When you send away the mother-bird . . . when you build a new house and you make a fence around your roof . . . don’t sow a mixture in your vineyard . . . don’t wear shatnez (22:7-11).
Rashi explains that the Torah listed several mitzvos next to each other to teach us that fulfilling one mitzvah leads to a second, and so on. In this example, one who fulfils the mitzvah of sending away the mother-bird will come to build a house, which will then lead to owning a vineyard, and nice clothing in order to fulfil the mitzvos relating to them.
If the performance of sending away a mother-bird leads to all of these benefits, this sounds contrary to the principle that the performance of mitzvos do not bring reward in This World. In fact, it sounds like sending away the mother-bird leads to a life of great wealth!?
Rav Dessler notes that even the smallest of mitzvos cannot possibly generate an adequate reward in This World, and therefore, to receive adequate recompense is impossible. However, when Hashem sees someone performing a mitzvah, He presents him with the opportunity of performing other mitzvos, not as payment for his deeds, but in order for him to attain more reward.
This is like someone who works for a top firm and his role is to bring in high-end clients. If his work requires him to wine and dine the clients, then the bill is covered by his boss who understands that despite the great personal benefit that his employee is enjoying, the extravagances are only a means to facilitate the employee’s success. In fact, when he sees that his employee is successful, he is likely to increase the budget in order to bring in even more valuable clients. These expenses are not taken from the employee’s salary or commission, rather, it is considered a business expense aimed at facilitating further success.
Similarly, knowing that our role in This World is to acquire the merits to enjoy Hashem’s Presence in the World to Come, when we demonstrate our ability to be successful in our life’s role, Hashem is willing to increase the budget, as it were, by providing us with opportunities to gain more merits.
Therefore, if we view our possessions not as a means of enjoyment per se, rather as a vehicle to gain further merits, then Hashem will continue to provide the means to come closer to Him and facilitate our growth, for that is the ultimate goal of our existence.
