Today’s learning is dedicated to the refuah sheleima of Simcha Nosson ben Zissel.

In our previous post we discussed the concept of matnas chinam (unearned gifts) and how we mustn’t insist or demand rewards for our spiritual achievements. While we are encouraged to take pride in our accomplishments, and are indeed promised tremendous reward for following the Torah and mitzvos, nevertheless, we must ensure that the reward is not the purpose or reason for our good deeds and behaviors. The reward received, if we are so fortunate, is a secondary benefit, but not the primary motivation of our actions.

The Mishna in Pirkei Avos (5:3) teaches that Avraham was given ten נסיונות (tests), and he succeeded in each one. Parshas Lech Lecha begins with Hashem instructing Avraham to leave his birthplace and travel to an undisclosed location; Avraham faithfully obeyed, without protesting or questioning the command. Several commentators, including the Rambam, list this episode as one of his tests. Rav Yisrael Meir Druck raises the question of why this was considered a test, considering that Avraham was promised great blessings in this new land. Hashem assured Avraham that he would produce there a great nation, and would receive wealth and prestige. Also, at this point Avraham was still childless, but he was promised that in this new land he would produce offspring. As Rabbi Efrem Goldberg elaborates, “If we were guaranteed that resettling somewhere would bring us children, wealth and fame, would we hesitate to go? Why was it a test for Avraham to obey this command?” 

“Rav Druck answers this question based on a teaching of the Sfas Emes, who explains that Avraham went to live in Eretz Yisrael purely for the sake of fulfilling Hashem’s will, and not to receive the blessings promised to him. According to the Sfas Emes, the promises were actually part of the challenge given to Avraham. He was tested to see whether he would comply with Hashem’s command in order to be blessed with offspring, fortune and honor, or out of faithful subservience to the divine will. Avraham passed this test, leaving to the Land of Israel purely with the intention to obey Hashem, and not out of a desire to earn the rewards promised to him.”

Rabbi Goldberg concludes, “This insight is relevant to us and our own ‘journeys,’ as well. We are to follow the Torah’s laws not because we believe it will bring us blessings, but because we believe it is the right thing to do, and the right way to live. We are to fulfill the mitzvos because we believe in a Creator to Whom we are accountable, and Who has given us a prescription for how to live. This should be our motivation for living a life of Torah observance.”

Similarly, Rebbe Nachman teaches (Advice, Joy # 2), “You should feel great joy when you do a mitzvah [to the extent] that you don’t do it merely to receive a reward in the World to Come. You want that Hashem sends you another mitzvah, and this will be the reward of the first one, because your joy is in the mitzvah itself.“ (see Likutei Moharan I, 5:2)

Rebbe Nachman’s great-grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov, was once approached by a woman who asked him to bless her with children. He replied that he had investigated the matter in Heaven and found that she was not destined to have children, and that it was beyond his powers or capabilities to change her fate. However, she insisted and she persisted. The woman kept returning, crying with so many heart-wrenched tears that it was impossible to refuse her. Eventually, the Baal Shem Tov told her, “Regardless of what fate shows, regardless of what your future is, I hereby promise you with all my power that you are going to have a child. My word, my life, is staked on it.”

This caused major uproar and pandemonium in Heaven. It was decided that this woman would indeed be blessed with a child, but at the same time, since the Baal Shem Tov staked his spiritual life on it, he would lose all his Gan Eden. As Rabbi Yossi Katz elaborates, “The Baal Shem Tov’s Gan Eden, of course, was immeasurable. Imagine all the mitzvos and the learning he had accumulated! His avodas HaShem was second to none. All that was completely obliterated. A voice from Heaven said, ‘The Baal Shem Tov has lost his Gan Eden. This is a final decision in Heaven; it is non-negotiable and irrevocable.’ The Baal Shem Tov heard this. For the moment, this was a sad blow.”

But then suddenly, the Baal Shem Tov was overcome with deep and profound joy, the greatest degree of happiness he had ever achieved in his lifetime. He excitedly proclaimed, “I am the happiest person in the world, because now I can finally, truly and sincerely serve Hashem without any ulterior motive! Who needs Gan Eden? Now I can serve Hashem solely for the privilege of serving Him.”

Immediately, a voice from Heaven declared, “There’s no way of changing the Heavenly decision. Your Gan Eden is lost, and you cannot get it back. But this statement was so valuable that, for this alone, you now have twice as much Gan Eden than before!”

The true tzadikim understood that the greatest reward received for a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself, as demonstrated in the following story (written in the Hamodia on August 18, 2016). The Chofetz Chaim zt”l frequently ascended to the attic of his simple house in Radin, where he would make a cheshbon hanefesh (personal accounting) and pour out his heart to his Creator. Occasionally he was secretly followed, and thus a few of those private conversations have become known to us. Once he was overheard listing the sefarim he had authored, beginning with Chofetz Chaim and Shemiras HaLashon all the way to the six-volume Mishnah Berurah (which had taken him twenty-five painstaking years to compile). He then spoke of his other projects, such as establishing kitchens to provide kosher food for Jewish soldiers in the Russian army, founding the Vaad HaYeshivos, his extensive work to build and repair mikvaos around the region, his efforts on behalf of the yeshivah in Radin and many other accomplishments. At the conclusion of this lengthy and praiseworthy list, the Chofetz Chaim passionately declared, “Ribbono Shel Olam (Master of the Universe), You granted me with so many great zechuyos (merits), and what did I do to repay You?” And the saintly Chofetz Chaim began to weep…

For the Chofetz Chaim and the great tzadikim, following the Torah and mitzvos was not considered a sacrifice or burden, G-d forbid; it was the greatest privilege and honor.

While we may not be on the exalted level of the Baal Shem Tov or the Chofetz Chaim, still we can certainly apply and implement these concepts on a practical level, thereby enhancing the way we view the Torah and its mitzvos.

First, we must know that Hashem’s love for us runs deeper than we can ever imagine or fathom. He desires only the best for us, while longing for us to draw close, strengthening our bond with Him. The Torah and mitzvos is an opportunity to establish and build our relationship with Hashem. As Rav Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl teaches, “On the surface, the word ‘mitzvah’ comes from the word ‘tzivui,’ commandment. At its core, it derives from the word ‘tzavsah,’ connection.”

Rabbi Yaakov Klein writes, “With its myriad laws and directives, it is easy to see the Torah as restrictive, as set upon preventing us from truly enjoying the pleasures of this world. Wouldn’t it be great to do whatever we please? How amazing would it be if we could eat whatever we feel like, sleep for as long as we want, and live by our body’s perception of ‘the good life’? However, a closer look reveals that while, on the surface, the Torah appears to restrict our actions and prevent us from doing certain things, this is, in fact, for the purpose of guiding us toward the most pleasurable, joyous life – not only in the World to Come, but in this lifetime as well! Directing us away from transient pleasures that will fade with the passage of time and leave nothing but futility and despair in their wake, the Torah’s guidelines for daily living lead a Jew, hand in hand, to a life bursting with meaning, joy, vitality, and an enduring spirit of contentment.”

“The Torah’s guidance can be compared to a man whose vantage point on a nearby mountain allows him to look down upon the labyrinth of a corn maze and see where all of the paths lead. When he calls down to some people in the maze who appear to be helplessly lost and tells them to ‘take a right, not a left’, they realize his advice as being helpful, not restrictive. Similarly, the Torah presents us with a ‘view from above’; the perspective on a truly good life which, taking into account all levels of the human condition and the entirety of life with the varying realities of its different ages and stages, entirely transcends our narrow understanding of that which appears to be ‘good’ at a given moment in time.”

Similarly, Rebbe Dovid Yitzchak of Skolya teaches that Hashem’s love shines through the Torah’s restrictions, guiding his precious children to the most pleasurable, joyous life – not only in the World to Come, but in this lifetime as well. As Rabbi Klein quotes from the Berditchover, “Being as Hashem is the Source of all joy, our connection with Him draws that joy into our own hearts, lighting up our lives with the flickering torch of direction. This is true freedom; this is true happiness.”

In truth, Rebbe Nachman teaches that everything we encounter in this world was created as an opportunity to connect to Hashem. By searching for the wisdom in all of creation (both in general and particular), we strengthen our connection to Hashem. Rabbi Boruch of Medzibozh expounded on the words, “Malah ha’aretz kinyanecha,” (“the world is filled with Your acquisitions”), that the world is filled with things that can be used to “acquire” Hashem. Every single creation contains the infinite wisdom of Hashem and can be used to bring us closer to Him. As Rebbe Nachman teaches (Lekutei Moharan I, 1), “For the Jewish person must constantly look to find the intellect within everything and bind himself to that intellect so that the intellect may shine for him and enable him to grow closer to Hashem by using this thing.”

When we connect the physical with the spiritual, the finite with the infinite, the seemingly mundane with the extraordinary, we draw closer to, and build our connection with Hashem, the Creator; and that is the greatest privilege and honor, that is the greatest reward.

Considering the length of this post, we will break for now. With Hashem’s help, in our next post we will discuss how we can practically access the joy of the mitzvah, thereby leading to a strengthened bond and love towards Hashem. We will also discuss how to overcome some of the obstacles that may stand in our way, and how with a new perspective we can turn responsibility into opportunity.

TO BE CONTINUED…