תהלים, פרק ע״ג, פסוק ה׳

The apparent success of evil people becomes especially glaring when their easy lives are compared to the harsh realities of normal human existence. The primary approach among commentators is that the wicked enjoy lives completely free from trouble and pain. They do not participate in the exhausting daily labor required of ordinary people to survive, largely because their great wealth shields them [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מאירי, מצודת דוד]. While daily struggle is a natural result of human weakness and poverty, the wicked remain completely untouched by it [מלבי״ם]. This total detachment from the struggles of society is not just a lucky circumstance. Rather, it highlights their absolute wickedness. By isolating themselves from the pain of the public, they refuse to share in the heavy burdens carried by their fellow human beings [אלשיך].

Beyond avoiding hard labor, these individuals also seem to possess an unnatural physical immunity. They are entirely spared from the illnesses and diseases that naturally afflict the rest of mankind [מלבי״ם]. Even when a widespread airborne plague strikes and affects the general population, the wicked somehow manage to escape completely unharmed, even as good and righteous people fall ill [אבן עזרא].

This reality is deeply puzzling for two reasons. First, the lazy and pampered lifestyle of the wicked should naturally make them more prone to sickness, not less. Second, their perfect immunity challenges standard theological explanations, such as the idea that God rewards them for past good deeds or the merits of their ancestors. After all, if even the righteous suffer from natural plagues, the fact that the wicked avoid them completely defies all natural and spiritual logic [אלשיך].