Shiluach Haken, Part 2: The Reward for Mitzvot

In the end of Masechet Chullin, the Gemara tells the tragic story of a father who told his young son to climb up a tree and get some eggs.  The boy climbed up the tree, sent away the mother bird, lost his footing, and fell to his death.

The boy had performed two mitzvot: honoring his father, and sending away the mother bird.   The Torah promises a long life as a reward for both mitzvot.

Elisha ben Abuya declared, “There is no justice and no Judge,” and went off the derech.

Rebbe Akiva declared, “There is no reward for mitzvot in this world, but in the next world, there is reward.”

On the other hand, every morning after the blessings of the Torah, we recite the Mishna of Elu Devarim.  Elu devarim says that there are mitzvot that bear fruit in this world, while the principal is saved for us in the next world.  (One of the mitzvot listed in Elu Devarim is honoring parents.)

I think that the mitzvot have a component of prudence.  Following the mitzvot is often the most responsible way to act.  Sometimes the mitzvot good advice about how to act wisely and achieve our own self-interest.  For instance, if you do acts of chessed, the recipients will sometimes return the favor, and the members of the community will like you and give you honor and support.  The study of Torah pays off in thinking skills and self-control.

But the mitzvot are not all about prudence.  The mitzvot have a component that transcends prudence.  They have a component of compassion, of honesty, of humility, of yirat Hashem.

Sometimes all these core values overlap with rational self-interest.  But since they are distinct values, there is also a set difference, where following the mitzvot is not the best way to optimize for self interest.  Thus, burial of the dead is called “chessed shel emet”, because the recipient can never repay you.

When the mitzvot call for self-sacrifice, the reward may be in the next world.  When the mitzvot call for prudence, the reward may be(partly) in this world.

Prudence is probabilistic.  Statistically speaking, on average, people who honor their parents do better than those who neglect to do so.  But prudence gives no guarantees.  Tragically, there are those who honor their parents and get hurt nonetheless.  Rebbe Akiva teaches us that these people will be rewarded in the world to come.