יום ב Date: 12 Iyar, 5774 (5/12/14) – RoshHashana#4 {Tani}

MOTIVATIONS

[4a top] Gemarah: If a Jew acts from a selfish motivation, he is still considered a righteous person (because he still inherently wants to do Mitzvos anyway). Non-Jews who acts purely out of selfishness, would not be rewarded as such. King Darius really was selfish (and wanted the Temple built so the Jews could pray on his behalf) even though it appeared that he was benevolent.

T’s Lesson#1: Jews should not initially act just in order to receive a reward; but this rule applies when the person acts only out of desire for the reward. We should act because we are serving our Creator and our Ruler, Hashem. We should focus our sights on what our purpose is in this world; doing Mitzvos.

T’s Lesson#2: Additionally, on the heels of yesterday, as strangers in a strange land, our rulers act in their own selfish motives and do not always have our own best interests in mind. A ruler can change his mind in an instant and completely reverse previous decisions. As we see by Darius (although it seemed beneficial on the surface), he had his own agenda. Never feel too complacent in a land that is not your own. We belong in OUR land; the land of the Jewish people.