שבת Date: 20 Av, 5774 (8/16/14) – MoedKatan#5 {Tani}

RATIOS and Such

[5a bottom] R’ Yehoshua ben Levi: Whoever appraises his ways (to weigh a loss of not doing a Mitzvah against its eternal reward as well as a sin’s gain versus its eternal punishment) will witness the salvation of Hashem and see the Geulah (redemption) [because he is working on genuine righteousness and salvation from sin]. The verse demonstrates this lesson by reading the words as, “v’SHam derech” (one who appraises) instead of “v’Sam derech” (one who sets).

T’s Lesson: We should always weigh our actions and deeds to see the harm vs benefit ratio. This is especially true in relation to the prevention of a sin, as well as not to risk losing a reward for a Mitzvah. We should try to calculate the ratios in our deeds, even if only to reduce as much sinning as possible.