Naso: 5785 - It is written in the Gemara that the reward for mitzvos is only in the World to Come, but isn't there the mitzvah of 'On his day you shall give him his wage'? And the connection to the Priestly Blessing that appears in our parsha, Naso. Presented by Rabbi…

00:00 Speaker 1 Please. This Shabbos we’ll read Parshas Naso. Parshas Naso is the longest parsha in the Torah: 176 verses. Likewise, the longest chapter in Tehillim, chapter 119, also has 176 verses. And the longest tractate in the Talmud, Bava Basra—how many does it have?

00:32 Speaker 2 One hundred and seventy-six.

00:33 Speaker 1 One hundred and seventy-six. Some explain why: we generally read Parshas Naso after Shavuos. The Jewish people are still in the atmosphere of Shavuos, of the giving of the Torah, and they have an eagerness to study Torah. So Parshas Naso, which comes after Shavuos, is the longest parsha in the Torah. This parsha contains the blessings—the priestly blessing: “May Hashem bless you and guard you,” “may He shine His face,” and “may He lift His face.” The Midrash asks: “May Hashem lift His face toward you”—what does that mean? It says: “In matters between Him and you.” What does “between Him and you” mean? Between Hakadosh Boruch Hu and the Jewish people. So they explain: the Gemara says, “There is no reward for a mitzvah in this world.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives the reward for mitzvos only in the future, not in this world. Many questions are asked about this. The Torah says that if you hire a worker, “You shall give him his wages on that day.” You have to pay him that day. If the employer doesn’t, he violates a Torah prohibition. So the question is: Hakadosh Boruch Hu commands the Jewish people to perform mitzvos, yet there is no reward for them in this world—only in the future? But Hakadosh Boruch Hu also observes the mitzvos: “He tells His words to Yaakov.” What He does, He tells His children to do. So why doesn’t Hakadosh Boruch Hu fulfill what He wrote in the Torah, “You shall give him his wages on that day”? Why is the reward only in the future? There are many answers to this question. The Rebbe also gives a full explanation: this is a partnership between the Jewish people and Hakadosh Boruch Hu to make a dwelling place for Him, so that obligation does not apply. But

02:58 Speaker 1 some commentators explain why there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world. There is a halachah that if someone hires a worker not directly but through an agent—say, a staffing company—then the obligation to pay him on that day applies neither to the agent nor to the person who hired him. Since Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave the Torah through Moshe Rabbeinu, who was an agent, the obligation to pay on that day does not apply here. But then there is the matter of faith: “I am Hashem your G-d”; “You shall have no other gods before Me.” It says that we heard the first two commandments directly from Hashem. The Jewish people heard them directly from Hakadosh Boruch Hu, not through an agent. So here the obligation to pay on that day must apply. For the mitzvah of faith—when a Jew believes in Hakadosh Boruch Hu—Hakadosh Boruch Hu should seemingly pay immediately. And every mitzvah also has an element of faith. Why does a Jew perform a mitzvah? Because Hakadosh Boruch Hu commanded it. He believes in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. If he didn’t believe, he wouldn’t perform the mitzvah. So every mitzvah has an element of faith, and, as we said, we received the commandment of faith directly from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Its reward must be paid immediately. Hakadosh Boruch Hu pays for that right away, and that is what the Torah says: “May Hashem bless you and guard you. May Hashem shine His face upon you and be gracious to you. May Hashem lift His face toward you.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu pays immediately for the part that we received not through an agent, but directly from Hakadosh

04:51 Speaker 1 Boruch Hu. So Hakadosh Boruch Hu fulfills the mitzvah of paying wages on that day and pays immediately. That is what the verse “May Hashem bless you and guard you” refers to.

05:02 Speaker 3 And may it be His will that Hakadosh Boruch Hu pay the reward right now, and that we see the true and complete Geulah.

05:07 Speaker 1 Amen, amen.