תהלים, פרק ע״ג, פסוק י״א

A profound crisis of faith and a theological challenge to divine providence emerge when observing the reality of the world. When the wicked live in peace while the righteous suffer despite their innocence, a painful question arises regarding God's involvement and awareness of earthly events. There is a debate regarding who is voicing this challenge. While some attribute these doubts to the wicked, others suggest that it is actually God's own people and the righteous who are crying out, expressing their deep frustration and pain over the success of those who do evil [[אבן עזרא]].

The central dilemma revolves around how God could possibly know human actions. This stems from a painful contradiction: if God is truly aware of human paths, how could the world order be so broken, bringing harm to those who follow His ways while rewarding those who deny Him [[רד״ק], [מלבי״ם], [מאירי]]? Beyond the issue of justice, a philosophical puzzle arises concerning the nature of divine providence. People wonder how a completely spiritual God, residing in the highest realms, can even perceive the physical, material details of human life in the lower world [[אלשיך]]. This line of thinking leads to the conclusion that God does not watch over humanity and has no interest in earthly affairs [[ביאור שטיינזלץ]].

As these doubts are voiced, the questioning of divine knowledge takes on two main interpretations. The primary approach among commentators is that the thoughts are repeated to emphasize and strengthen the fundamental doubt of whether God truly knows everything [[מצודת דוד], [מאירי]]. Conversely, some see a gradual worsening in this denial of divine providence. In this view, the initial doubt suggests that while God possesses knowledge, He is either unaware of or uninterested in the specific details of the lower world. The subsequent thought, however, represents a more extreme rejection, claiming that God lacks the capacity to know entirely [[מלבי״ם]]. Ultimately, casting such doubt on God's awareness inevitably leads to a complete denial of Him as the true God and a total rejection of the entire Torah [[רש״י]].