A person who suffers should react with joy and not become angry about the divine decree. The greatness of the righteous, who withstood the trials and tests they were put through, was in that they accepted them willingly and graciously. Suffering might be a punishment for sin or it might be a divinely orchestrated trial or test. No matter what its source, the suffering should be welcomed and accepted willingly.

A person should endure suffering with joy:

When a person encounters difficulty, whether [it affects] his body, his property, or any other matters, he should accept it all from his God with joy. He should endure the suffering willingly, accepting divine judgment, as opposed to suffering in anger over the decree…. Know, my brother, that we would not have praised Abraham for enduring the ten tests that God put him through if he had not accepted them all from God willingly and graciously. This is what the verse states [about Abraham]: “You found his heart faithful before You” (Nehemiah 9:8).

There are three types of suffering, with two divine goals:

You should distinguish in your mind between three different types of suffering: (1) suffering in order to serve God; (2) suffering in order to avoid rebelling against Him; and (3) suffering due to unfortunate events of this world. This third category can be subdivided into two: (a) suffering due to losing something [important]; and (b) [suffering due to the] lack of something much desired. Whichever type it is, the suffering may come upon you as punishment in order to bring forgiveness for sin; or it could be initiated by God as a trial or test so that God will increase your reward through the suffering and magnify your portion [in the World to Come]. Whichever of these two types it is, you should accept what God brings you willingly and graciously. (Rabbeinu Baĥya ibn Pakuda, Ĥovot HaLevavot 8:3)

One who thinks that suffering comes to him “by chance” will evoke a negative divine reaction. God will relate to him as if “by chance,” without special protection. There is certainly a reason behind suffering and a goal that it accomplishes. When a person experiences suffering, he should examine his actions carefully. In that way, the suffering can be an impetus for positive transformation and repentance.

When a person sees he is beginning to experience suffering he should not think that it came by chance. For someone who believes that is the case will be punished measure for measure. He will be left unprotected by God and subject to chance occurrences, as the Torah states: “And if you walk recalcitrantly with Me…so I also will walk with you recalcitrantly” (Leviticus 26:21–24). This is a great punishment, for the world is full of so many random occurrences that blow about [like winds], and one who is abandoned by Heaven has no protection at all.… But if a person experiences suffering and [yet] he thinks he did not sin, he should pay close attention to his behavior and he will find a reason for the suffering. He should carefully examine his actions and repent. (Rav Yitzĥak Abuhav, Menorat Hama’or 5:3:1:1)

Further reading: For more on divine providence, see p. 173.

When a person experiences suffering he should not ask, “Why did God do this?” He should rather ask himself, “How should I react?” The reason for asking this question is because the purpose of suffering is to repair man’s flaws. Through suffering a person must experience a spiritual crisis, an inner shock This crisis can then be a source of growth.

The question of the man of destiny:

When the “man of destiny” suffers, he says in his heart, “There is evil, I do not deny it, and I will not conceal it with fruitless casuistry. I am, however, interested in it from a halakhic point of view, and as a person who wants to know what action to take. I ask a single question: “What should the sufferer do to live with his suffering?” In this dimension, the emphasis is removed from causal and teleological considerations…and is directed to the realm of action. The problem is now formulated in the language of a simple halakha and revolves around a daily task. The question of questions is: What does suffering obligate a man to do? This problem was important to Judaism, which placed it at the center of its Weltanschauung.… We do not wonder about the ineffable ways of the Holy One, but instead ponder the paths man must take when evil leaps up at him. We ask not about the reason for evil and its purpose, but about its rectification and uplifting. How should a man react in a time of distress? What should a man do so as not to rot in his afflictions?

The purpose of suffering is to repair flaws in man’s personality:

The halakhic answer to this question is very simple. Suffering comes to elevate man, to purify his spirit and sanctify him, to cleanse his mind and purify it from the chaff of superficiality and the dross of crudeness, to sensitize his soul and expand his horizons. In general, the purpose of suffering is to repair the imperfection in man’s persona.

Suffering without experiencing transformation is pointless and spiritually dangerous:

How pitiful if man’s sufferings do not bring him to a spiritual crisis, and his soul remains frozen and bereft of forgiveness. How pitiful is the sufferer if his soul is not warmed by the flame of suffering, and if his wounds do not spark “the candle of God” (Proverbs 20:27) within him. When pain wanders in the wide world as a blind force without purpose, a stinging indictment of the man who squanders his suffering issues forth. (Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Kol Dodi Dofek 7–9)