Ki Teitzei: How G-d Provides for His People

This week’s Torah portion contains the command,6 “Give him his wages on his day; do not let the sun set over it.” There is a well-known discussion among the Rabbis regarding this verse:

Our Sages7 say that G‑d Himself observes the mitzvos that He commands the Jewish people to carry out and observe. Now, we find that in many places, our Sages8 describe the Jews’ Divine service in the observance of the Torah and its mitzvos with the analogy of the labor performed by a worker for his employer, and the reward for the mitzvos as the wages that the employer (G‑d) pays his workers (the Jewish people) for their work.

From this, it would follow that whenever a Jew completes the observance of a mitzvah, he should immediately (“on his day”) receive the reward for his work, as the Torah commands. Indeed, the commandment is reinforced by a prohibition,9 “Do not withhold a hired worker’s wages… until morning.”10

Why, then,11 does G‑d not reward us for our observance of the mitzvos immediately, as He commands in His Torah, but only later, in the World to Come?12 Indeed, on the verse,13 “To carry them out today,” our Sages14 comment, “Today is when they should be carried out; tomorrow, their reward will be received,” or “taken.”15 In other words, G‑d even delays compensation due to a perfectly righteous man until later,16 in the World to Come.17

The concluding mishnah of Tractate Kiddushin states, “I was created (solely) to serve my Creator.” This obligation applies to every moment of our existence. Based on this, commentaries18 explain that since we are obligated to serve G‑d throughout our entire lives, a person’s entire life constitutes one term of hired labor. Every Jew is assigned a particular mission and a responsibility that he must carry out during his lifetime in this world. Every activity he performs while observing the Torah and its mitzvos comprises a part of a specific aspect of his greater mission and responsibility.

For this reason, there is no obligation to reward a Jew for his observance of the mitzvos until after he passes from this world, the time when his term of service ends. The rationale is that a worker’s wages are due only at the completion of his term of labor,19 as is the law20 when one hires a worker for a specific period of time. The employer does not violate the transgression against delaying the payment of a worker’s wages until that entire time period is concluded.

Nevertheless, this resolution is appropriate only according to the approach of Rambam, who states that the World to Come – “the ultimate reward for the mitzvos”21 – is the afterlife, the incorporeal world of the souls (the spiritual Gan Eden).22 This reward “comes to a person after his life in this world.”23 According to this understanding, the phrase, “tomorrow, (i.e., in the World to Come) their reward will be received,” refers to Gan Eden.24

By contrast, according to Ramban’s25 approach – which is the accepted conclusion as determined by Kabbalah and Chassidus26 – the meaning of the term, “the World to Come” in this context refers to the era of the Resurrection of the Dead; this is the ultimate reward that Jews will receive. According to this understanding, G‑d delays the Jews’ reward for the mitzvos until the Ultimate Future, long after the conclusion of the term of a Jew’s hire. To receive the reward for his mitzvos, a Jew must wait until the era of Mashiach and the Resurrection of the Dead.27

As such, the original question still applies: How can G‑d’s delaying the payment of the reward for the mitzvos until a much later time be reconciled with the law requiring a worker to be paid directly after he concludes his work?

It can be said that this question can be clarified according to an explanation of the Alter Rebbe in Tanya. The Alter Rebbe28 cites our Sages’29 statement that “the ultimate purpose of the creation of this world is that G‑d desired a dwelling in the lowest realm.” “The lowest realm” refers to this lowly, physical world, “below which there is none with regard to the concealment of G‑d’s light.”30 G‑d’s intent was that His light would shine even in such a world without any concealment.²⁵

The transformation of our world from a place where G‑d’s light is concealed to one in which it will be revealed is accomplished through “our deeds and Divine service over the entire course of the exile”31 (and, as a whole, throughout the entire time of our Divine service from creation onward). Every act that a Jew performs in his Divine service in the observance of the Torah and its mitzvos brings about a refinement of the physical substance of his body and his portion of this world and draws down G‑dly light into this world. As such, through the combined achievement of the Divine service carried out by the entire Jewish people throughout all the generations, the refinement and purification of the entire world will be accomplished, and the entire world will be transformed into a dwelling for G‑d.

As the Alter Rebbe32 explains, the world as a whole is divided into 600,000 portions corresponding to the 600,000 souls (this is the number of comprehensive souls that are the roots of all the Jewish souls). Every individual soul is a spark of one of the 600,000 root souls. The implication is that every individual soul has a portion in this world that is associated specifically with it. Through its Divine service in the observance of the Torah and its mitzvos, every individual soul refines its portion of this world.

Through all the 600,000 souls of the Jewish people carrying out their Divine service, the world as a whole will be refined and become a dwelling for G‑d. The world will reach this state of complete refinement and elevation in the Ultimate Future – that term referring to the era of Mashiach and, primarily, to its consummate state – the era of the Resurrection of the Dead. At that time, the evil in the world will be entirely nullified and “G‑d’s glory will be revealed and will be seen by all flesh together.33 [G‑d] will appear in the magnificence of the splendor of His might34 and the glory of G‑d will fill the entire earth.”35

Accordingly, it follows that the Divine service carried out by all of the Jewish people throughout all the generations together is defined as one term of employment whose goal and purpose is to bring about a dwelling for G‑d in this lowest world. Furthermore, it could be said that the Jews’ role in this mission is not that of hired workers, but that of contractors. G‑d entrusted His world to the Jewish people so that they could make this world into a dwelling for Him.

On this basis, it can be explained why the primary dimension of the reward to be given to the Jewish people will not be granted to them until the Ultimate Future (in the era of Mashiach and, fundamentally, in the era of the Resurrection of the Dead). The reward of the World to Come is an all-inclusive compensation for all the Jews as one36 for their collective work in making this world a dwelling for G‑d. The Jews will receive that reward immediately after concluding their work in making a dwelling for Him in this lowest world.

According to this explanation of the nature of the reward for the mitzvos, it is possible to explain another dimension related to that concept. As is well known, Rambam37 felt the need to clarify the prophecies and their promises of goodness in this material world to be granted to the Jewish people for their Divine service that appear throughout the entire Torah. On the surface, this seems to contradict his statement that “the reward to be granted for [the observance of] the mitzvos… is the life of the World to Come.”³²

Rambam reconciles the two concepts by explaining:

Nevertheless, those [material] benefits are not the ultimate reward for the mitzvos… instead… G‑d gave us this Torah…. He promised us in the Torah that if we fulfill it with joy… [He] will remove all the [obstacles] which prevent us from fulfilling it…. [Similarly,] He will grant us all the good which will reinforce our ability to observe the Torah… so that… we will be free [to devote ourselves] to study wisdom and fulfill mitzvos, in order that we merit the life of the World to Come.³²

From a surface reading of Rambam’s words, it appears that G‑d’s granting us all the material benefits that He promises is not meant as payment for our service, but a peripheral matter generated by G‑d’s kindness. Because the Jews observe the Torah and its mitzvos with happiness, G‑d conducts Himself with them in a manner where He removes obstacles and “grant[s] us all the good which will reinforce our ability to observe the Torah,” so that we can carry out our Divine service of the Torah and the fulfillment of its mitzvos in a superior manner.

However, it is difficult to say that this is Rambam’s intent. Were that so, it would follow that all the sources where our Sages describe the reward for mitzvos with the analogy of the wages that an employer is obligated to pay a worker would be referring solely to the reward in the World to Come and not to the many aspects of reward in the material world that are explicitly mentioned in the Written Law.38

Therefore, is logical to say that even the granting of these material benefits mentioned by Rambam, which “reinforce our ability to observe the Torah” are also considered as a reward.39 Thus, granting these benefits is a point of Torah Law and corresponding aspects exist in the obligations an employer has to a worker.

On the surface, an association can be made with the well-known concept that Jews are called “the servants of G‑d.” The law regarding a Jewish servant is that “[his] master is obligated to provide him with food, drink, clothing, and shelter equivalent to his own.”40

Therefore, when we are involved in G‑d’s service, there is an obligation, as it were, incumbent upon G‑d, our Master, to provide us with all our needs – and to do so amply, in a manner “equivalent to His own.”

However, this is not an appropriate resolution of the issue, because this obligation of a master to his servant does not resemble the reward for the observance of the mitzvos – which is comparable to an employer paying wages to a worker. The master of a servant does not give him a reward for his work. Instead, he provides for his needs, since it is an obligation incumbent upon a master to his servant because Jewish Law mandates that “when one purchases a Jewish servant, it is as if he is purchasing a master for himself.”41

In general, the concept that the reward for the observance of the mitzvos as compensation to Jews for their service resembles the payment by an employer to a worker does not apply within the conception of the Jews as G‑d’s servants. A servant is in an entirely different category. He does not receive reward for his work. Although his master is obligated to provide for his needs, the servant is obligated to work without compensation, because he is the property of his master for the duration of his indenture.42

By contrast, the benefits granted to the Jews and mentioned above are in the category of an obligation, as it were, incumbent upon G‑d.43 They resemble the obligation that an employer has to his workers.

It could be said that G‑d’s granting a reward to the Jewish people is analogous to the law applying to a worker, as the Torah states,44 “When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you desire, until you are sated…. When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pick….” The verse is teaching that an employer – the “neighbor” mentioned in the verse – must allow his workers to partake of the produce “with which they are working.”45 Similarly, regarding the Jews’ service, since they are found in G‑d’s vineyard and field – i.e., this world – and they carry out service for the Owner, they may take their needs (and all of a person’s needs can be referred to as “eating”)46 from the objects with which they work.

Nevertheless, this comparison is not acceptable, because the mitzvah to allow a worker to partake of the produce with which he is working does not obligate the employer to pay the worker, but merely to allow³⁹ him to eat.47 Moreover, this obligation applies not only to a person working for him, but also to an animal which works in a field, as it is written,48 “Do not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.”

By contrast, the Torah’s promises of material blessings for the observance of the mitzvos are matters that G‑d is obligated, as it were,³⁸ to give the Jews as a reward for their Divine service.

It is possible to offer the following explanation:

As mentioned in sec. 3, the Jews’ mission is to transform this world into a dwelling for G‑d. Therefore, it can be said that the Jews are not merely contractors hired to carry out their Divine service in this world, but they can also be considered partners with G‑d, in the construction of His dwelling.

The reward the Jews will receive in the Ultimate Future is the direct perception of the glory of G‑d; “Eye to eye they shall see”49 the G‑dly light elicited through their Divine service. This is the meaning of, “The reward of a mitzvah is the mitzvah,”50 i.e., the connection with G‑d and the awareness of Him which results from the observance of a mitzvah is its reward. As such, the reward for the Jews’ Divine service is not a separate entity from the service itself. Instead, the reward is the inner dimension of the service itself.51

Thus, it follows that granting a reward for the Jews’ Divine service can be compared to the following law stated by Rambam:52

A person gave eggs to a chicken farmer so that [the chicken farmer] will have chickens sit on [the eggs] until the chicks hatch. The chicken farmer raised the chicks, [with the intent that] the profits be divided between them….

To explain the analogy: G‑d entrusted His world to the Jewish people so that, through their Divine service, they would bring about an achievement – that the G‑dliness existing in the world as a hidden potential53 be revealed and, indeed, be revealed in a consummate manner. This refers back to the analogy – that the chicks which existed as a potential be hatched and, ultimately, be raised. The profit – what the Jews will have accomplished through their Divine service – will be divided between them, as is the law regarding a partnership.

How do the partners share the profit? G‑d derives pleasure, as it were, from the fact that His desire of a dwelling in this lowest realm is fulfilled, as our Sages said,54 “I [derive] satisfaction from having spoken and having My will fulfilled.” And the Jews derive pleasure from “behold[ing] the pleasantness of G‑d”55 through the revelation of G‑dliness that is achieved through their Divine service.

The partnership does not merely involve profit in a peripheral matter – the revelation of the pleasure brought about by their Divine service. Instead, the profit involves the fundamental existence of the world. (To refer back to the analogy in the law mentioned above: The one who provided the eggs and the one who provided the chickens to incubate them are partners in the chicks that emerge from the eggs themselves.)

To clarify the relationship using our Sages’56 words, “Anyone who prays Friday night and recites [the passage] Vaychulu is considered by Scripture as if he became a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the work of creation.” The import of reciting Vaychulu is giving testimony and expressing the recognition57 of the Creator of the Universe. As a whole, this is the intent of the service of the Jewish people in the world that was brought into being in the six days of Creation. Through their Divine service in revealing G‑dliness here on earth, they make this world a dwelling for G‑d, and in that way become “a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the work of creation.”

Based on the above, it can be said that there is an obligation for G‑d to reward the Jews in this world for observing the Torah and its mitzvos – i.e., He will “remove all the [obstacles] which prevent us from fulfilling it…. [Similarly,] He will grant us all the good which will reinforce our ability to observe the Torah.”³² This is based on the law mentioned above regarding “a person who gives eggs to a chicken farmer…[with the intent that] the profits should be divided between them.” The law is that, in addition to the share in the profits which the owner of the eggs must provide the chicken farmer after he raises the chicks, he must also pay him “for his work and provide him with sustenance… every day.”⁴⁷

Similarly, regarding the matter at hand, once the Jews have completed their work in making this world a dwelling for G‑d, there is an obligation to divide “the profit” in the Ultimate Future. In addition, even in the present age – the time when that work is being carried out – G‑d is obligated, as it were, to pay the Jews “a wage for [their] work and provide [them] with sustenance.” This will enable them to carry out their Divine service in a desirable manner (“so that [they] will be free [to devote themselves to] study wisdom and fulfill mitzvos”).³²

This concept has a special connection with the present time – the month of Elul, the month of preparation for the Day of Judgment – since the judgment of Rosh HaShanah primarily involves our material affairs.58

Based on the above, it is understood that since we are G‑d’s servants, G‑d is obligated, as it were, to provide us with all our needs, including sustenance, garments, and a home. Furthermore, He must do so in a manner that we are treated “equivalent to His own,” as stated at the beginning of sec, 5.

In addition, since the relationship between G‑d and the Jews has a dimension parallel to that of employer and his workers, when a Jew carries out his service in G‑d’s field and vineyard, G‑d must enable him to “eat… as [he] desires, until sated,” from the fruits of that vineyard, which is this world (see sec. 5). This obligation also encompasses providing for the body and the animal soul, the aspect of a person that resembles an animal, for the Torah explicitly states,⁴³ “Do not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.”

Beyond all that, there is an obligation, as it were, incumbent upon G‑d to care for the Jews and, from the outset, pay them “a wage for [their] work and provide [them] with sustenance” (see sec. 6) – to enable them to carry out their Divine service.

Simply put, from the very beginning of the year, each Jew will prevail in his judgment and will be immediately written down and sealed59 in the book of the perfectly righteous for a good and sweet year, with apparent and visible blessings regarding children, health, and ample sustenance – indeed, abundance in all these areas, as manifest even in a straightforward material sense.

And when G‑d gives the Jews material blessings, they transform the material into the spiritual60 and carry out their mission to make a dwelling for G‑d in this lowest world.

Adapted from sichos delivered on Shabbos Parshas Va’eira and Shabbos Parshas Bo, 5746 (1986), and Shabbos Parshas Ki Seitzei, 5745 (1985)