אִם בְּחוּקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ גו' וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם. לִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה וְקִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹת הֵם טַבַּעַת הַקִּדּוּשִׁין שֶׁבָּהֶם קִדֵּשׁ הקב"ה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהִתְחַיֵּב לָזוּן אוֹתָם וּלְפַרְנְסָם.

It is written:1 “If you walk in the path of My statutes… I will grant your rains in their season.” The study of the Torah and the observance of the mitzvos are the wedding ring with which the Holy One, blessed be He, consecrated the Jewish people, obligating Himself2 to provide them with their sustenance and livelihood.3

Probing Beneath the Surface

There is a seeming contradiction in the position taken by Rambam on a core issue of Jewish thought. On the one hand, he rules4 that the reward for our observance of the mitzvos will be granted in the World to Come, and not in this world. On the other hand, he states:5 “We are promised by the Torah that if we observe it with joy and goodwill…, [G‑d] will remove all the obstacles that prevent us from fulfilling it, such as sickness, war, famine, and the like. Moreover, He will grant us all the good things that empower us to observe it — such as plenty, peace, and an abundance of silver and gold.”

Resolving this contradiction,6 the Rebbe explains that the peace and abundance promised by the Torah are not the rewards for its observance. Rather, the reward for observing the Torah is a perception of Divinity in the World to Come. However, to help us earn this reward, G‑d provides for us — like a husband providing for his wife — and minimizes our struggles in this world.