Divine Karma - Part Two

Last week we touched upon the idea of reciprocal reality or what the Talmud calls middah knegged middah, “measure for measure”. In contemporary terms this is the idea that there is a karmic balance in the universe, “what goes around comes around”. The question we asked is whether this is a natural law built in to the fabric of the universe or if it is a divinely imposed system.

In Pirkei Avot chapter 2 Mishnah 7 we find the following intriguing comment by the famous Hillel:

“He [Hillel] further saw a skull floating on the water. He said to it: 'Because you drowned you were drowned, and in the end those who drowned you will be drowned in turn.'"

From Hillel’s perspective punishment is not simply some Divine decree -- some magical promise of retribution for your sins. It is the very literal result of the evil you have perpetrated. There are spiritual laws of nature in this world every bit as much as there are physical. And this is what Hillel truly comes to teach us. He saw in this chance encounter the spiritual forces beyond which both initiated and were perpetuating this vicious cycle of violence.

Additionally the Mishnah states, "With the measuring stick that a person measures others he is measured himself" (Sotah 1:7). This is echoing the idea that the actions and energy we project unto the world and other people will bounce back to us at some point in time.

It is important to note that according to the Talmud we are commanded to imitate certain characteristics of the Divine.  The Gemara takes the verse in Deuteronomy which commands us to “walk in God’s ways,” as a commandment to imitate God’s characteristics of mercy and graciousness, “mah hu rachum, af ata rachum.”  This is done, the Talmud says in another place, by imitating four things that God does in the Torah: clothing the naked (Adam and Eve), visiting the sick (Abraham), comforting the mourner (Isaac) and burying the dead (Moses).

Chassidic thought takes this a step further. Not just are we commanded to emulate God, but in fact, the way we act towards others is the way God will act to us. If we are patient with others, then God will be patient with us. If we are forgiven of others, God will be forgiven of us etc…

We also find support for this in the famous statement of ben Azzai (Pirkei Avot 4:2):

“One mitzvah leads to another mitzvah, and one sin leads to another sin; for the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah and the 'reward' of a sin is a sin."

The simple way of understanding this is that part of the reward of doing mitzvot is that God will put us into situations where we are afforded more opportunities to do good. To some extent, this principle is simply a gift from heaven. G-d rewards us for performing the first mitzvah by putting us in the right place at the right time, affording us opportunities to do yet more mitzvot.

[The same unfortunately holds true regarding evil: one sin leads to another. If a person commits a certain type of sin one time -- say one he has never done before -- he will feel guilty. The next time, however, he will not feel that same twinge of regret. He may then slip down another rung and sin in a slightly bigger way -- partly because he's developed an appetite for that type of behavior and partly because it's only one more small step from where he now is. The Talmud teaches that if one sins and repeats it, the sin becomes "permissible" to him (Sotah 22a). It has just lost its severity. He wasn't struck by lightning. Nothing seems to have changed; the world goes on as usual.]

But how can this statement be true if we know that, “There is no reward in this world" (Talmud Kiddushin 39b). "Today is to perform; tomorrow is for reward" (Talmud Eruvin 22a). Doesn’t this imply that essentially there is no reward for mitzvoth in this world?

Perhaps our perspective should be that the reward of a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself. The word mitzvah etymologically is a close cousin of the word tzavta, which means connection. So the Mishnah is saying that the result of the mitzvah is the connection to God itself that we experience as a result of doing His will.

The karmic balance of the mitzvah can be understood in two ways. On a humanistic level and a spiritual level. The humanistic one is that the actions we do, start to become second nature and actually tangibly impact our emotions and psyche. This is the fascinating assertion that achre hamasim nimcshachim ha’levavot “our hearts are drawn to our actions”. (An idea that psychology has become very interested in and the subject of the next post.)

Giving a nickel or dime at the cash register to cure heart disease may make very little difference to the recipient organization (although, of course, every nickel adds up), but it makes a difference to us. It will transform us into more charitable individuals, and the next time it will be that much easier. We will have then readied ourselves for bigger and greater challenges. We will start to naturally gravitate towards good deeds and develop an appetite and appreciation for being kind and generous people. Thus we will have received reward for our good deeds in the sense that we are now that much closer to God and a spiritually enlightened life.

The spiritual metaphysical level is just the macro-cosmic layer of the humanistic one. Instead of just focusing on the good changes that will be nurtured within our psyches’, we can focus on the bigger picture. One mitzvah can produce a shift in the balance of good and evil in the world and one action can literally change the world. If you feel like that is ludicrous, just consider this story.

“His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black mulch, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of."

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.

Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.

His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill. The man who held the Nazis at bay.

Someone once said, "What goes around, comes around

In conclusion it seems to be there is strong indication that the 'measure for measure' principle can be understood as a natural law of the universe, as well as a sort of “magical” and divinely imposed system of reality.