READING: FROM MIDNIGHT TO DAWN THURSDAY

According to the Sorrow, So Is the Reward

According to the Sorrow, So Is the Reward – Selected excerpts from the sources

1. RABASH, Article No. 29, (1987), “What Is ‘According to the Sorrow, So Is the Reward?'”

“What is the meaning of ‘According to the sorrow, so is the reward’?” It means that according to his lack, meaning to the extent that he feels sorrow at not being able to emerge from the control of the bad, and bad means that he feels that it is something bad, meaning he sees what bad that the vessels of reception cause him, then he feels actual sorrow. This gives him the need that the Creator will help him, and he receives the reward, meaning the reward for the sorrow he had had. This is the meaning of the words, “According to the sorrow,” to the full extent of the sorrow, meaning the understanding of the lack, is the reward. Then comes the time when the reward comes, for “there is no light without a Kli.”

2. RABASH, Article No. 26 (1990),“What Is, ‘There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None Besides You,’ in the Work?”

we should interpret “According to the sorrow, so is the reward,” meaning to what extent should one appreciate the Creator rewarding him? The answer is that according to the sorrow and labor he can feel from being far from the Creator, this is the measure of the reward.

This means that when we want to know how much was the profit of the reward, a person should evaluate how much suffering and sorrow he had had from being far from the work of the Creator. This is the measure of the reward. In other words, it is impossible to appreciate the lack of spirituality before one feels the importance of spirituality. To the extent of the importance of spirituality, to that extent a person can feel the need for it.

It follows that the sensation of the lack is already a reward.

3. RABASH, Article No. 158, “According to the Sorrow Is the Reward”

When one regrets not being able to purify himself from vessels of reception, what will be the reward, so he will have the strength to purify himself from vessels of reception? It follows that “According to the sorrow is the reward,” meaning on whatever substance he regrets, on that substance he receives the filling.

Thus, the question was, How is it permitted to receive reward? The answer is that the whole prohibition on receiving reward is that he will be a receiver. Yet, here it is to the contrary; he wants the reward of being able to bestow, and this is certainly permitted. It follows that there is no light without a Kli [vessel], so it is impossible to draw mercy if there is no sorrow.

“According to the sorrow is the reward” means that he is rewarded for that which he regrets. He is not regretful over money and is given respect. The reward of being able to bestow is permitted because this is the purpose of the work.

4. RABASH, Article No. 160, “And All the People Stand Over You”

Anyone who is greater than his friend, his inclination is greater than him.” We asked, But there is a rule that a Mitzva induces a Mitzva, and one who became great, it is certainly by performing a Mitzva, so why did the evil increase in him? According to the above, the good should have increased!

However, since there must be choice, if he does not increase the bad for him to the extent of the measure of the good where he stands now, the good will certainly determine that he will do only good. In that state, he will have no work of choice, and all of man’s greatness is expressed in being able to do more in the choice.

This is the meaning of what our sages said, “According to the sorrow is the reward,” so the labor is only during the choice. For this reason, more bad must constantly be added to him, so he will have with what to decide.

5. RABASH, Article No. 844, “Labor Is the Reward”

“According to the labor, so is the reward.” In other words, afterward, he sees that the labor he gave was his reward. To the extent of the labor, so is the reward, since the labor is the reward, and the Creator gave him the desire to labor.

6. RABASH, Article No. 26 (1990),“What Is, ‘There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None Besides You,’ in the Work?”

We should interpret what our sages said (Avot, Chapter 5:27), “Ben Heh Heh says, ‘The reward is according to the sorrow.’” This means that to the extent of the sorrow that a person suffers while observing Torah and Mitzvot, so will his reward increase. This implies that a person does do something, and for doing it, he is rewarded. However, this, too, we should interpret in the above manner, that man must believe that the sorrow and labor that a person has in feeling that he is far from Dvekut with the Creator and that he is immersed in self-love, this sorrow is called “reward.”

7. RABASH, Article No. 622, “Overcoming”

When some resistance to the work appears, we must be happy, since only now will it be possible to gain a great reward, just as when one is happy when he sees that he will make a great profit. He does not look at the effort, but only at the reward. As it is written, we must overcome in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments].

When we have disturbances, we will have joy from being given an opportunity to gain a great reward.

8. RABASH, Article No. 348, “When the Creator Loves a Person”

It is known that one does not ascend in degree unless he has a need. At that time, he can receive the filling from the Creator because there is no light without a Kli [vessel], meaning that there is nothing if there is no desire, for the desire for something is called the Kli in the filling.

Hence, when one thinks that he does not have a real lack, meaning he sees that he is worse than the rest of the people, it is said about him, “I dwell among my own people.”

But when he feels that he is worse than the rest of the people, that he is poor in knowledge and has no attainment in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], although many people have no attainment whatsoever, but since they have no need for attainment in Torah and Mitzvot, they do not feel any suffering because of it.

In spirituality, it is said “according to the sorrow is the reward,” since the sorrow and affliction from what he lacks, and to the extent of the need, so is the measure of the reward when his lack is satisfied. Hence, when the Creator sends him the gift of feeling poor, by this he can receive the filling.

9. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 117, “Labored and Did Not Find? Do Not Believe”

To be rewarded with the light of the Creator, there must also be a need. And the need for this is the labor: To the extent that one exerts and demands the Creator during the greatest concealment, to that extent he becomes needy of the Creator, for the Creator to open his eyes to walk by the path of the Creator. Then, when one has that Kli [vessel] of a deficiency, when the Creator gives him some help from above, he will know how to keep this present. It turns out that the labor is considered Achoraim [posterior]. And when he receives the Achoraim, he has a place in which to be rewarded with the Panim [face].

It is said about that, “A fool has no wish for wisdom.” This means that he does not have a strong need to exert to obtain wisdom. Thus, he has no Achoraim, and he naturally cannot be awarded the discernment of Panim.

This is the meaning of “As is the sorrow, so is the reward.” That is, the sorrow, called “labor,” makes the Kli [vessel], so one can be awarded the reward. This means that to the extent that one regrets, to that extent he can later be rewarded with joy and pleasure.

10. RABASH, Article No. 158, “According to the Sorrow Is the Reward”

Through the Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] that a person does, they bring upon him thoughts and desires to want to purify himself. This is called “He who comes to purify.” This is the time when he exerts in order to purify himself from self-love.

At that time, he comes to a state of sorrow and pain at not being able to achieve purity, but to the contrary. This is so because each time, he sees more of the truth: He is immersed in self-love and does not see any possibility in the horizon that can bring him out of this.

Then when he regrets this, he acquires a need for the Creator’s help. At that time, the help from above comes, as our sages said, “He who comes to purify is aided” (Shabbat 104a). This is regarded as “all the light.”

At that time, we say, “According to the sorrow is the reward,” meaning that which he regrets not having, he can obtain this for his sorrow. It is like a person who regrets not having respect. Therefore, his sorrow makes him do things that will earn him respect.

11. RABASH, Article No. 26 (1990), “What Is, ‘There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None Besides You,’ in the Work?”

If he works a lot, this is the reward that the Creator has given him. That is, He gave a thought and desire to do the holy work. Thus, this is not as it is in corporeality, where to the extent that a person works, any worker receives a salary, meaning a reward in return for his work. Rather, here the innovation is that the reward is the work.

Accordingly, the meaning of “His reward is great,” is that how much is the reward? There is no matter here of giving him more reward or less reward. This can be said when a person works in order to receive reward in return for his work, where there is the matter of surpluses and deficits. But if the reward is the work itself, there is no issue of being rewarded for the work. Therefore, to imply this, he says, “His reward is great,” specifically “according to his work,” since only the work is the reward.

12. RABASH, Article No. 274, “Specifically through a Man and a Woman”

When one has only the power of bestowal, he does not have the labor, and there is a rule that the reward is according to the labor. Since he has only the power of bestowal, he is devoid of labor, and without labor, it is impossible to be rewarded with the light of the Creator, as our sages said, “If you did not labor and did not find, do not believe” (Megillah 6b).

Also, if one has only the power of reception without sparks of bestowal, he can no longer make a choice to reject the bad and choose the good, since then he does not have the strength to decide to the side of merit.

Hence, specifically when the two forces are equal—the power of reception and the power of bestowal—he has room for work and labor to be able to prevail through the labor and determine to the side of merit. At that time, this deed that he has decided to the side of merit is called “newborn,” meaning that the Creator places the spirit of life in this action.

13. RABASH, Article No. 26 (1990),“What Is, ‘There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None Besides You,’ in the Work?”

We should interpret the words of Ben Heh Heh, who says, “According to the sorrow.” When a person regrets being far from the Creator, it does not come from the person, but the Creator gave him this feeling, and not the person by himself.

This means that by the Creator illuminating for him the importance of spirituality, to that extent he is sorry that he is far from spirituality. For this reason, we must not say that what a person comes to purify is work that comes from a person. Rather, the Creator gave him a thought and desire to come and purify.

It follows that this is not out of man’s work that we can say that the Kedusha that the Creator has given him, Kedusha from above, the person helped Him, too. Rather, “There is none besides You.” As in the words of The Zohar, the Creator does not need any Kedusha of theirs, meaning of the lower ones, but He does everything.

14. RABASH, Article No. 29, (1987), “What Is ‘According to the Sorrow, So Is the Reward?'”

“According to his work” means according to his labor and exertion without seeing anything positive in the work. On the contrary, each time, he sees more negativity in his work. That is, each time he sees that he does not want to work for the sake of the Creator. Thus, how can he ask for a reward, so as to say, “His reward is plentiful, according to his work,” although he sees no progress? On the contrary, he is regressing every time, yet he does not escape the campaign or grow idle in the work. Instead, he works as though he is advancing. It follows that “according to his work” means to the extent that he overcomes each time, and according to the sorrow and exertion that he puts into this work, it causes him to be able to obtain a real Kli and need for the Creator’s help.

It follows that unlike corporeality, where we are rewarded according to the output, meaning that one looks at the work he did. Here, it is the opposite.