Pharoah had enough of the Hebrew population multiplying and filling his land, and he has a great idea to solve the problem! Pharoah calls for Shifra and Puah, who are the midwives Yocheved and Miriam, and commands them that when a boy is born, they must see to it that the infant dies. The pasuk tells us that the midwives feared Hashem and they didn’t do as Pharoah spoke to them; they kept the boys alive. Pharoah summoned them and demanded, "Why did you keep the boys alive"? The midwives responded that the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptians and they give birth even before anyone arrives to help. By then, it's too late to kill the babies. The pasuk tells us the reward that Yocheved and Miriam got – "Vayetev Elokim la’miyaldos vayirev ha’am vyatzmu meod" – Hashem did good to the midwives, the people increased and they became very strong. Then, in pasuk 21 it says, "And it was because the midwives feared Hashem, He made for them houses." (Rashi says Hashem gave them the houses of kehuna, leviya and malchus)
It says in pasuk 20 that Hashem bestowed upon the midwives a benefit, and that benefit is in pasuk 21, that He gave them "houses". This is how Rashi explains it. Asks the Ohr Hachaim, why does the pasuk interrupt between the good Hashem will bestow upon the midwives with the words of "vayirev ha’am vayatzmu meod" – the people increased and became strong. What does this have to do with the good that Hashem bestowed upon the midwives?
Says the Ohr Hachaim: The midwives were involved in saving Jewish lives, which is a tremendous mitzva. Therefore, Hashem gave them the opportunity to perform mitzvos without end, in order to increase their reward. The birth of every Jewish boy provided the midwives with another opportunity to defy Pharoah’s decree. Since they saved the boys' lives, all the boys were counted to their credit and as the nation grew, so did their merit. This is peshat in the pasuk; part of the good that Hashem did for the midwives was that He increased the nation and caused more Jewish boys to be born. Comes out, that part of the "Vayetev Elokim la'miyaldos" – the goodness that Hashem did for the midwives, was the fact that "vayirev ha'am..." – that the nation multiplied and more boys were born, providing the midwives with more merits.
The Mishnah in Masechta Avos perek 4 mishna 2 says that the reward for a mitzva is a mitzva. What does that mean? Rabeinu Yona explains that the reward of a mitzva is that Hashem sends you the opportunity to do another mitzva. As we learned from the Ohr Hachaim, being that the midwives were involved in saving Jewish lives, Hashem rewarded them that they merited to save even more children.
Many times, a poor person comes to you in shul for tzedakah and you are very happy to give him. But then, many more people start streaming towards you with their envelopes and you get annoyed; it's too much! But the truth is, according to what we just learned, this is part of your reward! Since you fulfilled the mitzvah of tzedakah, Hashem now rewarded you by sending many more opportunities your way. Instead of getting annoyed, recognize that the additional opportunities to give are part of your s'char and be happy! Don't reject your reward!
We ask in Avinu Malkeinu that Hashem should write us down or remember us for "z'chuyos". What does it mean to ask Hashem for z'chusim? If you do mitzvos, you will have z'chusim, and if not - not. But according to what we are saying, we are davening that Hashem should send us that one opportunity to do a mitzva, because from one mitzva we will merit "zechuyos" in the plural. That's "schar mitzvah, mitzvah"!
At the laying of the corner stone for Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin (the yeshiva of Rav Meir Shapiro), there was a family there that donated the money for the land of the yeshiva. The Chortkover Rebbe said to them, "I want to tell you something: I am not jealous that you gave the land because thousands of people here are giving you kavod. So you are getting your reward right here. But I am jealous of the mitzva that you did that gave you the opportunity to do this mitzva. That’s what I am jealous of".
I saw in a sefer Avir Yaakov in the name of Rav Elya Svei zt”l that the nature of people is that it’s hard to do actions when you don’t see the fruits of your labor immediately. However, if you do merit to see the outcome of your actions, there is no greater simcha. When the midwives saw how klal Yisroel was thriving and all those tiny infants grew up healthy and strong, they rejoiced. They reaped the joy of seeing the fruits of their labor.
All the mitzvos we do are guaranteed to earn us endless reward. Sometimes we are zoche to see the result of our good deeds, and that gives us so much satisfaction. For example, you make a shidduch, and you see the couple happily building a bayis ne'eman b'Yisroel. Of course, you'll be getting s'char in the world to come, but you also get some nachas here and now, the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of your labor. Sometimes, however, instead of seeing the fruits of our labor, we just get another opportunity, and another, and another! The "flood" of opportunities can sometimes be hard for us. Let's recognize these opportunities as the goldmines that they are and never reject the reward of "schar mitzvah, mitzvah". Each mitzvah is priceless. You can never get enough.
