Difference between revisions of "Reward and Punishment/1"
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<div><b><center><span class="highlighted-notice">This topic has not yet undergone editorial review</span></center></b></div> | <div><b><center><span class="highlighted-notice">This topic has not yet undergone editorial review</span></center></b></div> | ||
<h2>A Plethora of Blessings and Curses</h2> | <h2>A Plethora of Blessings and Curses</h2> | ||
| − | Torah is replete with both rewards for | + | Torah is replete with promises of both rewards for obedience and punishment for transgression. These are perhaps most evident in <a href="Vayikra26-3-12" data-aht="source">Vayikra 26</a> and <a href="Devarim28-1-13" data-aht="source">Devarim 28</a> which each contain a full list of blessings and curses, but many other individual verses, too, similarly promise recompense, including health, rain, peace, longevity, prosperity and more. In the vast majority of cases, retribution is promised in the context of general observance,<fn>See, for example, Vayikra 26, Devarim 5:25, Devarim 6:1-3, Devarim 7:11-16, Devarim 11:13-25 and Devarim 28. . Most of these verses are prefaced with a statement to the effect of "וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל י״י" or "אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ", mentioning keeping Hashem's laws as a whole, but not specifying any one commandment.</fn> but in other instances, specific mitzvot are singled out as meriting reward or punishment.<fn>See, for instance, rewards of longevity for honoring parents (Shemot 20:11), sending away the mother bird (Devarim 22:6-7), or for using proper wieghts in business (Devarim 25:15), Hashem's promise to punish one who sleeps with his uncle (Vayikra 20:20) or worships the Molekh (Vayikra 20:1-5), or blessings of prosperity for one who gives the tithe of the poor (Devarim 14:28-29) or loans to the disadvantaged (Devarim 15:7-10).</fn>  |
| − | <h2> | + | <h2>"?היכן טובתו של זה"</h2> |
| + | <p>Despite the plethora of promises, however, experience suggests that not all who observe Hashem's commands reap the benefits described.  The problem is raised in the gemara through the mouth of Elisha b. Avuyah who witnesses an individual sending away the mother bird, a commandment whose stated reward is longevity, and yet the man dies upon descent:</p> | ||
| + | <q dir="rtl" lang="he"> | ||
| + | <p> פעם אחת היה יושב ושונה בבקעת גינוסר וראה אדם אחד עלה לראש הדקל ונטל אם על הבנים וירד משם בשלום למחר ראה אדם אחר שעלה לראש הדקל ונטל את הבנים ושילח את האם וירד משם והכישו נחש ומת אמר כתיב <span class="source-link">{<a class="source" title="דברים כ״ב" href="//mg.alhatorah.org/Devarim/22" target="_blank" data-book="Devarim" data-ref="22" data-mg-type="Tanakh" data-url="Devarim/22">דברים כב</a>}</span> שלח תשלח את האם ואת הבנים תקח לך למען ייטב לך והארכת ימים איכן היא טובתו של זה איכן היא אריכות ימיו של זה (ירושלמי חגיגה ב:א)</p> | ||
| + | </q> | ||
| + | <p>Elisha b. Avuyah asks, "where is the good promised to this one", and concludes that there is no justice. We, too, wonder, why does it seem that Hashem promises but does not fulfill? </p> | ||
<h2>Collective or Individual</h2> | <h2>Collective or Individual</h2> | ||
Version as of 15:29, 4 January 2021
Reward and Punishment
Introduction
A Plethora of Blessings and Curses
Torah is replete with promises of both rewards for obedience and punishment for transgression. These are perhaps most evident in Vayikra 26 and Devarim 28 which each contain a full list of blessings and curses, but many other individual verses, too, similarly promise recompense, including health, rain, peace, longevity, prosperity and more. In the vast majority of cases, retribution is promised in the context of general observance,1 but in other instances, specific mitzvot are singled out as meriting reward or punishment.2
"?היכן טובתו של זה"
Despite the plethora of promises, however, experience suggests that not all who observe Hashem's commands reap the benefits described. The problem is raised in the gemara through the mouth of Elisha b. Avuyah who witnesses an individual sending away the mother bird, a commandment whose stated reward is longevity, and yet the man dies upon descent:
פעם אחת היה יושב ושונה בבקעת גינוסר וראה אדם אחד עלה לראש הדקל ונטל אם על הבנים וירד משם בשלום למחר ראה אדם אחר שעלה לראש הדקל ונטל את הבנים ושילח את האם וירד משם והכישו נחש ומת אמר כתיב {דברים כב} שלח תשלח את האם ואת הבנים תקח לך למען ייטב לך והארכת ימים איכן היא טובתו של זה איכן היא אריכות ימיו של זה (ירושלמי חגיגה ב:א)
Elisha b. Avuyah asks, "where is the good promised to this one", and concludes that there is no justice. We, too, wonder, why does it seem that Hashem promises but does not fulfill?
