בס”ד
נִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי אוֹמֵר, הַרְחֵק מִשָּׁכֵן רָע, וְאַל תִּתְחַבֵּר לָרָשָׁע, וְאַל תִּתְיָאֵשׁ מִן הַפֻּרְעָנוּת
Nittai the Arbelite used to say: keep a distance from an evil neighbor, do not become attached to the wicked, and do not abandon faith in [divine] retribution.
What you deal with you end up being infected by. Maybe not literally by adopting ideas and customs, but others who see you with that evil neighbor will think you support his ideas, and perhaps handle his customs. People will associate you with him and perhaps judge you for it.
When you see your bad neighbor doing well, you can sometimes perceive it as unfair. After all, doesn’t G-d punish the bad, and reward the good? That’s what we learned in the 13 Principals of Faith, isn’t it? In which it is written in the 11 Principal
I fully believe that He rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those who break them.
We should never abandon this faith. Even if we don’t see it, G-d is a Righteous Judge and He rewards and punishes everyone according to their works. The good for his good works and the bad for his bad deeds.
By Angelique Sijbolts
Sources:
Pirkei Avot 1:7
Texts: Sefaria.org
See also the blog: Is Truly Everything Rewarded?
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