“Am I a bad Jew if I do mitzvot to get rewarded with health and wealth?” Seems like a fair question as many instinctively associate Judaism with spirituality. While the loftiest level of divine service is certainly more altruistic, here is why an attitude of anticipating material reward is certainly not wrong or inappropriate.
In this week’s parsha the Torah states, “If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them, I will give your rains in their time, the Land will yield its produce… you will eat your food to satiety, and you will live in security in your land… I will remove wild beasts from the Land, and no army will pass through your land…” Simply put, G-d makes a deal with the Jewish people: do what G-d wants and life will be excellent. On the surface it seems counterintuitive to motivate Jewish living by promising material benefits. After all, when someone studies Torah properly and is passionately involved in Mitzvah observance, their interest in materialism is inevitably diminished and physical reward is no longer appealing. The reward doesn't match the deed. The same could be asked about how the prophets and sages describe the future era of redemption through Moshiach with fantastical depictions of food miraculously sprouting overnight and every conceivable delight and convenience available at our fingertips. Can the divine purpose in creation really boil down to a materialistic wonderland? The key to understanding all of this is to appreciate this premise: Judaism is not meant to enhance life; it is life itself. G-d’s will and wisdom as manifest in the Torah is the blueprint of creation and must impact every aspect of our reality - even materialistic delights and conveniences. Torah study is not limited to stimulating the mind’s curiosity and Mitzvot are not exclusively expressions of passionate feelings for divine closeness. Living life according to G-d's divine code of conduct for humanity is meant to elevate and perfect every fiber of our being, even materialism. War, famine, illness and hatred are an aberration; an indication that our world is not properly aligned with its Creator, and Torah is meant to fix that. The fantastical descriptions of the Messianic era are not petty indulgences in exchange for our compliance, rather symptoms of world perfection. In that era, everyone will have peace, food and health. Rockets will not fall over helpless civilians, the misery and squalor of refugee camps will end and hatred and malice will cease. Everyone will have access to clean drinking water, disease will disappear and medicine will only serve as a medium to better understand G-d's wondrous creation. Maimonides declared we must believe this can happen, and anticipate it will imminently happen. Most importantly we must know we are empowered to actively make it happen. For one good thought, spoken word or deed can be the one to tip the scales for the entire world and usher in that blessed era we all so desperately await. May it happen right now!