39b: The Reward For Keeping Mitzvot (1)

A scan of the classic printed daf can be found at: http://dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=kiddushin&daf=39b&go=Go http://www.e-daf.com/dafprint.asp?ID=2705 Key words and phrases in Hebrew and Aramaic are marked in blue, and their translation/explanation can be seen by placing the cursor over them.  From time to time, the shiur will include instructions to stop reading and do some task on your own. This will be marked by a red pause box  It is highly recommended that you follow those instructions. I am working on a way to have your computer melt if you don't, but as of yet, the technical details are still beyond me. Within the quoted texts, my explanations and additions are also noted in red.

We begin this week's shiur with a new mishna, on daf 39b. Having digressed to discuss categories of mitzvot, including those that apply to men and women or to the Land of Israel and other places, the chapter now makes a general statement about fulfilling mitzvot.

 

Mishna Anyone who does a single mitzva - he receives good, his days are lengthened, and he inherits the land; and anyone who does not do a single mitva - he does not receive good, his days are not lengthened, and he does not inherit the land

מתני' כל העושה מצוה אחת - מטיבין לו, ומאריכין לו ימיו, ונוחל את הארץ; וכל שאינו עושה מצוה אחת - אין מטיבין לו, ואין מאריכין לו ימיו, ואינו נוחל את הארץ.

Our mishna explains some of the details of reward and punishment, and seems to make a surprising statement: one who does any mitzva receives abundant reward; God does good for him, lengthens his days, and gives him an inheritance in the land. Conversely, if a person fails to do a mitzva, he will not receive any of these benefits. As Rashi (s.v. Metivin lo, s.v. Ve-nochel) explains, "he receives good" refers to advantages in the temporal, this-worldly sense, while "he inherits the land" means that the person will merit receiving a share in the World to Come.

The gemara now questions this apparently bold statement that anyone who does any mitzva earns both temporal goodness and a share in the World to Come.

 

 

Gemara But contrast [our mishna with a different one]: "These are the things that a person eats their fruit in this world and the principal remains for him for the World to Come, these are they: honoring parents, acts of kindness, welcoming guests and bringing peace between man and his friend,   and Torah study is equivelant to them all!" Rav Yehuda said, "This is what it means to say: 'anyone who does a single mitzva more than his merits - he receives good, and it is as though he fulfilled the whole Torah.'" This implies that for those [mitzvot enumerated above], even one also? Rav Shemaya said: "That is to say, that if it was even - [these mitzvot] determine."

גמ' ורמינהי: אלו דברים שאדם אוכל פירותיהן בעולם הזה והקרן קיימת לו לעולם הבא, אלו הן: כבוד אב ואם, וגמילות חסדים, והכנסת אורחים, והבאת שלום בין אדם לחבירו, ותלמוד תורה כנגד כולם! אמר רב יהודה, הכי קאמר: כל העושה מצוה אחת יתירה על זכיותיו - מטיבים לו, ודומה כמי שמקיים כל התורה כולה. מכלל, דהנך אפילו בחדא נמי? אמר רב שמעיה: לומר, שאם היתה שקולה - מכרעת.

The gemara contrasts our mishna with the mishna at the beginning of Massekhet Pe'ah (1:1), which is familiar because we recite it in the morning together with the blessings over the Torah. That mishna lists five mitzvot which lead to blessing this world as well as the next. This implies that only those mitzvot carry such an advantage, while other mitzvot do not; this seems to be a direct contradiction to our mishna's assertion that every mitzva brings reward in both worlds!

Rav Yehuda answers that our mishna means to say that one who does a single mitzva beyond his merits - meaning that his merits now outnumber his sins - will be rewarded in both worlds. The gemara questions this explanation as well: if that is the meaning of our mishna, the mishna in Pe'ah must must be teaching that the five mitzvot it enumerates are unique in that as long as one performs those mitzvot one earns reward in both worlds - even if he has more sins than merits!

Rav Shemaya explains that the mishna in Pe'ah refers to one whose merits and sins are equal; in such a situation, these five mitzvot will tip the scales in the person's favor. However, if one's sins are greater, the reward will not apply. Our mishna, which refers to all mitzvot, promises reward in both worlds only if one's merits are greater than one's sins.

The gemara continues to question our mishna. We are about a quarter of the way down on 39b.

 

 

And anyone who does a single mitzva in addition to his merits receives good? But contrast them: "Anyone whose merits are greater than his sins receives bad, and it seems as though he burned the entire Torah and did not leave over even one letter of it; and anyone whose sins are greater than his merits - he receives good, and it seems as though he upheld the entire Torah and did not leave out even one letter!" Abayei said: "Our mishna [means that] a good day and a bad day are given to him." Rava said: "Who is this? It is Rabbi Ya'akov, who said: 'There is no reward for mitzvot in this world.'"

וכל העושה מצוה אחת יתירה על זכיותיו - מטיבין לו? ורמינהו: כל שזכיותיו מרובין מעונותיו - מריעין לו, ודומה כמי ששרף כל התורה כולה ולא שייר ממנה אפילו אות אחת; וכל שעונותיו מרובין מזכיותיו - מטיבין לו, ודומה כמי שקיים כל התורה כולה ולא חיסר אות אחת ממנה! אמר אביי: מתניתין, דעבדין ליה יום טב ויום ביש. רבא אמר: הא מני? רבי יעקב היא, דאמר: שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא.

The gemara questions its previous assumption that one whose merits outweigh his sins receives reward in this world as well as the next, based upon a beraita. The beraita states the exact opposite: one whose merits outweigh his sins is punished in this world as though he had actually burned an entire Torah scroll. As Rashi explains, this is presumably the case so as to allow a person to be punished for all of his sins in this world so that he can receive a full measure of reward for his good deeds in the World to Come. Conversely, if one's sins outweigh one's merits, one is greatly rewarded in his world and will suffer the consequences of his sins more acutely in the World to Come.

The gemara presents two possible answers to this problem. Abayei suggests that our mishna is to be completely reinterpreted in light of the beraita. When the mishna says that one whose merits outweigh his sins will be rewarded, it means that he will be treated in a way that is to his ultimate benefit; he will be punished in this world, which is good for him because he will be able to receive undiluted reward in the next world. Thus, although unpleasant in a this-worldly sense, the suffering of the righteous is actually a "good day." On the other hand, the wicked person, whose sins outweigh his merits, will be rewarded for his good deeds in this world, which is actually a "bad day" in that such a policy is to his detriment; his punishment will be that much more severe in the next world.

Rava argues that we should not reinterpret our mishna; we should accept the fact that the mishna and beraita reflect opposing views on the matter of reward in this world. Our mishna asserts that the righteous are rewarded in this world in addition to the next, while the beraita reflects Rabbi Ya'akov's view that there is no reward in this world for a person's good deeds.

Tosafot (s.v. Matnitin) dispute Rashi's interpretation of Abayei's answer, based on the wording of Rava's objection. Rava seems to be introducing a new idea when he suggests that Rabbi Ya'akov's view is represented by the beraita; but according to Rashi, Abayei considers Rabbi Ya'akov's opinion to form the basis of the beraita's ruling as well as the mishna's ruling!

Therefore, they reinterpret Abayei's answer. In their view, Abayei considers the mishna and beraita to be in agreement, but they must be understood to be qualifying each other. The righteous person will, for the most part, live a comfortable life, as the mishna suggests. However, the beraita points out, he will occasionally have a "bad day" in order to punish him in this world for his sins. The wicked person will generally be punished for his sins even in this world; but occasionally, he will have a "good day" so that his good deeds will be rewarded in this world. Thus, the mishna and beraita do not reflect Rabbi Ya'akov's view at all, and it is only Rava who brings Rabbi Ya'akov into the discussion.

There is a basic question that the commentators ask with regard to Rabbi Ya'akov's position that one does not receive reward in this world for one's good deeds: the Torah itself seems to promise earthly reward if we will follow the mitzvot! A prime example of this is Devarim 11:13-17, which we say in the second paragraph of Keri'at Shema. In this selection, we are promised rain and good crops if we follow the mitzvot, or drought and exile if we fail to fulfill our responsibilities. There are many other examples of this phenomenon as well; do they not prove that reward and punishment are administered even in this world?

In answer to this question, the Rambam (Hilkhot Teshuva 9:1) explains that these blessings do not constitute reward at all, despite the fact that they are dependent upon our fulfillment of the mitzvot. Rather, if God sees that we are righteous, He will help us along by giving us physical plenty, security and comfort. This allows us to devote our energy to Torah and mitzvot rather than being preoccupied with providing for our mundane needs. The actual reward for our good deeds, however, will only be in the World to Come.

Maharsha takes a different approach. In his view, physical security and comfort is to be considered reward for the performance of good deeds; nevertheless, that does not contradict Rabbi Ya'akov's rule. Rabbi Ya'akov refers to individuals; on an individual level, people will receive their rewards only in the next world. However, when the nation as a whole is righteous - which is the case in the pesukim quoted above from Devarim - even Rabbi Ya'akov agrees that this rule does not apply; the nation as a whole can be rewarded in this world.

Let us move continue in the gemara, which attempts provides the source of Rabbi Ya'akov's position. We are about halfway down the page on 39b.

 

 

For we learned in a beraita: "Rabbi Ya'akov says: 'There is no mitzva that is written in the Torah with its reward [written] next to it, that the resurrection of the dead does not depend on: regarding honoring one's father and mother, it says: "So that your days will be lengthened and it will be good for you;" regarding sending [a bird away from its] nest it says," So that it will be good for you and you shall have long days." What of one whose father told him, "Ascend the tower and bring me young birds," and he ascended the tower and sent away the mother [bird] and took the young birds, and on his return he fell and died; where is the goodness of this [son's] days and where is the length of this [son's] days? Rather, "So that it will be good for you" - in the world that is completely good, and "So that your days will be lengthened" - in the world that is completely long.'"

דתניא, רבי יעקב אומר: אין לך כל מצוה ומצוה שכתובה בתורה שמתן שכרה בצדה, שאין תחיית המתים תלויה בה; בכיבוד אב ואם כתיב: למען יאריכון ימיך ולמען ייטב לך, בשילוח הקן כתיב: למען ייטב לך והארכת ימים. הרי שאמר לו אביו עלה לבירה והבא לי גוזלות, ועלה לבירה ושלח את האם ונטל את הבנים, ובחזירתו נפל ומת; היכן טובת ימיו של זה והיכן אריכות ימיו של זה? אלא, למען ייטב לך - לעולם שכולו טוב, ולמען יאריכון ימיך - לעולם שכולו ארוך.

This beraita is the source of Rabbi Ya'akov's ruling that we saw above, that reward for good deeds is not given in this world. Rabbi Ya'akov points to two mitzvot regarding which the Torah promises good, long life. Both with regard to honoring one's parents (Devarim 5:16) and the mitzva of shilu'ach ha-ken (Ibid., 22:7) the Torah promises a long, good life. The mitzva of shilu'ach ha-ken, literally, "sending the nest," obligates one who wants to make use of a bird's eggs or chicks to send away the mother bird before taking the eggs or chicks. Nevertheless, despite the Torah's promises, it is possible that even one who is involved in fulfilling both of these mitzvot simultaneously will meet a sudden, tragic end; how is this possible? Rabbi Ya'akov argues that it must be that the Torah's promises refer to the World to Come; in this world, however, one does not receive reward for one's good deeds.