משלי, פרק כ׳, פסוק כ״ב

When a person is hurt by another, the immediate, natural instinct is to strike back and seek revenge. However, true wisdom requires rising above this vindictive urge and placing absolute trust in divine providence. A person must never return harm to those who have wronged them. Sometimes, an individual might justify retaliation by claiming it is necessary to deter the offender from causing future harm [מצודת דוד]. Yet, the one who caused the damage has already sinned against their own soul, and responding with malice only turns the victim into a sinner as well. God granted humanity elevated spiritual abilities meant for divine purposes, and it is entirely inappropriate to waste these gifts on base, animalistic acts of vengeance [עמנואל הרומי]. This principle applies directly to everyday practical situations like commerce. If a merchant cheats someone by selling defective goods, the victim must not attempt to recover the loss through fraudulent retaliation or by paying with counterfeit money, because any act of deceit is deeply offensive to God [מלבי״ם].

Instead of resorting to cunning tactics or physical force, the proper path is to hope for God to intervene and bring salvation. A person must rely completely on God with a sincere heart, ensuring their outward words perfectly match their inner feelings without any hypocrisy [עמנואל הרומי]. Regarding how this divine help will unfold, there are two distinct perspectives. One approach suggests that a person should wait for God, who possesses the power to both rescue the victim and exact justice upon the enemies, paying them back for their wrongdoings [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ, עמנואל הרומי]. In contrast, a second approach presents an even higher moral and spiritual standard. According to this view, a truly faithful person not only refrains from taking revenge with their own hands but also refuses to pray or hope that God will harm their enemies. Their sole focus is on their own rescue and safety, giving no thought whatsoever to whether the offender will face punishment [רלב״ג, אלשיך].