Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses a halachic aspect of the inheritance process. Specifically, the double portion granted to a firstborn applies only to property that is in actual possession, as opposed to funds that are due, such as an unpaid loan. The Noam Elimelech (Sefer Shemos, Shemos 5) uses this concept to address an age-old theological question: why do some righteous individuals seem to suffer greatly in this world, while others prosper in a way that appears more fitting for their goodness and deeds? The Gemara refers to the latter as “one who eats from both banquets,” a metaphor for receiving rewards in both this world and the next. But how can we explain this disparity? And more urgently, how can we be part of the fortunate group that enjoys both?

The Noam Elimelech interprets the idiom, "A firstborn does not take a double portion of property due to him as he does the property that is possessed," allegorically. Here, the firstborn represents the righteous person, whom God sees as the favored child. The double portion signifies rewards in both this world and the next. So, how does one manage to "eat from both banquets"? If he has possession of the "inheritance"—that is, if he has firmly established virtue and goodness within his character—then the rewards follow naturally, both in this world and in the next.

I believe this is more than just a clever derash; it is also logically sound. A typically decent person may be tempted by success and, as a result, might require occasional suffering to remind him of his mortality, as noted in Devarim 32:15. In contrast, a person who has succeeded in firmly embedding rectitude within his nature and who will not deviate from it has no need for additional suffering..

Le-Iyluy Nishmas Yaakov Halevi ben Dovid, a great scientist and person who made the world a better place through his research and helped people through his kindness and amiability.