GEN862 … the world is judged with goodness. Pirkei Avot III:19   …. Our Sages note that the Almighty foresaw Ishmael’s unworthy future; after all, He had Himself foretold it: “And he shall be a wild mule of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him.” [this verse] Since the Almighty has an infinite knowledge of the future, He surely had in mind the fanatic, impassioned Islamic invasions of the past and the seething Arab hostility and marauding in the present. In His goodness, however, the Almighty considered Ishmael “where he is now”; He regarded the boy’s present condition alone: Never mind his future; judge the lad according to the goodness of the present hour, and now he is pleading and praying for his life. Now he is righteous.  Talmud Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashanah I,3; Genesis Rabbah LIII, 14; Exodus Rabbah III, 2; Midrash Tanhuma, Yayyetze 5; Miedrash T’hillim V,5. And when someone’s past or future bespeaks goodness, that will serve to weigh the scales in his favor.  Jeremiah declares to the people Israel in the name of the Almighty, ‘I remember for you [or about your] the loving devotion of your youth … how you followed Me in the wilderness, in an unsown [desolate] land.” Jeremiah 2:2 True, at the present moment you are not worthy, but I recall your past goodness. By the same token the Torah forbade us to attack the nations of Moab and Ammon Deuteronomy 2:19, 19 because, as the Sages explain, Ruth the princess of Moab Talmud Nazir 23b, Midrash Rabbah, Ruth II was destined to embrace Judaism and become in time the great-grandmother of Kind David, while from Ammon would come Naamah, wife of Solomon and other of Rehoboam. I Kings 14:21, 31; II Chronicles 12:13. Talmud Baba Kamma 38b.  This is perhaps the secret underlying reason that mankind continues to exist despite so much evil in its actions day after day, year after year, century after century. “The world is judge for its good,” be that good in the past, present, or the future.  We can also interpret this phrase to mean that “the world is judged for the sake of the good,” or “for a good purpose.” If the Almighty must sometimes punish or chastise someone, He does so for the person’s own good and benefit.   There was once a great Hassidic rabbi whose gabbai (secretary, attendant) would always find fault with the master’s disciples.   He would constantly complain to the rabbi that this fellow kept his store open too late before the onset of the Sabbath on Friday evening, another was guilt of talebearing, a third was not too careful to eat strictly kosher food. The rabbi could not tolerate the constant criticism, and voiced his displeasure in no uncertain terms.   One hassid (disciple) overhead him. “Why do you object?” he asked the rabbi in perplexity.   “After all, do you not also criticize and find fault with us in your sermons? What does it matter if the gabbai criticizes us too?” The rabbi replied: “The difference between us is the difference between a home owner and a cat. Both the home owner and the cat strongly desire to rid the house of mice.   The difference, however, is that the owner is happy when there are no mice; the cat is happy when she catches mice. Similarly, I am happy when there is no longer any sin.   My gabbai seems to be happy when he catches sinners.”   The Almighty judges the world for the sake of goodness. He is happy when there is no sin.   SINAI1 328-9