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Why do only shiluach hakan and kibbud av v'em promise arichut yamim as reward? These mitzvos uniquely allow us to feel our eternal nature in this world. True chaim means sensing eternality today, not just biological life.
This shiur explores the unique nature of the two mitzvos that promise arichut yamim (long life) as reward: shiluach hakan (sending away the mother bird) and kibbud av v'em (honoring parents). The Gemara (גמרא) in Kiddushin establishes that these rewards refer to Olam Haba, citing the case of someone who fulfilled both mitzvos yet died while performing them, leading Elisha ben Avuyah to conclude "ein schar mitzvah (מצוה) b'hai alma" (there is no reward for mitzvos in this world). Rabbi Zweig addresses several fundamental questions: Why do only these two mitzvos explicitly promise reward when all mitzvos merit reward? How can the Torah (תורה) explicitly mention Olam Haba when the Rambam (רמב"ם) teaches that Olam Haba is deliberately not explicit in the written Torah, appearing only in Torah she'b'al peh?
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Parshas Ki Seitzei - shiluach hakan mitzvah
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Why does Rashi describe the Mishkan as "collateral" for Jewish sins? Rabbi Zweig develops the concept that God limited His own collection rights—accepting only the Mishkan's destruction rather than the nation's annihilation. This reflects the relationship of a father who reduces his own claims to ensure his children's survival.
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