Pensée juive sur Les Psaumes 69:29

Concerning the traditional view that on Rosh Hashanah the righteous are inscribed for life, the wicked for death, and the ones whose conduct is in balance are given grace until Yom Kippur, (based on Yuma 16) the author rejects the usual answers to the vexing problem of "the wicked seem to enjoy a good life, while many of the righteous frequently suffer greatly." The problem is highlighted by our judging from visual observations from the outside only.

And these figures are very frequent in the books of the prophets. Some are easily recognised by the ordinary reader as figures, others with some difficulty. Thus nobody doubts that the blessing, “May the Lord open to thee his good treasure, the heavens,” must be taken figuratively; for God has no treasure in which He keeps the rain. The same is the case with the following passage—“He opened the doors of heaven, he rained upon them manna to eat” (Ps. 78:23, 24). No person assumes that there is a door or gate in heaven, but every one understands that this is a simile and a figurative expression. In the same way must be understood the following passages—“The heavens were opened” (Ezek. 1:1); “If not, blot me out from thy book which thou hast written” (Exod. 32:32); “I will blot him out from the book of life” (ibid. ver. 33). All these phrases are figurative: and we must not assume that God has a book in which He writes, or from which He blots out, as those generally believe that do not find figurative speech in these passages.