Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the rule that any positive mitzvah whose reward is stated alongside it in the Torah, the earthly court below is not warned to enforce it through punishments. The simple logic is that if the Torah went out of its way to explicitly state the consequences, it also indicates no need for further action or enforcement. (This is implied from Rashi ibid.)

Yismach Moshe (Vayeshev) expands on this idea, offering new insight into Yaakov’s thoughts and reaction to the loss of his son, Yosef. By way of introduction, there is a theological dispute in the Gemara (Kiddushin 39b) regarding if reward (and possibly punishment) for the mitzvos are experienced in this world. Rabbi Yaakov held that there is no reward (or possibly punishment) in this world. He interprets the various verses that speak of “in order that you live long,” such as by honoring parents (Devarim 5:16) and the mitzvah of sending the mother bird away from the nest (Devarim 22:7), to refer to long life in the everlasting life of the world to come. The Gemara relates that he drew this conclusion based on an experience of observing someone who fulfilled the request of his father to take chicks from a nest. He was simultaneously performing two commandments that should prolong his life, yet tragically, on the way down he fell off the ladder and died. Rav Yaakov thus was forced to conclude that the rewards promised in the verses were in the next world. (As an important aside, we see the reasonability and flexibility of our sages. Instead of denying obvious evidence in front of him, or making up some kind of twisted story that God was testing him, etc., he reconfigured his theology to match the clear evidence in front of him.)

There is a Midrashic tradition (Rashi Bereishis 37:2) that after all the travails of Esav and Lavan, Yaakov thought to himself, “I can finally experience some peace and tranquility,” but then Providence has it that he would go through a new test, regarding the loss of Yosef. The Midrash implies a degree of entitlement on Yaakov’s part, and a degree of criticism for it. Yismach Moshe makes the case for a theological backstory. Yaakov originally held, unlike Rav Yaakov of the Gemara, that there is reward and punishment in this world. His only sin that he was aware of was neglecting to honor his parents due to his having to run away from Esav. Since the verse states an explicit reward, his assumption was the only punishment would be the loss of that reward and nothing more. This is similar to the implied argument given in our Gemara why Beis Din does not force someone to perform a commandment which has the reward explicitly stated. However, Yaakov had to reverse his position once he saw that Yosef suffered his travails, even while following his father’s directive to check up on his brothers (Bereishis 37:14). He had a similar real life confrontation of his beliefs, such as Rav Yaakov did in Gemara Kiddushin (ibid).

This also is why Yaakov was inconsolable, crying out (ibid 37:35) “I will go down mourning to my son in Sheol” (One interpretation of the word Sheol is not merely the grave, but a Gehenom-like netherworld). In other words, now he realized that he would end up suffering in the world to come because of his not completely fulfilling the commandment of honoring his parents.

These types of lomdishe derush are fascinating. Aside from that, on a practical level, it is important to keep in mind this theological principle. All kinds of things happen in this world, and they are the will of God. But true reward and punishment is not in this realm, and we cannot measure our or anyone else’s piety based on what happens to them here.

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Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com