Why are Tzadikkim considered as if they had created themselves?

(26,3) If you walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them.

Without going into the questions which the commentaries have already raised, we can explain this posuk according to Chazal’s statement, that the greater one is, the bigger is his evil inclination. They also said, that in the future Hashem will bring the evil inclination and slaughter it in front of everybody - to the tzadikkim it will appear like a mountain, and to the wicked it will appear like a strand of hair. These will cry, and these will cry, etc. The Maharsha connects these two statements of Chazal, and explained that since the greater one is, the bigger is his evil inclination, therefore it appears to the tzadikkim like a mountain.

Now, it says in the Midrash on the posuk “and keep My commandments, and do them” - if you observe them, I will accredit it to you as if you had made yourself. (The Hebrew words for “and do them” - ‘va’asisem osom’ - can be read ‘va’asisem atem’, which means ‘and you made yourself’) But it seems to me that not everyone can merit this. Only the Tzadikkim, to whom the evil inclination appears like a mountain, who have done tremendous amount of work and conquered their evil inclination, can be considered as if they had given over their life completely in the service of Hashem. Therefore they are paid measure for measure, and it is considered as if they had created themselves. But these whose evil inclination is not so great, and who cannot be considered as if they had given over their lives, are not considered as if they had made themselves.

Therefore the posuk says, “If you walk in My statutes”, which Rashi explains means that if you will toil in the study of Torah, and nevertheless, “keep My commandments”, and overcome the evil inclination, then “and you shall do them”, I will accredit to you as if you had made yourself. But if you do not toil in the study of Torah, then even if you keep My commandments, nevertheless, since your evil inclination is not so great, it will not be considered as if you had made yourself.

When does the rule ‘there is no reward for mitzvos in this world’ not apply?

(26,3) If you walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them. I will give your rains in their time…

The posuk says, “I will give yours rains in their time”, and Chazal teach us that “in their time” means Shabbos night, when people do not usually go out.

But if not for their holy words, we can explain differently. Chazal said that there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world. The Maharsha explains the reason is lest the person abandons his righteous ways, and Chazal have explained that one who regrets his earlier good deeds, destroys retroactively all his merits. Therefore, he is not paid a reward in this world.

But this is relevant only to someone who is not involved in Torah. But someone who is involved in Torah, the Torah saves one from sin, as the Rabbis taught on the posuk (Mishlei 2,11) “Thought shall watch over you” - the Torah shall guard you. And especially a Torah sage who learns Torah all the way through to the halachah, about whom Chazal said, that when he comes to a crossroads (to a place of great danger), he is saved from everything. If so, such a person will never in the future sin, and he deserves reward in this world.

Now, a Torah sage who learns all the way through to the halachah, he is rectifying and clarifying the mitzvos in order to establish the halachah. One who does not do this, only has the reward of his learning, but the Torah sage who is establishing the halachah has two merits - his learning and his rectification and clarification of the mitzvah. And the word ‘asiyah’ (doing) also has the meaning of ‘tikkun’ (rectification). Also, Rashi explained that the posuk “If you walk in My statutes”, means, if you will toil in the study of the Torah.

Now we can understand these posukim. “If you walk in My statutes”, if you toil in the study of the Torah, and also “keep My commandments, and do them”, that you rectify and clarify the mitzvos, then no sin will occur through you, and thus I will you your reward immediately, in this world. And so, “I will you your rains in their time”. All material benefits are included in the word for rain - ‘geshem’ (the word ‘gashmiyus’ means materialism). Thus, I will give you all your material needs in their time, that is, immediately, at the time of your doing the mitzvah.