Q: Why is suicide considered so terrible in Judaism? If one sees no point in living, why cannot that person choose death? After all, it is known that man cannot tolerate pain, so how does suicide sit with the purpose of creation?
A: If a desperate person separates from life only in order to avoid pain, it shows that the most important thing for that person is not life, but pleasure! Without pleasure, life becomes a burden that any person would love to get rid of. It follows that we are nothing but a desire to enjoy.
One should always be aware that whatever the torments arise, they are given by the Creator for the purpose of correction, for advancement. Suicide is one’s total refusal of the offer of the Creator to advance, a rejection of the means for correction.
We must remember that the only place for advancement is this world, and only in this body. That fact might sometimes be hard to accept, but it is nonetheless true.