The success of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous is a profound mystery that deeply troubles the human heart. Finding peace with this reality cannot come from looking only at the immediate present; it requires a deep shift in perspective toward a broader, eternal view. The inner turmoil and confusion finally cease when the complete truth is revealed [אבן עזרא, מאירי]. This turning point happens upon entering God's sanctuaries.
Commentators offer different ways to understand these sanctuaries, moving from the physical to the deeply spiritual. One approach understands this as a literal journey to the Temple in Jerusalem, the place where God reveals Himself [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. There, a person meets the priests and wise men who dedicate themselves to wisdom, and from them, learns the hidden ways of how God runs the world [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד]. Arriving at this earthly Temple, which mirrors the heavenly one, grants a person an extra measure of holy spirit, allowing them to grasp truths they could not understand before [אלשיך].
A deeper approach views entering these sanctuaries as a metaphor for spiritual and intellectual growth. It represents elevating one's mind beyond the physical world and looking toward the realm of angels, spirits, and souls, which is the true home of divine justice [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, מאירי].
Through this elevated understanding, clarity arrives regarding the ultimate fate of the wicked. The primary approach among commentators is that the comforts and hardships of this world are not the final goal or the true measure of reward. Life in the material world is compared to a passing dream, while true existence is the eternal life of the soul.
In this light, the success of the wicked is not a prize, but rather a severe punishment and a dangerous trap. God makes their lives smooth and comfortable so that they will never feel the need to repent, allowing them to march confidently toward their own destruction, much like what happened to the army of Sennacherib [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. Their false sense of peace in this world costs them their eternal existence, whereas the true reward is securely kept for the righteous in the world of souls [רד״ק, מלבי״ם].
This principle—that a person's true standing and reward only become clear at the very end, and often only in the higher, spiritual realms—is also reflected in Rabbinic tradition. It notes that the spiritual rank of the wise is established in heaven in a way that is vastly different and far greater than any earthly title they held [תורה תמימה].