Sometimes good things happen to good people TB Taanit 24

Today's daf TB Taanit 24 contains several stories about tannaim and amoraim who prayed for rain and their prayers were answered. The Gemara attributes their ability to petition God successfully was due to the merits of the good deeds.

“§ The Gemara relates: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi declared a fast but rain did not come. Ilfa descended to lead the service before him, and some say it was Rabbi Ilfi. He recited: He Who makes the wind blow, and the wind indeed blew. He continued to recite: And Who makes the rain come, and subsequently, the rain came. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: What are your good deeds, in the merit of which your prayers are answered so speedily? He said to him: I live in an impoverished city, in which there is no wine for kiddush or havdala. I go to the effort of bringing the residents wine for kiddush and havdala, and I thereby enable them to fulfill their duty. In reward for this mitzva, my prayers for rain were answered.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Ilfa enabled countless poor Jews to celebrate Shabbat with kiddush and havdala wine. He made all those people doubly happy. First he enabled them to fulfill those mitzvot and secondly we know how wine effects a person's countenance as it is written: "You cause grass to grow for the cattle and plans for man to cultivate that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine togladden the heart of man..." (Psalm 104:14)

"The Gemara relates a similar incident. Rav happened to come to a certain place where he decreed a fast but rain did not come. The prayer leader descended to lead the service before him and recited: He Who makes the wind blow, and the wind blew. He continued and said: And Who makes the rain fall, and the rain came. Rav said to him: What are your good deeds? He said to him: I am a teacher of children, and I teach the Bible to the children of the poor as to the children of the rich, and if there is anyone who cannot pay, I do not take anything from him. And I have a fishpond, and any child who neglects his studies, I bribe him with the fish and calm him, and soothe him until he comes and reads.” (Sefaria.org translation)

The prayer leader was a great teacher. Torah belongs to the entire Jewish people. He did not discriminate between rich families and poor families. Those who could pay his fee paid his fee and those who couldn't were not denied a Torah education for their children. Who knows who will become a great Torah scholar? Hillel were so poor they could not afford to learn in the Bet Midrash, study hall so he snucked up on the roof and listened to the lectures through the skylight. The rabbis only discovered him when it snowed and his snow-covered body blocked the daylight. Because of his devotion to Torah study, the rabbis waived his tuition. (TB Yoma 35b) This prayer leader also had a great classroom management skills.

The hardest theological question is why bad things happen to good people. But sometimes we have to admit that good things happen to good people too.