Wednesday, Menachem Av 26, 5781 / August 4, 2021

 

This week's Parsha, Re'ay, begins with Moshe, before his passing, telling the Jewish people, "See, I set before you this day a blessing and the opposite of blessing. The blessing, if you will listen to the commandments of G-d, your G-d, which I command you this day; and the opposite of blessing, if you shall not hearken to the commandments.”

 

Moshe reminds the Jewish people that G-d gave us freedom of choice. He gave us the ability to choose the path which leads to blessings or, G-d forbid, the opposite.

 

“See, I set before you this day a blessing.” To determine whether our days are blessed or, G-d forbid, not, is set before you.  Each day G-d gives us the choice if we are going to view the day as a blessing or the opposite. It is up to us to set our priorities in life right and then we will realize that most of our days, if not all, are indeed blessed.   

 

Q. In Pirkei Avot we learn that one should not serve G-d for the sake of reward.  Why would G-d tell us in the Torah about the blessings and the good which will come as a result of adhering to G-d's commandments?

 

A. The Magid of Dubna explains this with the following parable:  A merchant hired a coachman to drive him and his merchandise to the fair, which was held in a distant city, to sell his wares and to buy new merchandise. He told the driver that he would pay for the trip only upon their return from the fair. 

 

After a few days of traveling, the coachman asked the merchant for his pay.

 

"My condition was that I will pay you upon our return. It is not the first time I'm traveling with you. You know that you can trust me.  When we return home I will pay you in full!"

 

"In that case, can you at least give me a partial payment so that I can buy hay to feed the horses?"

 

"Sure," replied the merchant. "This I will gladly give you. If you cannot feed the horses, then how will we get to our destination and back?"

 

The same, says the Magid, is with the reward mentioned in the Torah.  “What we get in this world is not the reward for the mitzvot.  The true reward for mitzvot is in the World-to-Come.” 

 

“Just like the merchant will help the coachman feed the horses to get to their destination, for without it they cannot proceed, so too, G-d promises that if we adhere to his commandments, He will give us His blessings. He will supply us with what we need to perform His commandments and continue in the destination He set out for us in this world.  But the true reward is in the World-to-Come.

 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY