Reward and Punishment

צדקתך כהררי אל משפטיך תהום רבה. . . רבי ישמעאל או' הצדיקים שהן עושין את התורה שניתנה מהררי אל, הקב"ה עושה עמהם צדקה כהררי אל, צדקתך כהררי אל. . . רבי עקיבא אמר . . . מדקדק עם הצדיקים וגובה מהם מעוט מעשי' רעים שעשו בעולם הזה  (פסיקתא ט:א דף 146) 

Rabbi Ishmael maintained that God is inexact in meting out reward and punishment. He affords the (mostly) righteous with abundance of reward and the (mostly) wicked with abundance of punishment.



Rabbi Akiva maintained that God is punctilious. He metes out  punishment for the righteous man's few acts of wickedness and reward for the wicked man's few acts of righteousness.

Divine Punishment is Gradual

ר' הונא ור' יהושע בר אבין חתניה דר' לוי בשם ר' לוי אין בעל הרחמים נוגע בנפשות תחלה (ז:י דף 130)

"Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Joshua bar Abin, the son-in-law of Rabbi Levi taught in the name of Rabbi Levi: The Master of Mercy puts off taking human life".

When a person sins God does not immediately mete out in full the punishment he deserves.  Punishment comes in stages. After each stage God gives a person the chance to change his ways. 

The Egyptians were not punished with the death of the first born right away.  Similarly, the Metsora' does not first get plagued on his body; it starts on his house,  then to his garments, and then to his body.

Torah study as Perfomance of Mitzvoth

ר' אחא בשם ר' חנינא בר פפא: שלא יהו ישראל אומרים . . . עכשיו שאין אנו מקריבין קרבנות מהו שנתעסק בהן. אמר להן הקב"ה הואיל ואתם מתעסקין כאילו שאתם מקריבין (ו:ג דף 118)

"Rabbi Aha in the name of Rabbi Haninah bar Papa said: So that Israel might now say . . . but now since we do not bring offerings, why concern ourselves with such study? The Holy one said to them: When you concern yourselves with such study, it is as though you bring offerings."

 Studying the laws of sacrifices is tantamount to actually bringing sacrifices even today. Studying laws amounts to more than just learning how these laws are to be performed but on some level is an actual performance of the laws.

This should be an incentive for studying all areas of the Torah even those that have no current relevance.

The Blessed Synagogue

א"ר יצחק מה הצבי הזה מדלג על ההרים ומקפץ מאילן לאילן . . . כך הקב"ה מדלג מבית כנסת זו לבית כנסת זו בשביל מה? בשביל לברך את ישראל  (ה:ז דף 90)

  

"Rabbi Isaac said: As a gazelle skips from tree to tree . . . so the Holy One leaps from synagogue to synagogue. . .  Why? In order to bless Israel."

Prayer at a synagogue is  a praiseworthy practice so much so that God bestows His blessing upon each and every congregation.

The concept of prayer is here inverted and the synagogue is made to serve a dual purpose. One comes to the synagogue not just to pray but also to receive a blessing.

Man's Image

תני ר' ישמעאל עד שלא יחטא אדם נותנין לו אימה ויראה, וכיון שהוא חוטא נותנין עליו אימה ויראה (ה:ג (דף 83))

"Rabbi Ismael taught: As long as man refrains from sin, he is an object of fear and awe. The moment he sins, he is subject to fear and awe".

Man's image and perception by others declines not because of tactless behavior but because  of sinful behavior!

By his nature man inspires awe and fear in others. But when he sins he taints himself not just his image.

Leisurely Slavery

אמר ר' רודן עבדות וגירות בארץ לא להם, "ועבדום וענו אותם ארבע מאות שנה" (ברא' טו:יג), אפילו על איספיטלית שלהם. (ה:ז דף 89)

"Rabbi Yudan (=Yehudah) said: servitude and alienage in a land that is not theirs. 'And they served them and they opressed them four hundred years", [includes] even when they were at leisure".

Israel was in servitude for two hundred and ten years, the remaing one hundred and ninety years, although aliens in the Land of Egypt they were not actually enslaved but lived in leisure with freedom of rights.

Nevertheless, these years are counted among the years of enslavement!

The Scripture does more than reveal the consciousness or feelings of the Jewish people in Egypt; it expresses a divine truth. A jew is enslaved as long as he is not in his land, the Land of Israel!