Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
There are a whole lot of mitzvot in our parashah. Are they just smushed together randomly? Or can we learn something from the order in which we find them?
מִצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה—מִנַּיִן? דִּכְתִיב: "כִּי יִקָּרֵא קַן צִפּוֹר לְפָנֶיךָ… שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח…" אַחֲרָיו מַה כְּתִיב? "כִּי תִּבְנֶה בַּיִת חָדָשׁ"—תִּזְכֶּה לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת חָדָשׁ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת מַעֲקֶה.
מַה כְּתִיב אַחֲרָיו? "לֹא תִזְרַע כַּרְמְךָ כִּלְאָיִם"—תִּזְכֶּה לְכֶרֶם וְלִזְרֹעַ שָׂדֶה. מַה כְּתִיב אַחֲרָיו? "לֹא תַּחֲרֹשׁ בְּשׁוֹר וּבַחֲמוֹר"—תִּזְכֶּה לִשְׁוָרִים וַחֲמוֹרִים.
מַה כְּתִיב אַחֲרָיו? "לֹא תִלְבַּשׁ שַׁעַטְנֵז"—תִּזְכֶּה לִבְגָדִים נָאִים מִן צֶמֶר וְלִבְגָדִים נָאִים מִפִּשְׁתִּים.
מַה כְּתִיב אַחֲרָיו? "גְּדִלִים תַּעֲשֶׂה לָךְ"—תִּזְכֶּה לְמִצְוַת צִיצִית….
One mitzvah leads to another mitzvah. How do we know this? It’s written: "If you come across a bird's nest, send away the mother..." (Devarim 22:6-7). What’s written after this? "When you build a new house" (Devarim 22:8). When you observe the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird, your reward is you’ll get to build a new house for yourself, and then you’ll get to do the mitzvah of ma’akeh (building a railing for your roof).
What’s written after this? "Do not plant your vineyard with different kinds of seeds" (Devarim 22:9). When you observe the previous mitzvot, your reward will be to have a vineyard and plant a field.
What’s written after this? "Do not plow with an ox and a donkey together" (Devarim 22:10). If you don’t mix plants in your field, then you’ll get to have oxen and donkeys.
What’s written after this? "Do not wear shaatnez (a mixture of wool and linen" (Devarim 22:11). If you don’t make your donkeys and oxen plow together, you’ll get to have fine garments of wool and fine garments of linen.
What’s written after this? "You shall make fringes on the four corners of your garment" (Devarim 22:12). If you don’t wear wool and linen together, you’ll have the opportunity to observe the mitzvah of tzitzit….
- What’s the real reward here—getting nicer things, or having the chance to do mitzvot with those nice things? Could it be both?
- How can the chance to do another mitzvah be a reward? Why does doing mitzvot lead a person to do more mitzvot?
- Have you ever done a mitzvah and then immediately discovered the opportunity to do another? When?
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