792. A Stubborn and Rebellious Son

“There never was nor ever will be a stubborn and rebellious son. Rather, demand and receive reward” (Sanhedrin 71).

We should ask, since it is known that the Torah is called “the names of the Creator,” meaning that all the practice of Mitzvot [commandments] pertain to the internality, so there are things that do not have a grip on the corporeal world. The Torah means the internality of the Torah, and there, all 613 Mitzvot apply.

Although in corporeality, a person cannot observe all of the 613, such as levirate marriage, still, because all the things in corporeality are generally applied by the general public, it is possible for the individual to observe all 613 Mitzvot. This is the meaning of “Demand and receive reward.”

In ethics, we should say that it is known that man must observe the Torah, in return for which he will receive a reward, as it is written, “And it came to pass that if you surely listen … and I will give grass in your field,” etc., and as our sages said, “The Creator wanted to reward Israel; therefore, He gave them plentiful Torah and Mitzvot.”

This means that through the Torah and Mitzvot, man will be corrected and will be able to receive pleasure, and the intention will be for the sake of the Creator and not for his own sake. It follows that the reward is that he is doing the Creator’s will and receives pleasure.

There are also things that one cannot attain, that are too high for man to obtain, meaning that there has never been anyone who attained them nor will there ever be one who attains them. The Torah gave this only for the discernment of “Demand and receive reward,” where “demand” is as in “Zion, no one requires her.”