Thursday, July 25, 2019

Rewards in This World and the Next

Art Michoel Muchnik

by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto

"Pinchas…turned back My wrath from upon the Children of Israel…so I did not consume the Children of Israel…Therefore, say: Behold! I give him My covenant of peace" [Pinchas 25:11-12]

It appears that Pinchas received his reward only for turning back Hashem's wrath from the Bnei Yisrael and preventing their annihilation. This is hard to understand, for even had Pinchas' act not saved Klal Yisrael, was the actual deed that was performed with mesirat nefesh and brought about a Kiddush Hashem, not enough to merit a reward?

The 'Birkat Peretz' answers this difficulty by quoting the Gemarah [Kiddushin 40a] that for a deed that only brings benefit for Heaven and not for people, one does not receive reward in this world. Only in the Next World does a person receive his complete reward.

Had Pinchas' act not turned back Hashem's wrath, he would only have received reward in the Next World, but since it also brought about a benefit for Klal Yisrael, he merited receiving the covenant of peace in This World.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

https://www.torahanytime.com/#/lectures?v=85670
a new lecture of rabbi Shimon Kessin. leah

Devorah said...

Thanks Leah, it's so strange to watch him as he's so like his brother.... they are twins by the way.

Anonymous said...

rabbi Kessin said mashiach has born on ww2. shocking! leah

Devorah said...

I haven't listened to it yet.
Just read somewhere that Rabbi Mendel Kessin will be speaking in Jerusalem, his first lecture this summer at Yiboneh - topic ''Tisha B'Av, Tragedy or Consolation?' Date: Sunday 4 August. I'll post it here when available on you Tube.