"And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you" Deuteronomy 28:2
This world does not seem to be a place where the good are rewarded and the bad receive their "just desserts".
In fact, our tradition tells us that the spiritual practices (mitzvot) that lie at the centre of Judaism can essentially be rewarded only in the world to come. Intriguingly, this seems to be because the world we live in, notwithstanding its wonderful richness of experience and opportunity, simply doesn't possess a "currency" refined enough to relate to the value of a mitzvah. To reward a person in this world would be like a parent expressing love for a child only through the medium of sweets and toys.
How, then, can it be that this week's sidrah - and many other passages in the Torah - seems to promise this-worldly wealth, health and success as a direct corollary of spiritual and ethical goodness?
