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Why does the Torah list "earthly" rewards for following its precepts?

by Rabbi Yossi Marcus

  

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The simple answer is that not everyone appreciates abstract, spiritual rewards. The Torah must therefore detail the palpable rewards that await us for doing the right thing.

But this answer leaves verses irrelevant for those who are spiritually mature enough not to need such enticements.

A parable:

When a person is truly and profoundly happy, he has to express this happiness in his physical body. His face will smile, his hands will clap, and his feet will begin to dance; nothing short of this will do. The same is true of all the emotions: the test of whether the emotion has truly entered our consciousness and affected our essence is the extent of its effect on our body. This is because when the core of a person’s being has been touched, it affects his entire person.

The same is true of all the emotions: the test of whether the emotion has truly entered our consciousness and affected our essence is the extent of its effect on our body.
The same is true of spiritual life. When one has achieved true oneness with the Torah, all of his being will be affected—even the physical aspects of his existence. So, the material rewards spoken of in the Torah are not only an incentive to keep the Torah but the true indication that the Torah has permeated our lives so much that our observance produces tangible results.1

Footnotes

  • 1. Likutei Sichot, vol. 37, p.79 ff.

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Torah
Torah is G–d’s teaching to man. In general terms, we refer to the Five Books of Moses as “The Torah.” But in truth, all Jewish beliefs and laws are part of the Torah.