A gold digger is a term for a person, who engages in a type of transactional relationship to get money or stuff in return for certain actions.
The term became popular for women who choose to marry a rich man, so they get materialistic stuff and money in exchange for doing the wifely duties.
Think about this: A father asked his son to bring him a cup of water. Immediately, the son jumps at the opportunity and asks the father for a new gadget in return. The son got up and brought a cup of water to his father and waited for the gift in return. When the son did not get the new gadget, he became angry and questioned his father. The following time, when the father asked the son to do something, the son began bargaining and negotiating, asking what he would get in return. Only after the reward made sense to him, did the son do as he was asked.
Everyone who saw these interactions were surprised at the son’s actions and demands. After all, the father is feeding him, and providing everything that his son needs to live, thrive and grow. Yet, the son is so ungrateful and is demanding reward for doing every bit of his share. Furthermore, the son claimed that his father needs him and that if he is not around, his father’s life will never be the same as his father will be missing out.
This son is a gold digger who wants to get everything from his father. In addition, he wants to be rewarded and paid for the things that are normal and expected from every son to contribute.
There are people who follow in the same pattern. They follow the Torah commandments in order to get returns, favors and rewards from Hashem for everything they do. If the expected reward or favor does not arrive at their expected time, some become angry, while others question Hashem and Judaism.
These people humanize Hashem, they want to know reasons, and demand rewards for following Hashem’s commandments. In addition, the reasons have to make sense to them.
When Hashem gave us the Torah, we as a Jewish Nation accepted the Torah, we said נעשה ונשמע
We will do, and then we will hear. Hashem give us life and everything we need in life to thrive and grow. We are here to serve Hashem our king, our father. It is not a give and take relationship, it is not an employee/ employer relationship where we get paid by the hour or for the deed we do.
A Torah Jew is someone who follows the commandments just because Hashem told us to do so, not due to reward or punishment. Please note that reward will come in due time if or when our Father sees fit.
Before Yehoshua Hanavi died, he asked the Jews who they chose to follow, Hashem or other gods, idol worship like they did in the Mibar when they miscalculated the return of Moisha Rabainu.
The Jews responded that they that will follow Hashem, who took them out of Egypt and gave them the amazing land of Israel with its sweetness of flowing milk and honey.
The nuvi (prophet) told them that this is not the reason to follow Hashem. If they only follow Hashem because he provided them with good, then they will end up moving away from Hashem. Why? Because if they follow Hashem just because of the good stuff they got from Hashem like being taken out of slavery and getting our own awesome land, then one day they will hear of some other Avoda Zora or Segula that gives rewards and preforms miracles, and then they will follow that.
Pirkei Avos 1:3 states אל תהיו כעבדים המשמשין את הרב על מנת לקבל פרס, אלא הוו כעבדיםח המשמשין את הרב שלאי על מנת לקבל פרס, ויהי מורא שמים עליכם
Do not be like servants who serve the master in the expectation of receiving a reward, but be like servants who serve the master without the expectation of receiving a reward, and let the fear of Hashem be upon you.
Yehoshia made it clear that one who follows the Torah for the reason or reward will in the end leave Hashem. We need to follow Hashem because He created us, He gave us the Torah and mitzvahs and He commanded us to do so.
When you buy a machine or robot, and you want to get it to work properly, you read the manual and follow all the instructions so you know how the maker intended for it to be used. Hashem is our creator. He gave us the Torah as our manual, we must follow the Torah so we know how to have the best life in this world.
Hashem made us the way we are. He knows our situation, our strengths and weaknesses. When we follow Him by doing what He commanded us in the Torah, our life will be sweet. In Parshas Haszini it states….the Torah Ki haim Chaiychu the Torah is our life, when we follow the Torah as our guide our life is sweet.
The life story of Acher, אביויה בן צרויה rebbe of Reb Meir shows us that when one does mitzvahs for the reward, they end up losing everything spiritually. See Gemurah…. Acher did mitzvahs for their reward. One day, Acher saw a man asking his son to climb a tree to the mitzvah of Shliach Haken. While doing so, the son fell to his death. Acher was shocked by what happened, as he knew that the reward for honoring one’s parents is long life, and questioned where the reward of long life was.
We see many times in Gemurah that a big part of a mitzvah is the thought and intent, and therefore we don’t ever see the entire picture of what really happened behind the scenes, only Hashem sees it.
After witnessing this incident, Acher came to the conclusion that since there is no reward for actions, he no longer wanted to perform them.
Acher heard the בת קול (heavenly voice) saying that Acher can no longer repent. It was at that moment that Acher decided that since he will no longer get rewards or merit the next world, he will at least enjoy this world by doing whatever he feels like, including sinning.
I always had the question, why would Acher give it up and go all out, including doing sins on purpose. He never became a kofer, he did help his student reb Meir follow the Torah. When he heard the heavenly voice saying that he will no longer get reward, at that point, Acher had the opportunity to do mitzvahs לשם שמים just because Hashem commanded him to do so even without getting the reward.
My husband explained it to me very clearly. Acher did all mitzvahs for the reward. When he heard that he will no longer get reward in the world to come, he gave it all up. Acher acted as a gold digger, not like a Torah Jew who does the commandments just because Hashem commanded us to do so.
Maybe this was precisely Acher’s nisoyon. Maybe Hashem was testing Acher to see how he will react to the heavenly voice. Who knows, maybe if he repented and did the mitzvahs as a Torah Jew not as a gold digger there could have been a different outcome. But He failed the test.
Growing up I heard stories of great Torah sages who, when looking for Esrog for Sukkos, the seller demanded the spiritual reward of the mitzvah in lieu of money and the sages agreed. This showed their greatness and that they were true Torah Jews. These sages desperately wanted the Esrog because Hashem commanded us to hold it on Sukkos. They didn’t care if they got a reward or not, all that mattered to them was to do the will of Hashem.
