Parshat Bechukotai
This week’s parsha lists rewards in this world for keeping mitzvot. Peace, prosperity and other gifts are mentioned. However, nothing is mentioned about Olam Haba! How can that be? Why would Hashem ever have us sacrifice eternal reward for money and peace in this lifetime?
There once lived a couple who had little money, few articles of clothing and a small shack for a home. Neither Avraham nor Malka could find consistent work, making it difficult to survive. Despite their troubles, both Avraham and Malka kept their faith that Hashem would help. They each davened regularly, including setting aside time just to ask Hashem for help with money. Complaints were rarely heard in their home, as opposed to the constant “baruch Hashem”s.
After three years of this, Avraham had a hopeful dream. An angel appeared and said, “Avraham, when you wake up tomorrow, the solution to your problems will be outside your front door.” When Avraham woke in the morning, he jumped out of bed, ran outside, and saw a small bag. He opened it up and found a pile of silver and gold coins. He brought the bag into the house and counted up the coins. “Malka! Come here! You need to see this!” Malka rushed in and stared at the coins with wide eyes. “Avraham! How? When? Who?” Avraham explained his dream to Malka, after which they each took a deep breath and recited Hallel to thank Hashem.
Avraham and Malka now had to figure out how to spend the money. Their first idea was to take the money to the market and purchase a cow, seeds, a plow and a sickle. They could plant wheat and use the cow to plow and for milk. They could sell the milk and wheat and use that money to support their family. So Avraham went to the market and bought everything.
Unfortunately, for Avraham and Malka, this was not the solution to their problems. That night, as Avraham and Malka slept, a thief snuck onto their property and stole everything. Their fortune disappeared in an instant. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Malka told her husband, “Iif Hashem can do this for us once, He can do it again!” “Amen,” Avraham replied.
That night, Avraham had the same dream and woke to find the same bag. “What should we do this time, Avraham?” asked Malka. “Maybe we should buy chickens. It will be less obvious that we are spending money, so we won’t attract the attention of thieves.” So Avraham headed out to the market to buy a few chickens and some materials to build a coop. They hoped to sell the eggs and use that money for food and clothing and to buy more chickens.
Once again the money did not turn out to be the solution to all their problems. While they ate dinner, a skulk of foxes burst into the chicken coop, eating all the chickens but one. Disappointed again, Avraham and Malka still kept their faith. That night, Avraham had the same dream, but Malka had a different one. She saw nothing but kept hearing the same words over and over: “Eilu devarim she’adam ochel perotei’hem ba’olam hazeh v’hakeren kayemet lo l’olam ha’ba.” (“These are the things for which a person benefits in this world and the next.”) When Malka woke that morning, she knew exactly what to do.
As in the previous two days, the coins were once again outside. However, this time, Malka instructed Avraham to spend half the money on a cow and to give the other half to tzedakah. It worked! The next morning, a new bag was there, with twice the number of coins as before! Avraham spent half of the money on farming equipment and chickens and gave the other half to tzedakah. The cows, chickens, and equipment stayed safe, giving Avraham and Malka the peace of mind they deserved.
The quote from Malka’s dream comes from a mishna many of us say each morning. The mishna lists mitzvot that improve our lives in this world and earn reward in the next. On this list is gemilut chasadim—helping others in need. Perhaps this mishna is teaching us that if Hashem sees us using our time and money to help others, He will provide us with more so that we can continue doing good deeds. This doesn’t count as a “reward,” but rather an investment by Hashem to add kindness to the world. This is the solution to our problem.
Parshat Bechukotai isn’t telling us that we will receive rewards for mitzvot in this world. Instead, it instructs that if we keep Hashem’s Torah, Hashem will want to see us prosper so we may continue living a life of avodat Hashem.
By Yair Daar
Yair Daar is an assistant principal and the resident parsha storyteller at Yeshivat He’Atid. He can be reached at [email protected].
