Hidden Meanings of Torah
Torah Secrets · Reward of Mitzvot · Midrash · Spiritual Insight
נשאלתי עמ"ש במדרש על פסוק ישקני כי הדיבור אמר לכל אחד מישראל כך וכך מתן שכר יש בי.
“I was asked regarding what is stated in the Midrash on the verse ‘Let him kiss me,’ that the Divine Speech said to each Israelite: ‘Such‑and‑such reward is within Me.’”
The Sefat Emet begins by citing a Midrash that describes the Torah promising specific reward to every individual Jew, raising an apparent difficulty.
והלא שכרן של מצות לא נתגלה.
“But the reward for the commandments has not been revealed.”
This presents the problem: tradition teaches that the true reward for mitzvot is hidden and unknowable—so how could the Torah claim to disclose it?
והשבתי כי קודם החטא אפשר הי' ראוי להיות נגלה השכר.
“And I answered that before the sin it is possible that the reward was indeed meant to be revealed.”
The Sefat Emet explains that prior to humanity’s fall, the spiritual structure of the world allowed the inner reward of mitzvot to be accessible and visible.
ובאמת ישקני נאמר על טעמים הפנימים מהתורה כמ"ש רש"י ז"ל.
“And truly, ‘Let him kiss me’ refers to the inner reasons of the Torah, as Rashi teaches.”
The ‘kiss’ symbolizes intimate revelation of the Torah’s deepest meanings, which inherently include awareness of the spiritual reward connected to them.
ועתה נסתרים הם כמו שמבקשין יגלה לן טעמי.
“But now these are concealed, as we beseech: ‘Reveal to us the reasons.’”
After the sin, the inner dimensions of Torah became hidden, and we long for their revelation once again.
ואז הי' נודע וממילא נודע מתן שכרן.
“Then they were known, and consequently the reward for the commandments was also known.”
When the Torah’s inner truths were revealed, the reward they contained was naturally revealed as well.
Summary: The Midrashic claim that the Torah revealed the reward of mitzvot refers to an earlier state of creation, before humanity’s fall, when the inner reasons of the Torah were openly accessible. Since the reward is embedded in these inner teachings, its revelation followed naturally. After the sin, both the inner meanings and the reward became concealed.