה תמימה]. Another perspective views this early demise as a result of God's exacting standards. Because God holds the righteous to the highest possible measure, He may punish them severely for even the slightest infraction [מצודת דוד]. Conversely, this early death can be seen as an act of profound divine kindness. God may foresee that the righteous individual will eventually stumble and lose his spiritual standing, so He removes him from the world prematurely to ensure he dies in a state of absolute purity [תורה תמימה].
A completely different approach suggests that the individual's religious behavior itself is what leads to his downfall, whether physically or spiritually. Physically, a person might ruin his health by adopting extreme religious stringencies and constantly afflicting his own body [אבן עזרא]. Spiritually, an individual might perform good deeds but become tainted by arrogance and religious pride, which ultimately brings about his punishment [נחל אשכול]. Furthermore, a righteous person might experience suffering intended to cleanse him of his flaws, but in his attempt to justify himself, he begins to question God's methods. Much like Job, he might ultimately deny divine justice, thereby destroying his own spiritual world [תעלומות חכמה, אלשיך].
The opposite, yet equally frustrating phenomenon is that of a wicked person who lives a long, comfortable life filled with physical pleasures, despite deserving to perish [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. One reason God allows this is to reward the wicked person in this world for the few good deeds he may have performed. By paying him out completely now, God exhausts the person's merits, ensuring he is entirely excluded from the World to Come [מצודת דוד, אלשיך]. Alternatively, God may grant him a long life out of patience, hoping the individual will eventually repent, or because righteous descendants are destined to be born from his lineage [תורה תמימה]. From a psychological standpoint, the prolonged wickedness may be driven by the individual himself. Consumed by despair and believing he is already branded as completely wicked with no hope of repair, he chooses to abandon the commandments entirely, plunging himself deeper into his own moral abyss [תעלומות חכמה, נחל אשכול].