Z'man Simchateinu?? What to do on your Enemy's Bad Day

(לט) אַ֡ךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֜וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּאָסְפְּכֶם֙ אֶת־תְּבוּאַ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֶת־חַג־יְהוָ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בַּיּ֤וֹם הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ שַׁבָּת֔וֹן וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֖י שַׁבָּתֽוֹן׃ (מ) וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

Leviticus 23:39-40

(39) Mark, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the yield of your land, you shall observe the festival of Adonai [to last] seven days: a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day. (40) On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before Adonai your God seven days.

משנה אבות ד׳:י״ט

(יט) שְׁמוּאֵל הַקָּטָן אוֹמֵר, (משלי כד) בִּנְפֹל אוֹיִבְךָ אַל תִּשְׂמָח וּבִכָּשְׁלוֹ אַל יָגֵל לִבֶּךָ, פֶּן יִרְאֶה ה' וְרַע בְּעֵינָיו וְהֵשִׁיב מֵעָלָיו אַפּוֹ:

Pirkei Avot 4:19

(19) Shmuel Hakatan said: “If your enemy falls, do not exult; if he trips, let your heart not rejoice, lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and avert his wrath from him” (Proverbs 24:17).

משלי י״א:ט׳-י׳

(ט) בְּפֶ֗ה חָ֭נֵף יַשְׁחִ֣ת רֵעֵ֑הוּ וּ֝בְדַ֗עַת צַדִּיקִ֥ים יֵחָלֵֽצוּ׃ (י) בְּט֣וּב צַ֭דִּיקִים תַּעֲלֹ֣ץ קִרְיָ֑ה וּבַאֲבֹ֖ד רְשָׁעִ֣ים רִנָּֽה׃

Proverbs 11:9-10

(9) The impious man destroys his neighbor through speech, But through their knowledge the righteous are rescued. (10) When the righteous prosper the city exults; When the wicked perish there are shouts of joy.

יחזקאל ל״ג:י״א

(יא) אֱמֹ֨ר אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם חַי־אָ֣נִי ׀ נְאֻ֣ם ׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה אִם־אֶחְפֹּץ֙ בְּמ֣וֹת הָרָשָׁ֔ע כִּ֣י אִם־בְּשׁ֥וּב רָשָׁ֛ע מִדַּרְכּ֖וֹ וְחָיָ֑ה

Ezekiel 33:11

(11) Say to them: As I live—declares GOD—it is not My desire that the wicked shall die, but that the wicked turn from [evil] ways and live.

משלי כ״ד:י״ז

(יז) בִּנְפֹ֣ל אויביך [אֽ֭וֹיִבְךָ] אַל־תִּשְׂמָ֑ח וּ֝בִכָּשְׁל֗וֹ אַל־יָגֵ֥ל לִבֶּֽךָ׃

Proverbs 24:17

(17) If your enemy falls, do not exult; If he trips, let your heart not rejoice,

ברכות י׳ א:ב׳-ד׳

הָנְהוּ בִּרְיוֹנֵי דַּהֲווֹ בְּשִׁבָבוּתֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר וַהֲווֹ קָא מְצַעֲרוּ לֵיהּ טוּבָא. הֲוָה קָא בָּעֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלֵימוּתוּ. אָמְרָה לֵיהּ בְּרוּרְיָא דְּבֵיתְהוּ: מַאי דַּעְתָּךְ — מִשּׁוּם דִּכְתִיב ״יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים״, מִי כְּתִיב ״חוֹטְאִים״? ״חַטָּאִים״ כְּתִיב. וְעוֹד, שְׁפֵיל לְסֵיפֵיהּ דִּקְרָא ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״, כֵּיוָן דְּ״יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים״ ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״? אֶלָּא בְּעִי רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ דְּלַהְדְּרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה, ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״. בְּעָא רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ, וַהֲדַרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה.

Berakhot 10a:2-4

There were these hooligans in Rabbi Meir’s neighborhood who caused him a great deal of anguish. Rabbi Meir prayed for God to have mercy on them, that they should die. Rabbi Meir’s wife, Berurya, said to him: What is your thinking? On what basis do you pray for the death of these hooligans? Do you base yourself on the verse, as it is written: “Let sins cease from the land” (Psalms 104:35), which you interpret to mean that the world would be better if the wicked were destroyed? But is it written, let sinners cease?” Let sins cease, is written. One should pray for an end to their transgressions, not for the demise of the transgressors themselves. Moreover, go to the end of the verse, where it says: “And the wicked will be no more.” If, as you suggest, transgressions shall cease refers to the demise of the evildoers, how is it possible that the wicked will be no more, i.e., that they will no longer be evil? Rather, pray for God to have mercy on them, that they should repent, as if they repent, then the wicked will be no more, as they will have repented. Rabbi Meir saw that Berurya was correct and he prayed for God to have mercy on them, and they repented.

But does God get to rejoice in the misfortune of God's enemies?

מגילה י׳ ב:כ״ה-כ״ז

ומי חדי הקב"ה במפלתן של רשעים והא כתיב (דברי הימים ב כ, כא) בצאת לפני החלוץ ואומרים הודו לה' כי לעולם חסדו וא"ר יוחנן מפני מה לא נאמר כי טוב בהודאה זו לפי שאין הקב"ה שמח במפלתן של רשעים ואמר רבי יוחנן מאי דכתיב (שמות יד, כ) ולא קרב זה אל זה כל הלילה בקשו מלאכי השרת לומר שירה אמר הקב"ה מעשה ידי טובעין בים ואתם אומרים שירה אמר רבי אלעזר הוא אינו שש אבל אחרים משיש ודיקא נמי דכתיב כן ישיש ולא כתיב ישוש ש"מ

Megillah 10b:25-27

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked: Does the Holy One, Blessed be He, in fact rejoice over the downfall of the wicked? But it is written: “As they went out before the army, and say: Give thanks to the Lord, for His kindness endures forever” (II Chronicles 20:21), and Rabbi Yoḥanan said: For what reason were the words: “for He is good” not stated in this statement of thanksgiving, as the classic formulation is: “Give thanks to the Lord; for He is good; for His kindness endures forever” (I Chronicles 16:34)? Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not rejoice over the downfall of the wicked. Since this song was sung in the aftermath of a military victory, which involved the downfall of the wicked, the name of God was not mentioned for the good. And similarly, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And the one came not near the other all the night” (Exodus 14:20)? The ministering angels wanted to sing their song, for the angels would sing songs to each other, as it states: “And they called out to each other and said” (Isaiah 6:3), but the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: The work of My hands, the Egyptians, are drowning at sea, and you wish to say songs? This indicates that God does not rejoice over the downfall of the wicked. Rabbi Elazar said that this is how the matter is to be understood: Indeed, God Himself does not rejoice over the downfall of the wicked, but He causes others to rejoice. The Gemara comments: One can learn from the language of the verse as well, as it is written: “So the Lord will rejoice [ken yasis]” (Deuteronomy 28:63). And it is not written yasus, the grammatical form of the verb meaning: He will rejoice. Rather, it is written yasis. The grammatical form of this verb indicates that one causes another to rejoice. Consequently, these words are understood to mean that God will cause others to rejoice. The Gemara concludes: Indeed, learn from it that this is the case.

Rabbi Shai Held

The ideal and the best case scenario is for the wicked man who is ill to have both his body healed and his soul transformed. When that seems impossible (say, because the person in question has a truly intractable personality disorder), then I think it best to pray that Hashem do whatever Hashem deems necessary to prevent the wicked person from enacting his wicked plans, or from (further) damaging and endangering others. We should not dictate to Hashem the means of salvation Hashem will use; we should only pray for the salvation and leave those decisions in God's hands.

תהילים ל״ז:י״ב-כ״א

(יב) זֹמֵ֣ם רָ֭שָׁע לַצַּדִּ֑יק וְחֹרֵ֖ק עָלָ֣יו שִׁנָּֽיו׃ (יג) אֲדֹנָ֥י יִשְׂחַק־ל֑וֹ כִּֽי־רָ֝אָ֗ה כִּֽי־יָבֹ֥א יוֹמֽוֹ׃ (יד) חֶ֤רֶב ׀ פָּֽתְח֣וּ רְשָׁעִים֮ וְדָרְכ֪וּ קַ֫שְׁתָּ֥ם לְ֭הַפִּיל עָנִ֣י וְאֶבְי֑וֹן לִ֝טְב֗וֹחַ יִשְׁרֵי־דָֽרֶךְ׃ (טו) חַ֭רְבָּם תָּב֣וֹא בְלִבָּ֑ם וְ֝קַשְּׁתוֹתָ֗ם תִּשָּׁבַֽרְנָה׃ (טז) טוֹב־מְ֭עַט לַצַּדִּ֑יק מֵ֝הֲמ֗וֹן רְשָׁעִ֥ים רַבִּֽים׃ (יז) כִּ֤י זְרוֹע֣וֹת רְ֭שָׁעִים תִּשָּׁבַ֑רְנָה וְסוֹמֵ֖ךְ צַדִּיקִ֣ים יְהוָֽה׃ (יח) יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה יְמֵ֣י תְמִימִ֑ם וְ֝נַחֲלָתָ֗ם לְעוֹלָ֥ם תִּהְיֶֽה׃ (יט) לֹֽא־יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ בְּעֵ֣ת רָעָ֑ה וּבִימֵ֖י רְעָב֣וֹן יִשְׂבָּֽעוּ׃ (כ) כִּ֤י רְשָׁעִ֨ים ׀ יֹאבֵ֗דוּ וְאֹיְבֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה כִּיקַ֣ר כָּרִ֑ים כָּל֖וּ בֶעָשָׁ֣ן כָּֽלוּ׃ (כא) לֹוֶ֣ה רָ֭שָׁע וְלֹ֣א יְשַׁלֵּ֑ם וְ֝צַדִּ֗יק חוֹנֵ֥ן וְנוֹתֵֽן׃

Psalms 37:12-21

(12) The wicked man schemes against the righteous, and gnashes his teeth at him. (13) The Lord laughs at him, for He knows that his day will come. (14) The wicked draw their swords, bend their bows, to bring down the lowly and needy, to slaughter upright men. (15) Their swords shall pierce their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken. (16) Better the little that the righteous man has than the great abundance of the wicked. (17) For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but God is the support of the righteous. (18) God is concerned for the needs of the blameless; their portion lasts forever; (19) they shall not come to grief in bad times; in famine, they shall eat their fill. (20) But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of God shall be consumed, like meadow grass consumed in smoke. (21) The wicked man borrows and does not repay; the righteous is generous and keeps giving.

But also? People sometimes have emotional responses to things, and they need to work their way through our systems.

משנה אבות ד׳:י״ח

רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר, אַל תְּרַצֶּה אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ בִשְׁעַת כַּעֲסוֹ, וְאַל תְּנַחֲמֶנּוּ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמֵּתוֹ מֻטָּל לְפָנָיו, וְאַל תִּשְׁאַל לוֹ בִשְׁעַת נִדְרוֹ, וְאַל תִּשְׁתַּדֵּל לִרְאוֹתוֹ בִשְׁעַת קַלְקָלָתוֹ:

Pirkei Avot 4:18

Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Do not try to appease your friend during his hour of anger; Nor comfort him at the hour while his dead still lies before him; Nor question him at the hour of his vow; Nor strive to see him in the hour of his disgrace.