The Reward of the Righteous
Rabbi Tarfon used to say, “If you have studied much in the Torah, much reward will be given you for faithful is your employer who shall pay you the reward of your labor. And know that the reward for the righteous shall be in the time to come,” (m.Avot 2:21). Sometimes we may wonder how our sages derive teachings such as this. Where do concepts like these stem from? Are they made up out of thin air or do they have some root in the Scriptures? First, the Scriptures are filled with the principle of reward and punishment. The righteous will be rewarded, and the wicked will suffer punishment. In our present case, the principle of reward is connected to the study of Torah.