Which Mitzvah Earns Us Blessing in This World?

When I visited the Netherlands many years ago, I joined a guided tour of a little town just outside Amsterdam. It was like a slice out of the past; I thought such places only existed in illustrated children's books. Beautifully proportioned private homes, lush green gardens with flowers blooming everywhere, the gentle sound of flowing streams in the background, plus the ubiquitous bridges over the canals... I felt as if I had entered a fairy tale. And as if that wasn't enough, when a duck crossed the road, a car stopped patiently and waited, as if there was no reason in the world to hurry. The good life.

Back where I come from (a city in central Israel), the drivers start honking even before the traffic light has turned green, taxes take half of our salary, and a private house with a garden has long since become an impossible dream for almost everyone.

Esau Inherits the World to Come

The Midrash relates that Yaakov Avinu (Jacob) and Esau divided everything between them – Jacob received the World to Come while Esau received this world. Esau corresponds to Rome and the Western world, and one doesn't have to look far to see how the West enjoys an abundance of material prosperity.

Nonetheless, our Sages note that Yaakov asked Hashem to dwell peacefully in his father's house; he wanted a calm and comfortable life with an assured livelihood, in this world. This begs the question: If his portion is only in the World to Come, by what merit could he ask for blessing in this world?

Jacob Inherits Both Worlds — Why?

In Sefer Bereishit, we learn that Hashem told Yaakov to uproot his family and move to another region:

"... upon which Yaakov said to his household and to all who were with him, 'Remove the gods of the foreign nations that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments' ... And they gave Yaakov all the gods of the nations that were in their possession, and the earrings that were in their ears; and Yaakov hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem."

The Midrash explains the deeper meaning of these actions: "Yaakov continued his ancestors' practice and converted people."

Both Avraham Avinu and Yitzchak Avinu (Abraham and Isaac) devoted themselves to bringing others to awareness and worship of Hashem. Now Yaakov set about doing the same. And it was in the merit of his efforts to increase awareness of Hashem and bring people close to Torah that he was entitled to request a peaceful life in this world.

The Reward for Bringing Jews Closer to Torah

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto elaborates on this idea, writing, "People should know of this great principle, that there is no reward in this world for the mitzvot that we perform! The reward is entirely in the World to Come. However, if someone encourages other people to live by the Torah and fulfill the mitzvot, he receives reward for the mitzvot these other people do in this world as well."

Rabbi Pinto adds:

"It is said that whenever his yeshivah ran out of funds, the Satmar Rav, R’ Yoel ztz”l, would tell the students, 'Go out and inspire people to do teshuvah, to enhance their mitzvot,' as helping people fulfill mitzvot leads to the blessing of livelihood in this world.

"Therefore, once Yaakov Avinu began to convert people and bring them closer to Hashem, he could ask Hashem for reward in this world as well.

"And this is a key principle: If someone is in need of money to cover his expenses, or if he is going through hardship in a material sense, he should devote himself to encouraging others to live according to the Torah and fulfill the mitzvot, and this will make him deserving of sustenance in this world."