The word Torah comes from the word hora'ah, to show the right way. The Torah is first and foremost a book of instructions on how to go about our day-to-day lives. This week's portion, Ki Tetze, contains many laws concerning interpersonal relationships. Returning of lost items, loans and interest, prostitution, rape, divorce and building a fence around an open roof (in order to prevent accidents) are all discussed in this week's portion.
Also discussed are the laws about dealing with employees and honesty in the workplace. The Torah warns us to pay out the loans to the workers before the sun goes down. When workers are being hired by the day, they must be paid before they go home. Pushing it off to the next day is considered a sin.
This law applies only when the workers are being hired for one day at a time. If the worker gets hired for a longer period of time, the salary doesn't have to be paid out until the end of the work period that has been decided upon. Another exception to the rule would be if the worker were hired to complete a certain amount of work before receiving his wages. In such a case, time is not a factor.
When we want to talk about the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, there is much to be discussed in connection with this week's Torah portion. At times, that relationship is likened to that of a father and a son, at other times, to that of a husband and a wife. There is a beautiful explanation in connection with the divorce laws and the lasting bond between our creator and us - that we will leave for another occasion, though. Today, we will look at the work relationship we have with Hashem.
Our sages compare the fulfilling of the mitzvot to work being done for an employer.
It has been mentioned several times that Hashem keeps all the commandments that he gave us. If that were so, we would have to see that He 'pays out salaries' every day before the sun goes down. Every evening, there should be some sort of reward for all the mitzvot that were done on that day.
Not only don't we see that, though, the Torah even states clearly that rewards will only be paid in the future. A couple of weeks ago, at the end of Va'etchanan, we read that the mitzvot have to be done 'today'. The Talmud explains that to mean that only the doing happens 'today', during our lifetime; the reward will come 'tomorrow', in the world to come.
The obvious question is, of course: why doesn't Hashem keep the law of paying out salaries right away?
One of the explanations given to this is that since we were 'hired' for life, there is no reason why Hashem should have to pay us before we finish the entire work period. A Jew has the obligation to keep all the mitzvot from when he becomes a full-grown man at age thirteen until his last breath. There are no days off for vacation or sick days. Therefore, the law of paying every evening does not apply to the work relationship between Hashem and us.
There is a famous difference in opinion between the Rambam (Maimonides) and the Ramban (Nachmanides) concerning the meaning of the term "the world to come" that we mentioned above.
The Rambam maintains that this refers to the afterlife in Gan Eden (paradise). After the soul leaves the body, it receives her reward in the form of great spiritual pleasure. This happens in a spiritual world that stands higher than the physical boundaries and limitations of this world. The pleasure the soul enjoys there is of a spiritual nature and is different from any physical pleasure we can fathom.
The Ramban, on the other hand, maintains that although there is certainly a reward in the afterlife in Gan Eden, this is not to what the term "the world to come" refers. In his opinion, it refers to the time period after the coming of Moshiach and the resurrection of the dead. Then, all of the souls will return to this world in physical bodies to receive an even bigger reward then they had been getting all the years in Gan Eden.
The Rambam and the Ramban do not argue whether this will happen or not. They both agree that there is an afterlife, and that there will be a time of a perfect world and a resurrection of the dead. Their argument is only if the term "world to come" mentioned in connection with the reward for fulfilling G-d's commandments refers to the afterlife or the future reward. According to the Rambam, the spiritual enjoyment in Gan Eden is considered the reward for the work done by the soul in this world. According to the Ramban, the real reward will only be in the future. The reward in Gan Eden after the soul leaves the body is more like the Jewish Press or the Uncle Moishy video in the waiting room. Although it causes great pleasure, it is not the real thing yet.
By following the Rambam's opinion, we can 'excuse' Hashem for giving the reward in the "world to come", i.e., in the afterlife. If, however, we take the Ramban's opinion, our question remains. Why do all the righteous people like Avraham, Moshe and David have to wait thousands of years to receive their reward?
"What am I doing here," is what many people wonder. Why did Hashem send our souls down to this world where, no matter how holy we'll get, we won't be able to be on the level our souls were at before they were sent down? As long as the soul is in a body, it will have to act in accordance with the laws of nature. We have to eat, sleep, etc.
It is explained in s'farim (books of Jewish thought) that the world is made up of 600,000 parts. In general, there are 600,000 Jewish souls. These are the souls that were present at Mt. Sinai with the giving of the Torah. All the other millions of souls that came to this world over the next 3,313 years were rooted in, and sparks of, the original six hundred thousand master souls.
Each soul has a portion in this world he has to deal with and bring to a higher level. Where that portion is, is easy to know. Wherever a Jew finds himself, is his portion. By using the physical items for G-dly purposes, even if not directly connected with a mitzvah, but in a kosher way, our portions get connected with their spiritual source. When all 600,000 portions have been transformed to what they have to become, the world will have reached its potential and purpose, and we will automatically enter the era of Moshiach (whose coming can be hastened, too).
This explains why Hashem can wait in giving the reward until then. He hired an entire company, 600,000 men strong, to build Him a house. Only when the house is completed does He have to pay. We are not being paid for our time; we are getting paid by the job. Therefore, the real reward will only come at the end, when everyone has completed his personal mission. The reward that is being given in Gan Eden is from a different account, which each individual gets as a reward for his individual work done.
The Rambam points out that although we find many times that the Torah promises a specific blessing for fulfilling certain mitzvot (long life for honoring parents, etc.), these blessings shouldn't be considered reward. The reward only comes at the end. However, in order to enable us to fulfill the mitzvot properly, Hashem blesses us with money, peace of mind, etc.
Since the Rambam brings this down in his law book, we must say that law obligates G-d, so to speak, to provide us with all our needs when we do what he wants.
Where do we find this law in connection with human relationships?
At times, our relationship with Hashem is compared to that of a slave and his master. The law is that a master has to provide all the physical needs of his slave. Similarly, Hashem has to provide us with all our needs when we act like his slaves by fulfilling his commandments.
This comparison does not fit in here, though. Our relationship with Hashem when we talk about mitzvot can only be compared to a "working" relationship, because the Torah speaks about giving a reward for doing the mitzvot. Slaves do not get rewarded for their specific work; they must work for their master. This law only comes to protect the slave by making his master provide him with his needs.
There is another law (also in this week's portion) that deals more directly with our situation.
Workers in a vineyard are allowed to eat as many grapes as they desire while on the job. This is in addition to their salary. Similarly, we, who work in Hashem's vineyard, can eat (food also symbolizes all one's needs) as much as we desire.
Here, too, the comparison goes wrong. This law only allows the workers to eat while they're at work. The same law actually also applies to animals. One is not allowed to cover the mouth of a cow that is plowing a field. Again, this is only a law that gives rights to the workers - human or animal. There is no obligation for the owner of the field to provide his workers with all their needs. The Rambam seems to imply that Hashem has such an obligation.
There is a law that deals with the following partnership. Someone has eggs, but no chickens. He gives the eggs to someone with chickens to have them sit on the eggs until the little chicks come out. Then the 'chicken man' raises the chickens for the 'egg man'. When the chickens grow up, they split the profits. The 'chicken man' is in this case like a shepherd. The 'egg man' has to provide him with his needs until the chickens grow up.
Our relationship with Hashem is like this partnership.
Hashem gave us this world to reveal its hidden potential. He gave us the egg to sit on. When we will be done with the job and the world will have reached perfection, we will have to share the profit. Hashem's share is "pleasure that my will has been fulfilled". Our part will be to "behold the sweetness of Hashem" (as we say every day in the month of Elul).
"The reward for a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself." The spiritual flow that gets generated when doing a mitzvah will be our reward. Now, when we do a mitzvah, we don't see how it affects the physical item that is being used to fulfill it. Then, we will see the results of all the work that we have been doing throughout all the generations.
Until the job is done, however, Hashem 'must', as part of the partnership, provide us with all our physical needs.
A famous lawyer once came to visit a leading rabbi during the month of Elul. The rabbi asked him if he was ready yet for his big case. The lawyer replied that he was not working on any significant case at that time. The rabbi answered: "I mean Rosh Hashanah. On that day Hashem judges the entire world for the coming year. If you spent weeks of preparation on any case, how much more should you be prepared to deal with this case!"
Based on all the above, we can make the following arguments before Hashem:
If we are Your slaves, then You have to provide us with all our needs.
If we are just workers in Your field, then You have to allow us to eat whatever we feel we need.
If our behavior makes us resemble animals, then the same law applies nonetheless.
If we are Your partners, then You also have to provide us with all our needs.
May we all be inscribed and sealed for a good year with the biggest blessing, the coming of Moshiachnow!
Also discussed are the laws about dealing with employees and honesty in the workplace. The Torah warns us to pay out the loans to the workers before the sun goes down. When workers are being hired by the day, they must be paid before they go home. Pushing it off to the next day is considered a sin.
This law applies only when the workers are being hired for one day at a time. If the worker gets hired for a longer period of time, the salary doesn't have to be paid out until the end of the work period that has been decided upon. Another exception to the rule would be if the worker were hired to complete a certain amount of work before receiving his wages. In such a case, time is not a factor.
When we want to talk about the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, there is much to be discussed in connection with this week's Torah portion. At times, that relationship is likened to that of a father and a son, at other times, to that of a husband and a wife. There is a beautiful explanation in connection with the divorce laws and the lasting bond between our creator and us - that we will leave for another occasion, though. Today, we will look at the work relationship we have with Hashem.
Our sages compare the fulfilling of the mitzvot to work being done for an employer.
It has been mentioned several times that Hashem keeps all the commandments that he gave us. If that were so, we would have to see that He 'pays out salaries' every day before the sun goes down. Every evening, there should be some sort of reward for all the mitzvot that were done on that day.
Not only don't we see that, though, the Torah even states clearly that rewards will only be paid in the future. A couple of weeks ago, at the end of Va'etchanan, we read that the mitzvot have to be done 'today'. The Talmud explains that to mean that only the doing happens 'today', during our lifetime; the reward will come 'tomorrow', in the world to come.
The obvious question is, of course: why doesn't Hashem keep the law of paying out salaries right away?
One of the explanations given to this is that since we were 'hired' for life, there is no reason why Hashem should have to pay us before we finish the entire work period. A Jew has the obligation to keep all the mitzvot from when he becomes a full-grown man at age thirteen until his last breath. There are no days off for vacation or sick days. Therefore, the law of paying every evening does not apply to the work relationship between Hashem and us.
There is a famous difference in opinion between the Rambam (Maimonides) and the Ramban (Nachmanides) concerning the meaning of the term "the world to come" that we mentioned above.
The Rambam maintains that this refers to the afterlife in Gan Eden (paradise). After the soul leaves the body, it receives her reward in the form of great spiritual pleasure. This happens in a spiritual world that stands higher than the physical boundaries and limitations of this world. The pleasure the soul enjoys there is of a spiritual nature and is different from any physical pleasure we can fathom.
The Ramban, on the other hand, maintains that although there is certainly a reward in the afterlife in Gan Eden, this is not to what the term "the world to come" refers. In his opinion, it refers to the time period after the coming of Moshiach and the resurrection of the dead. Then, all of the souls will return to this world in physical bodies to receive an even bigger reward then they had been getting all the years in Gan Eden.
The Rambam and the Ramban do not argue whether this will happen or not. They both agree that there is an afterlife, and that there will be a time of a perfect world and a resurrection of the dead. Their argument is only if the term "world to come" mentioned in connection with the reward for fulfilling G-d's commandments refers to the afterlife or the future reward. According to the Rambam, the spiritual enjoyment in Gan Eden is considered the reward for the work done by the soul in this world. According to the Ramban, the real reward will only be in the future. The reward in Gan Eden after the soul leaves the body is more like the Jewish Press or the Uncle Moishy video in the waiting room. Although it causes great pleasure, it is not the real thing yet.
By following the Rambam's opinion, we can 'excuse' Hashem for giving the reward in the "world to come", i.e., in the afterlife. If, however, we take the Ramban's opinion, our question remains. Why do all the righteous people like Avraham, Moshe and David have to wait thousands of years to receive their reward?
"What am I doing here," is what many people wonder. Why did Hashem send our souls down to this world where, no matter how holy we'll get, we won't be able to be on the level our souls were at before they were sent down? As long as the soul is in a body, it will have to act in accordance with the laws of nature. We have to eat, sleep, etc.
It is explained in s'farim (books of Jewish thought) that the world is made up of 600,000 parts. In general, there are 600,000 Jewish souls. These are the souls that were present at Mt. Sinai with the giving of the Torah. All the other millions of souls that came to this world over the next 3,313 years were rooted in, and sparks of, the original six hundred thousand master souls.
Each soul has a portion in this world he has to deal with and bring to a higher level. Where that portion is, is easy to know. Wherever a Jew finds himself, is his portion. By using the physical items for G-dly purposes, even if not directly connected with a mitzvah, but in a kosher way, our portions get connected with their spiritual source. When all 600,000 portions have been transformed to what they have to become, the world will have reached its potential and purpose, and we will automatically enter the era of Moshiach (whose coming can be hastened, too).
This explains why Hashem can wait in giving the reward until then. He hired an entire company, 600,000 men strong, to build Him a house. Only when the house is completed does He have to pay. We are not being paid for our time; we are getting paid by the job. Therefore, the real reward will only come at the end, when everyone has completed his personal mission. The reward that is being given in Gan Eden is from a different account, which each individual gets as a reward for his individual work done.
The Rambam points out that although we find many times that the Torah promises a specific blessing for fulfilling certain mitzvot (long life for honoring parents, etc.), these blessings shouldn't be considered reward. The reward only comes at the end. However, in order to enable us to fulfill the mitzvot properly, Hashem blesses us with money, peace of mind, etc.
Since the Rambam brings this down in his law book, we must say that law obligates G-d, so to speak, to provide us with all our needs when we do what he wants.
Where do we find this law in connection with human relationships?
At times, our relationship with Hashem is compared to that of a slave and his master. The law is that a master has to provide all the physical needs of his slave. Similarly, Hashem has to provide us with all our needs when we act like his slaves by fulfilling his commandments.
This comparison does not fit in here, though. Our relationship with Hashem when we talk about mitzvot can only be compared to a "working" relationship, because the Torah speaks about giving a reward for doing the mitzvot. Slaves do not get rewarded for their specific work; they must work for their master. This law only comes to protect the slave by making his master provide him with his needs.
There is another law (also in this week's portion) that deals more directly with our situation.
Workers in a vineyard are allowed to eat as many grapes as they desire while on the job. This is in addition to their salary. Similarly, we, who work in Hashem's vineyard, can eat (food also symbolizes all one's needs) as much as we desire.
Here, too, the comparison goes wrong. This law only allows the workers to eat while they're at work. The same law actually also applies to animals. One is not allowed to cover the mouth of a cow that is plowing a field. Again, this is only a law that gives rights to the workers - human or animal. There is no obligation for the owner of the field to provide his workers with all their needs. The Rambam seems to imply that Hashem has such an obligation.
There is a law that deals with the following partnership. Someone has eggs, but no chickens. He gives the eggs to someone with chickens to have them sit on the eggs until the little chicks come out. Then the 'chicken man' raises the chickens for the 'egg man'. When the chickens grow up, they split the profits. The 'chicken man' is in this case like a shepherd. The 'egg man' has to provide him with his needs until the chickens grow up.
Our relationship with Hashem is like this partnership.
Hashem gave us this world to reveal its hidden potential. He gave us the egg to sit on. When we will be done with the job and the world will have reached perfection, we will have to share the profit. Hashem's share is "pleasure that my will has been fulfilled". Our part will be to "behold the sweetness of Hashem" (as we say every day in the month of Elul).
"The reward for a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself." The spiritual flow that gets generated when doing a mitzvah will be our reward. Now, when we do a mitzvah, we don't see how it affects the physical item that is being used to fulfill it. Then, we will see the results of all the work that we have been doing throughout all the generations.
Until the job is done, however, Hashem 'must', as part of the partnership, provide us with all our physical needs.
A famous lawyer once came to visit a leading rabbi during the month of Elul. The rabbi asked him if he was ready yet for his big case. The lawyer replied that he was not working on any significant case at that time. The rabbi answered: "I mean Rosh Hashanah. On that day Hashem judges the entire world for the coming year. If you spent weeks of preparation on any case, how much more should you be prepared to deal with this case!"
Based on all the above, we can make the following arguments before Hashem:
If we are Your slaves, then You have to provide us with all our needs.
If we are just workers in Your field, then You have to allow us to eat whatever we feel we need.
If our behavior makes us resemble animals, then the same law applies nonetheless.
If we are Your partners, then You also have to provide us with all our needs.
May we all be inscribed and sealed for a good year with the biggest blessing, the coming of Moshiachnow!