B"H

Thursday, Iyar 25, 5778 (40th day of Sefirah) / May 10, 2018

At the end of the fifth chapter of Pirkei Avot (Chapters of our Fathers), which we recite this Shabbat, we find the famous teaching of the Talmudic sage Ben Hay Hay; "L'fum Tza'ara Agra"- "The reward [for Torah, mitzvot and good deeds]is in proportion to the effort." 

The more effort a person puts into the study of Torah and performance of mitzvot, charitable acts and good deeds, the greater the accomplishment and the more reward one will receive for it.

A student once approached his Rabbi, "I have a very difficult time comprehending my Torah studies.  It takes a lot of effort for me to understand and then remember what I learned. What can I do about this problem?"

The Rabbi looked at him and said, "You have a problem?  What should I do when studying comes easy for me and it is effortless?!" Although there is an advantage when things come easy, there is also an advantage when one puts effort into studying Torah and performing mitzvot.

A king once built a beautiful palace. When the palace was completed, he commissioned four well-known artists. Each had to paint a chamber wall by a certain time. The king promised to reward the artists handsomely.

Three of the artists began working immediately. The fourth artist spent his time having fun. The other artists reminded him time and again of the king's deadline, yet, he did not change his ways. Finally, the deadline drew near, he realized that it was too late to start because he could never finish on time.

Seeing the beautiful creations that his friends had developed, the fourth artist had a brilliant idea. He covered his entire wall with a mirror! This way, the other three walls would be reflected in his! He was very impressed with his brilliant idea and so were his colleagues.

Finally, the big day came. The king and many distinguished guests examined the beautiful works of art. After inspecting the first wall, the king placed a bag of gold in front of the wall as reward to the first artist. The second and third walls also pleased the king and he placed a bag of gold in front of their walls, as well.

When the king inspected the mirrored wall, he stood for a long time admiring how it reflected the art work of the others. The clever artist was certain that he would receive a sack full of gold too. At last, the king turned to the artist and said, "What a brilliant idea! As for your reward, look into the mirror… The three bags of gold you see, that is your reward!"

When studying Torah and performing mitzvot do not come easy, we should remember the above saying of Ben Hay Hay, "The reward is in proportion to the effort."

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY, SUCCESSFUL AND WONDERFUL DAY