Measure for Measure | Middah knegged Middah

Olam Haba is the reward.  Non-Olam Haba is the punishment.  And reward & punishment work within the framework of Middah kneged Middah.

Reward & Punishment are intrinsic to the deeds:

Reward and Punishment are heavy topics that are laced with much dogma and emotion.  I think we can penetrate the thicket with a question:

Is reward and punishment arbitrary or intrinsic? 

For example: A parent invites his child to clean their room and offers two “rewards” as incentive.  One is a bag of candy, and two is the clean room.  Notice the difference between these two rewards.  The first reward has no intrinsic connection to the task; the second reward is exactly the fruits of the task.  When a person works on cleaning his room, the work automatically brings about a clean room.  The more cleaning done, the cleaner the room.  But what element of the work generated a bag of candy?  Nothing.  The candy could easily be replaced with pizza or the like. 

The same principle is true for punishment.  L’mashal:  When a parent commands a child not to walk into the street, and the child disobeys and gets struck by a car, that is the “punishment” for disobeying the parent.  The results were a necessary corollary of the action.  As opposed to when a child is grounded for misbehavior; the behavior has no intrinsic connection to the grounding.  Grounding is just one of many forms of discipline. 

When we are told of Olam Haba as “reward” and non-Olam Haba is “punishment,” how should we view G-d’s system of reward and punishment?  Do you see it as arbitrary or intrinsic?  Is Olam Haba the spiritual version of the “bag of candy” that has no intrinsic relationship to what you’ve done, or is Olam Haba exactly the fruits of your doing?

(I have heard the answer “I don’t know” to this question.  However, when I ask the non-knower what they truly believe, they admit that intrinsic reward seems self-evident.  How could it be otherwise? 

I must admit, though, that I cannot prove this premise.  And when I ask people if they can “prove” that intrinsic reward is the true grasp of spiritual reward, they too fumble.  But, again, they return to a knowledge that they know deep inside, that intrinsic reward seems self-evident.  How could it be otherwise?)

Middah kneged middah suggests more than just good deeds get rewarded and bad deeds get punished.  Middah kneged middah suggests there’s a more direct, more intrinsic relationship between then deed and the payment.  The acts necessarily yield their results.  We usually don’t use “reward” in such a sense but when the Torah uses the idea of reward it is describing essence not coincidence. 

Intrinsic Reward & Punishment affect the person, not his circumstances:

Let’s go another step deeper:

The simple understanding of reward is that Hashem sends good stuff to people who do good and bad stuff to people who do bad.  The person doesn’t really change.  Only his circumstances change.

But a deeper understanding is that the person changes.  Good deeds make a good person, bad deeds make a bad person. 

Rabbi Dessler applies this understanding to the incident of Hashem hardening paroh’s heart.  R’ Dessler quotes the Midrash Rabba:

“R’ Yochanan says: this verse seems to give heretics an opportunity to assert that Paroh was denied the ability to do t’shuva!

Reish Lakish replied: The wicked can say nothing!  “G-d scoffs at the scoffers.” If G-d warns a person once, twice, thrice and the person doesn’t respond, He locks the doors of his heart in order to punish him for previous sins.  Similarly, G-d warned paroh five times but he took no notice.  G-d said to him:  You have hardened you neck and deadened your heart.  I will add tumah onto your tumah.”

R’ Dessler parallels the idea of this midrash to another statement of chazal: 

“When a person sins and repeats his sin, it becomes to him as if it [is no longer a sin, but rather] is permissible.”  “Naaseh Lo K’heter.” 

R’ Dessler explains that the repeat-sinner’s understanding of reality has changed.  We can describe it as G-d “adding tumah onto your tumah,” but this is not a new decree issued only to paroh, rather this is a natural consequence of the repeat sinner.

Let’s explain this.

A person creates his world of influence – that’s the Intrinsic Reward & Punishment:

A person works within a framework of what he feels is real.  Whatever is seen as real or substantial will be noticed, need to be reckoned with, will influence a person’s reality. 

A few examples:

When there is a wall in front of me, if I want to advance forward, I will need to find a door or go around the wall.  That I need to reckon with the wall’s presence is readily apparent.

On a more refined level, when someone sees a police officer he avoids speeding, illegal U-turns, etc.  Nothing inherent in the badge or uniform should stop a car from moving.  But the recognition of schar v’onesh, somehow tames the person.  This is because the person sees the reality of schar v’onesh, and so he must work within that framework.

Another example: Someone is trying to make a decision on a certain matter.  He seeks counsel.  Two people offer their opinion- a child and a professional.  The opinion of the child is not going to weigh anything in the mind of the decision maker.  The professional opinion will more likely be received.  This is because the professional advice is perceived as having substance, and only that which has substance, influences a person’s world.

At the battlefront of free choice what is happening is that two opposing “realities” of equal weight are fighting for their Metzius. Whichever side you chose you are essentially declaring as more substantial.  In other words, the victorious side has just become more of a Metzius and the losing side is less of a Metzius.  Now the sides are no longer equal.  The victorious side has become more real and thus has more influence.  The losing side has become less real now and thus less influential.  If the battle is repeated, and the same results occur what eventually happens is that there will no longer be a battle.  The victorious side will be such a compelling reality that one cannot even entertain the alternative.  He has rejected the alternative to the point where it has no more influence.  He took away its reality. M’mayla, Naaseh Lo K’heter. 

In paroah’s case, he stripped truth of all its substance.  Truth no longer entered his world, or mind, to influence him.  This was a “natural consequence,” intrinsically tied to what he did.

Let’s go another step deeper.

Hashem’s desire to emulate us is the cause of the hanhaga of Middah knegged Middah:

Rav Hutner (Pachad Yitzchak, Pesach: 56), in explaining the mitzvah of emulating Hashem, points out something breath-taking. 

According to R’Hutner, Hashem, so to speak, emulates us.  AND because Hashem emulates us that we see a hanhaga of Middah kneged Middah!  Middah kneged middah is not just Hashem’s system of justice; it’s Hashem’s wish to emulate us.

Hashem has reality reflect who we are.

The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 3:18) applies this phenomenon to G-d’s oversight (divine providence/hashgacha) over all people.

“the greater the share is which a person has obtained of this Divine influence, on account of both his physical predisposition and his training, the greater must also be the effect of Divine Providence upon him, for the action of Divine Providence is proportional to the endowment of intellect, as has been mentioned above. The relation of Divine Providence is therefore not the same to all men; the greater the human perfection a person has attained, the greater the benefit he derives from Divine Providence. … This belief that God provides for every individual human being in accordance with his merits is one of the fundamental principles on which the Law is founded.”

A chilling illustration of this is the story of Adam eating from the Eitz Hadaas.  After eating, Adam hides from G-d.  Is it possible to hide from G-d?  Obviously not.  But somehow Adam thinks that G-d doesn’t know where he is?  How does G-d respond to Adam’s hiding?  G-d asks “Ayeca?”  “Where are you?”  G-d, so to speak, plays along and follows the reality that Adam has established. 

(Similarly, Sefer HaIkkarim applies this principle to prayer.  Bothered by the question of how can we change G-d’s mind or will with our Prayers – Since G-d is unchangeable – He explains that prayer doesn’t change G-d but rather changes the person who prays.  G-d’s goodness is poised and ready to flow to the person who improve/perfects himself.  The degree of goodness you receive is a reflection of who you are.)

Hashem has reality reflect who we are.  Or, on a more subtle level, who we are is the cause of our reality.

A personal story:  I had a sales position to sell securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, asset management, etc.).  These were investment vehicles that I did not fully believe in (for reasons I won’t explain here).  I met with many prospects.  How do you think my sales performance was?  Dismal.  I just couldn’t sell.  I believe my lack of success was because my attitude towards these investments was reflected back to me by my prospects.  My prospects essentially communicated to me that they didn’t believe in these investments either.

Mechanics of Middah knegged Middah – Hashem’s response or your own inner reality?

What are the mechanics of middah knegged middah?  Is it Hashem that “sends” the consequence, or is it a natural consequence (“sphysics” = spiritual physics) built into the fabric of reality like cleaning the room?

The answer is staggering:  the mechanics of Middah kneged Middah will depend on your understanding of Hashem, because remember, your reality is a reflection of your consciousness. 

This idea is well articulated by R’ Aryeh Kaplan in “Inner Space” page 98-99:

“When referring to G-d’s interaction with creation, we can think of Him in two distinct yet complimentary ways.  We can speak of G-d as the Creator of the universe, thus conceiving him as a “Being.”  On the other hand we can speak of G-d as the creative Force that gives existence to the universe, thus conceiving of Him as an abstract “Principle.” 

The main thing that characterizes G-d as a being is that we can relate to Him personally.  When we view G-d as the creator and master of the universe we are ascribing anthropomorphic concepts to Him that are most fitting to an Omniscient sentient being.

The main thing that characterizes a principle, on the other hand, is that there is no place where it does not exist.  This is like taking a mathematical principle such as 1+1=2.  This simple equation is a good example of something that does not exist in space, and yet, at the same time, exists everywhere.  This is true of every universal principle.  By nature, an abstract principle is completely independent of space and time.

For many reasons, therefore, it would be useful to think of G-d as a principle rather than a being.  For one thing, it would make it readily understandable how He exists outside of space and time and yet fills all space and time.  For another, an idea such as this breaks down the stereotyped anthropomorphic concepts that people have about G-d.”

This is a delicate shift in our G-d paradigm.  Are you relating to G-d as a being or principle?

If you relate to G-d as a being then G-d “responds” by wielding reality to meet you measure for measure. 

If you relate to G-d as a principle, then G-d is not a being wielding reality.  G-d is reality – the reality that you caused to influence and govern your life.

For further treatment of this topic, see R’ Yerucham, daas Torah, parshas D’varim, “Hashem tzilcha” & “klallus habriya”