Sources explore whether Hashem's goodness extends to all creation or is reserved for those who place their hope and trust in Him. The sources address this apparent contradiction through different interpretive frameworks, from parable and philosophical analysis to chassidic and mystical perspectives on divine beneficence and human receptivity.
טוֹב־יְהֹוָה לַכֹּל וְרַחֲמָיו עַל־כׇּל־מַעֲשָׂיו
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What the sources say
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 39b resolves an apparent contradiction between two pesukim by distinguishing two modes of divine goodness: just as an orchard owner waters the entire orchard without discrimination but hoes only around the good trees, so too Hashem's basic sustaining goodness — expressed in "the Lord is good to all" (Tehillim 145:9) — extends universally to every creature, while a deeper, more cultivated goodness is reserved for the righteous.
The other side of the contrast in Sanhedrin 39b rests on the pasuk "God is good to those who hope in Him, to one who seeks Him" (Eicha 3:25, cited in Duties of the Heart, Fourth Treatise on Trust 3:23), which describes this selective, individualized care — a goodness that requires, on the human side, genuine trust and seeking of the Divine.
תהילים קמ״ה:ט׳
Psalms 145:9
'Hashem is good to all, and His mercy is upon all His works.' This verse states God's universal goodness toward all creation.
טוֹב־יְהֹוָ֥ה לַכֹּ֑ל וְ֝רַחֲמָ֗יו עַל־כׇּל־מַעֲשָֽׂיו׃
ט GOD is good to all, and divine mercy is upon all God’s works.
סנהדרין ל״ט ב
Sanhedrin 39b
The passage addresses an apparent contradiction between two verses—one stating that God is good to all and another stating God is good only to those who hope in Him—and resolves it through a parable comparing God's beneficence to a person watering an orchard (watering all of it) versus weeding it (selecting only the good plants), then discusses how God does not rejoice in the downfall of the wicked, as evidenced by His rebuke to the ministering angels who wanted to sing when the wicked drowned in the sea.
כְּתִיב ״טוֹב ה׳ לַכֹּל״, וּכְתִיב ״טוֹב ה׳ לְקֹוָויו״. מָשָׁל לְאָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ פַּרְדֵּס: כְּשֶׁהוּא מַשְׁקֶה – מַשְׁקֶה אֶת כּוּלּוֹ, כְּשֶׁהוּא עוֹדֵר – אֵינוֹ עוֹדֵר אֶלָּא טוֹבִים שֶׁבָּהֶם. לְפִיכָךְ כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד כּוּ׳.
He explains: This can be compared to a person who has an orchard. When he waters it, he waters all of it. Perforce, the water reaches all parts of the orchard, and he cannot discriminate between trees. This is the meaning of the verse: “The Lord is good to all.” By contrast, when he hoes around the trees, he hoes only around the good trees among them.
חובות הלבבות, שער רביעי - שער הביטחון ג׳ — ד"ה וְאָמַר הַכָּתוּב
Duties of the Heart, Fourth Treatise on Trust 3:23
The passage cites two verses to show that God's goodness is directed toward those who trust in Him and seek Him: Tehilim 37:3 promises that those who trust in the Lord and do good will dwell securely in the land and be sustained, and Eicha 3:25 states that God is good to those who hope in Him and to the soul that seeks Him.
וְאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (תהלים לז ב) בְּטַח בַּה׳ וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב שְׁכָן אֶרֶץ וּרְעֵה אֱמוּנָה, וְאָמַר (איכה ג כה) טוֹב ה׳ לְקֹוָו לְנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ.
And the verse says "Trust in the L-ord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed" (Tehilim 37:3), and "G-d is good to those who hope in Him, to one who seeks Him" (Eicha 3:25).
נפש החיים, שער ג י״ב — ד"ה ולכן גם ר"ח לא שבטח על
Nefesh HaChayim, Gate III 12:7
R. Chaim of Volozhin discusses divine supervision, human intention, and the effect of one's inner state on one's relationship to providence and blessing.
ולכן גם ר"ח לא שבטח על זכות קדושת תורתו ומעשיו המרובים. רק שידע ושיער בנפשו שזאת האמונה קבועה בלבו לאמיתה שאין עוד מלבדו יתב' שום כח כלל. והדביק עצמו בקדושת מחשבתו לבעל הכחות כולם אדון יחיד המלא כל עלמין ואין כאן שום שליטה ומציאות כח אחר כלל. לכן היה נכון לבו בטוח בזה שלא ישלטו עליו פעולות הכשפים הנמשכים מכחות המרכבה טמאה. ז"ש לא מסתייע' מילתיך אין עוד מלבדו כתיב: ובאמת הוא ענין גדול וסגולה נפלאה להסר ולבטל מעליו כל דינין ורצונות אחרים שלא יוכלו לשלוט בו ולא יעשו שום רושם כלל. כשהאדם קובע בלבו לאמר הלא ה' הוא האלקים האמתי ואין עוד מלבדו יתברך שום כח בעולם וכל העולמות כלל והכל מלא רק אחדותו הפשוט ית"ש. ומבטל בלבו ביטול גמור ואינו משגיח כלל על שום כח ורצון בעולם. ומשעבד ומדבק טוהר מחשבתו רק לאדון יחיד ב"ה. כן יספיק הוא יתב' בידו שממילא יתבטלו מעליו כל הכחות והרצונות שבעולם שלא יוכלו לפעול לו שום דבר כלל.
And for that reason even in the case of Rabbee Chaneena, it’s not that he relied on the merit of the holiness of his Torah or his [long history of] positive behaviors, but only that he intimately knew and measured in his soul-Neffesh, that this reliability was established in his heart/mind as being true: that other than Him (blessed be He) there is absolutely no other power at all. And he attached himself via the purity of his thoughts to the Master of All Powers, unique Lord who fills all worlds, and no other power here has any control, nor real power at all. For that reason, that his heart/mind was rightly certain about this—that actions of sorcery that drew on the powers of the impure Vehicle would have no control over him—this is why he stated: “Your effort will not succeed, for it is written ‘There is nothing but Him’”. And truthfully, this is a great matter and a wondrous treasure that takes him out of the realm of any other judgments and the desires of others, so that they can’t control him, nor make any impression at all. When a person fixes it in his heart/mind to state, that after all: • God-YHV”H is the true God-Elohi”m and there is no other power in the universe nor in all the worlds at all other than Him, and • Everything is filled only with His (blessed be His name) simple unity, and • He, in his heart/mind, completely nullifies all others, and does not attend to any power or will in the universe, and harnesses and adheres the purity of his thoughts only to the unique Lord (blessed is He), then He will make it happen for him, that in any case all of the powers and desires that are in the universe will be nullified from upon him, so that they are not able to affect him in any way at all.
שם משמואל, שבת תשובה ג׳
Shem MiShmuel, Shabbat Shuva 3
A chassidic treatment of repentance and divine closeness that contrasts common blessing with the heightened access available to those who turn to Hashem with hope and faith.
דרשו ה' בהמצאו קראוהו בהיותו קרוב, ואמרו ז"ל בהמצאו אלו עשרת הימים שבין ר"ה ויוה"כ, הפי' אצלי בהמצאו לשון מציאה, שבזמן הזה אחר הדרישה באין למדריגה גבוה מאד נעלה יותר מכפי ערך הדרישה שהיא בחי' מציאה, והם י"ג מדות של רחמים שפתוחים ועומדים אפי' ליחיד, והוא כמו מציאה שלא הי' להמוצאה שום שייכות אלי':