LEV1107 The practical approach of Judaism to life is made further manifest by its conception of God and the teaching of the equality of all mankind. By attributing Omnipresence to Him, we declare that He is linked with the Eternity. "There is no place or time that is without Him" is a fundamental tenet of Judaism. His omnipresence is another reminder that His purpose and intervention in the lives of many cannot be frustrated. It is also an assurance of a divine, overruling power, a power which rewards and punishes according to our actions. (We cite some Biblical references to Reward and Punishment, a teaching contingent on the doctrine of man's Freewill. Exodus xx. 5-6; xxxiv. 6-7; Leviticus xxvi. 3-9; 14-16; Deut. vii. 9; xi. 13-17; 28-28; xxviii. I; Is. iii. 10-11; xxvi. 21; Jer. xxxi. 29-30; Ezek. xviii. 1-32; Ps. xxxi. 24; lxii. 12; cxlv. 20; Prov. v. 22; x. 29; xi. 31; xiii. 21; xvi. 4; xxi. 7; xxii. 8; Ecc. vii.15; xii. 13-14. Cf. Kidd. 39a "There is no reward in this world." Abot i. 3; iv. 2.) This consciousness will endow life with purpose and content instead of reducing it to a series of blind chance happenings. Remove this Omnipresence and you destroy with it a guarantee of our faith that no machination, whether t be in thought, word or deed can circumvent the ultimate realization of His purpose.

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LEV1109 The Talmud is emphatic: Pious deeds are not rewarded in this world. The Reward and Punishment mentioned in Leviticus xxvi and Deut. xxviii are to be viewed merely as attractions or deterrents to obedience or infidelity. Here below, we have a task to do; the reward for its fulfillment will come later. (Kidd. 39a. See also Luzzatto's Introduction to his Messillat Yesharim). What greater punishment can man have for an act spelling a Hillul Ha'shem than to be told that he has polluted the soul which God has put within him pure and unsullied at his birth? (See Leviticus xxvi. 3-9; Deut. v. 9-10; xi. 13-17; Isa. iii. 10-11; xxvi. 21; Ezek. xviii; Ps. xxxi. 24; cxlv. 20; Prov. v. 22; x. 29; xiii. 21; Talmud: Abot 1, 3; Sotah 3b; Makkot 24a).

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LEV1108 The Rabbis taught: "If in My statutes you walk"--"If" is a term of imploration [i.e., "Would that"], as in (Psalms 81:14): "Would that My people would hearken to Me; I would humble their enemies," and (Isaiah 48:18), "Would that you had hearkened to My mitzvoth; then your peace would have been as a river" (Avodah Zarah 5a)

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LEV1110 The ethics of Judaism is built upon its teaching concerning the freedom of the will, which endows man with the moral power to determine what he will do or leave undone, with the capacity to vanquish his sinful impulses, and to sanctify himself in disposition, intent, and open action. But by that, in addition, it also lays upon him a great responsibility. The teaching of Judaism regarding reward and punishment is founded upon this responsibility. Its conception of the consequences of good and evil developed in Judaism from naive hope for reward and fear of punishment in the beginning to the very highest ethical consciousness in the end: “The reward of a good deed is a good deed, and the punishment of sin is a sin.” [Avot 4:2 - AJL]. The Jewish philosophers of religion all agree (there is only one opinion on the subject) that in the Biblical writings promise of reward and threat of punishment have for their aim the education of the people, according to their powers of apprehension, in the observance of the Divine commandments and the living of an immaculate life (compare also PP. 138-139, VI, 1). Therefore, as a reward for doing what is pleasing in the sight of God, earthly welfare at first is promised, and earthly trials are threatened as punishment for the transgression of the Divine commandments (Leviticus xxvi. 3ff.; Deuteronomy vii. 9f.; xi. 13ff.; xxviii. 1ff.). But even this teaching does not confine reward and punishment merely to the personal destiny of the individual; on the contrary, it declares that the righteousness practiced by the individual and the community carries an entail of happiness and welfare for the community, just as for evil practices the individual and the community are punished. The happiness promised in the Torah and in the prophetic writings is not merely material and personal, but ideal conditions for the community are included: undisturbed peace, public welfare and social harmony, in which all participate and through which alone man's spiritual ascent is made possible.

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LEV1111 It was taught: "If in My statutes you walk" -- these are the mitzvoth. But it is written: "and My mitzvoth you keep, to do them" -- Mitzvoth are already stated! How, then, am I to understand: "If in My statutes you walk"? That you must labor in Torah (Torath Cohanim).

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LEV1112 See [[EXOD40]] Exodus 2:12 struck DORFFDRAG 33-4

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LEV1113 See [[LEV261]] Leviticus 18:25 vomit AMEMEI 126

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LEV1114 When God promises the Jewish people wealth, but also peace, as a reward for keeping the commandments, Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (1815-1872) comments that when most societies become wealthy, like most countries in the twenty-first century who have achieved great wealth in comparison to previous generations, nevertheless, there will always be some people who have more wealth than others. This will naturally lead to jealousy and greed to accumulate more, even from people who have "enough" to live a very good and comfortable life. Thus, God's promise to the Jewish people is that if they keep all of the commandments, God will create a wealthy society that will have peace as well, i.e., a life without jealousy and greed [Leviticus 29:3-6 with Ktav Sofer commentary]. King Solomon, who was vastly wealthy, understood that a good name is a far more important achievement in life than "goodwill," or great wealth (Ecclesiastes 7:1). This has been shown to be true for those in the Jewish and non-Jewish communities, like Bernie Madoff and others who have been caught swindling other people or the government, and have permanently lost their good names, their most valuable asset.

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LEV1115 Derech eretz can be defined as a type of behavior that will be acceptable by one's society and that is geared toward making people happy, as the Mishnah says: "Which is the proper path one should choose? One that is pleasing to the one who performs it and is pleasing to others (Avos 2:1). The essential ingredients of derech eretz are: impartiality; humility; sensitivity toward the feelings and rights of others; an understanding of human nature; a sense of justice; and respect for each individual and for humanity as a whole. Derech eretz requires a discipline of kindness, cheerfulness and constant awareness of one's surroundings. Acting with derech eretz (besides being a virtue in its own right" leads to peaceful coexistence with one's family, neighbors and society, and avoids the multitudes of misunderstandings caused by the behavior and attitudes of those who are lacking in this respect. Tanna Devei Eliyahu (Ravah 11) states: "Even when the Jewish people do not fulfill any Torah principle other than derech eretz, the verse 'Five of you shall chase one hundred, and one hundred of you shall chase ten thousand' [this verse] will be realized. If they do fulfill the principles of the Torah and perform the mitzvos, then the verse 'One shall chase one thousand, and two shall chase ten thousand' (Devarim 32:30) will come true." This statement implies that derech eretz is a redeeming virtue even when the Jewish people do not fulfill the other precepts of the Torah.

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LEV1116 See [[DEUT3]] Deuteronomy 1:11 bless ROSNER-BLEICH 61

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