Mitzvos Build Future Reward

במדרש מטרה של פרקים כו' אימתי אתה נותן לנו שכר המצות בעקב כו'

In the Midrash: the purpose of the chapters, etc.: "When do You give us the reward of the mitzvos? On the heel (eikev), etc."

The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash that links the parsha's name, eikev (heel), to the question of when Bnei Yisrael receive the reward for keeping mitzvos.

דשכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא דהציור שבעוה"ז א"י לקבל שכר המצות רק לעתיד לבוא כמש"כ צור עולמים ב' יצירות עוה"ז בה' ועוה"ב בי'

For there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world, since the form of this world cannot receive the reward of the mitzvos — only in the World to Come, as it is written, "the Rock of worlds" (Yeshayahu 26:4), referring to two creations: this world was created with the letter 'hei' and the World to Come with the letter 'yud.'

He explains that mitzvah reward cannot be received in this world at all; the very structure of this world cannot hold it, so it is reserved for the World to Come — and the verse hints that the two worlds were created with different letters.

ולכן בהרשע כתיב לא יאחר כו' אל פניו ישלם לו

Therefore, regarding the wicked person it is written, "He does not delay, etc.; He repays him to his face" (Devarim 7:10).

This is why the verse says Hashem repays the wicked person immediately, 'to his face,' without delay.

פי' בציור שבעוה"ז

That is to say, He repays him within the form of this world.

The Sfas Emes clarifies that this immediate repayment happens within the framework of this world.

אבל לצדיקים שומר הברית והחסד

But for the tzaddikim, "He guards the covenant and the kindness" (Devarim 7:9).

By contrast, for tzaddikim Hashem guards the covenant and kindness, holding their reward for later.

אשר נשבע מכלל שצריך כריתות ברית ושבועה הוא ענין נסתר מהופך מעוה"ז ולפי שהם דברים רחוקים צריכין לכריתות ברית שכרת הקב"ה לאבות שהם בני עוה"ב

"That He swore" — from this we learn that it requires a cutting of a covenant and an oath, for it is a hidden matter, the reverse of this world; and since these are distant matters, they require a cutting of a covenant, which the Holy One, Blessed is He, cut with the Avos, who are people of the World to Come.

The fact that the Torah speaks of an oath teaches that this reward is hidden and the reverse of this-worldly reality; because it is so distant, it required a cutting of a covenant — the one the Holy One, Blessed is He, made with the Avos, who belong to the World to Come.

ובאמת ציור שלעתיד תלוי כפי מעשה המצות בעוה"ז כמש"כ היום לעשותם לתקן הציור ע"י רמ"ח ושס"ה

And in truth, the form of the future depends upon the deeds of the mitzvos in this world, as it is written, "this day to do them" (Devarim 7:11) — to repair the form by means of the two hundred and forty-eight limbs and three hundred and sixty-five sinews.

He teaches that the form of the future world is actually built by our performance of mitzvos here, with the two hundred and forty-eight limbs and three hundred and sixty-five sinews repairing that form.

וכמו שאדם מביא אור המצוה בעשי' גשמיות

And just as a person brings the light of the mitzvah into a physical action,

Just as a person draws the light of a mitzvah down into a concrete physical act,

כן שכרן של מצות שיתהפך אבר הגשמיי אל שורש המצוה שהוא ציור שלעתיד

so too the reward of the mitzvos is that the physical limb will be transformed toward the root of the mitzvah, which is the form of the future.

so the reward is that the physical limb itself becomes transformed into the root of the mitzvah, which is the very form of the future world.

וגם לעשותם הוא לשון כפי' שהגוף מתנגד אל אור הנשמה וצריכין לכוף הגוף והאברים לשעבדם אל המצות וזה היום

And also, "to do them" (la'asosam) is an expression of forcing (kefiyah), for the body opposes the light of the neshamah, and one must force the body and the limbs to subjugate them to the mitzvos — and this is "the day."

The word la'asosam also carries the sense of forcing, since the body resists the light of the neshamah; one must subjugate body and limbs to the mitzvos, and this labor is the meaning of 'the day.'

והי' עקב תשמעון דלבסוף ישמח האדם בהמצות שיראה בעין האמת שכרן של מצות וציור הרוחניי שבא ע"י המצוה

"And it shall be, because (eikev) you hearken" (Devarim 7:12) — for in the end a person will rejoice in the mitzvos, when he will see with the true eye the reward of the mitzvos and the spiritual form that comes through the mitzvah.

The phrase 'because you hearken' teaches that ultimately a person will come to rejoice in mitzvos, once he perceives with true vision the reward and the spiritual form that the mitzvah produces.

והי' לשון שמחה

"And it shall be" (vehayah) is an expression of joy.

The Sfas Emes notes that the word vehayah itself denotes joy.

והנה בשבת הוא מעין עוה"ב ויש בו קצת ציור מעין העתיד

And behold, on Shabbos there is a semblance of the World to Come, and there is in it a small measure of the form, a semblance of the future.

He then turns to Shabbos, which is a taste of the World to Come and already contains a small measure of that future form.

וזה בחי' נשמה יתירה בש"ק שאין דומה מאור פניו של אדם בשבת לכן איתא ביום שמחתכם אלו השבתות שיש בהם שמחה ע"י התגלות הציור דלעתיד כמש"כ והי' עקב תשמעון בשמחה:

And this is the aspect of the additional neshamah (neshamah yeseirah) on the holy Shabbos, for the radiance of a person's face on Shabbos is unlike any other; therefore it is brought, "on the day of your rejoicing" (Bamidbar 10:10) — these are the Shabbosos, in which there is joy through the revelation of the form of the future, as it is written, "And it shall be, because you hearken," with joy.

This is the additional neshamah of Shabbos, reflected in the special radiance of a person's face; hence the verse 'on the day of your rejoicing' is applied to the Shabbosos, whose joy flows from the revelation of the future form, just as 'and it shall be, because you hearken' carries that same joy.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains, on the Midrash tied to the word eikev, that the reward of mitzvos cannot be received in this world, whose very form cannot contain it, but is reserved for the World to Come — which is why the wicked are repaid immediately 'to his face,' while for tzaddikim Hashem guards the covenant and kindness for later. Because that reward is hidden and the reverse of this world, it required the cutting of a covenant with the Avos, who are people of the World to Come. Yet the form of that future world is actually built here through the mitzvos: by drawing the light of each mitzvah into a physical act with the two hundred and forty-eight limbs and three hundred and sixty-five sinews, one transforms the physical limb into the root of the mitzvah, forcing the resisting body to be subjugated to the neshamah — and this labor is 'the day.' Ultimately a person comes to rejoice in mitzvos when he perceives their true reward and spiritual form, which is why vehayah denotes joy. Shabbos is a taste of this, carrying a measure of the future form through the additional neshamah, so that the joy of 'on the day of your rejoicing' is found in the Shabbosos through the revelation of the form of the future.