You Get What You Give
Measure for Measure.
When I say that, it might make you think of Shakespeare’s play by that name, but actually what I plan to share is one of the laws of the universe that G-d has put into place.
Things happen- consequences, rewards and even punishments- following that rule, measure for measure.
This week’s Torah portion is full of examples, as G-d begins to punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians for their treatment of the Jews and his refusal to let them free.
We also see that rule play out as far back as the story of creation and in the snake’s punishment after he cunningly got Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. (The snake originally was able to walk and talk. It could also eat all foods and was on good terms with humans. Yet because the snake used all of those features to cause Adam and Eve to sin, G-d took each one away. The snake now slithers on the ground, cannot talk, everything it eats tastes the same and humankind sees it as an enemy!)
This week we read about Moses warning Pharaoh of the frogs that were about to invade Egypt. He warned him that they would enter “First into your palace, your bedroom and your bed and then in to the homes of your servants and your people”.
Because Pharoah was the one who first initiated the plan for the Jewish peoples’ suffering, measure for measure, G-d brought the plague upon him first.
On the flip side, in last week’s portion, we read how Miriam stood watch over her infant brother Moses, waiting by the side of the Nile, keeping her eye on the basket he floated in.
Years later, when Miriam had to wait outside the camp (inflicted by leprosy as the Jews traveled in the desert) as a reward for the way she waited on her brother-measure for measure- G-d had the entire nation wait on her. They delayed their travel for seven days, until she could return to be among the camp.
We can take note from this example that when measure for measure plays out in the positive, the payback is always above the measure. You get even more than you gave!
Rabbi Nissim of Barcelona (1300 CE) noted that G-d put this rule in place to help man integrate and internalize the very important truth that everything happens by Divine Providence. Nothing in the universe occurs by random coincidence, rather even the movement of a blade of grass, has been orchestrated by G-d.
“G-d desired that it be so in order that the idea of Divine Providence be implanted in the hearts of men. For if the goodly reward were not of the same character as the good deed, people might attribute it to chance and nature. But when the reward is of the same character as the good deed, it is then acknowledged as stemming from Him and as intended by Him to reward the good with good.”
Whether we experience good in our lives or even things that feel challenging, difficult and painful, G-d wants us to notice that it isn’t random or by chance.
When Joseph made his brothers’ lives difficult (before revealing himself to them), the brothers did some serious introspection to figure out what measure for measure was being paid up. They knew not to point fingers and blame, but rather to look inward because they recognized that nothing happens by chance. Indeed their introspection is what gave Joseph the awareness that they fully regretted their actions and the time had finally come for their peaceful reunion.
Keep your eyes open.
Connect the dots.
G-d sees us at every moment and your good actions, your intentions and your good efforts will be rewarded measure for measure.
And when you show up in a way that is beyond what is expected of you, G-d will repay you in kind, with blessings beyond what you’ve ever expected.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom.
