About 2000 years ago, conflict broke out between Greeks and Jews in Jerusalem and Caesarea.
According to the Talmud, Nero went to Jerusalem and shot arrows in all four directions. All the arrows landed in the city. He then asked a passing child to repeat the verse he had learned that day. The child responded, “I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel” (Ez. 25,14). Nero became terrified, believing that God wanted the Temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed, but would punish the one to carry it out. Nero said, “He desires to lay waste His House and to lay the blame on me,” whereupon he fled and converted to Judaism to avoid such retribution.
The Talmud adds that the sage Reb Meir Baal HaNess, one of the greatest Torah Scholars in his time, was a descendant of Nero.
Nero’s having a descendant of such high stature among the Jewish people was one of his *rewards.
Why is it a reward? A person will receive part of the rewards of their children. If their children do Mitzvot and good deeds – a person will be rewarded in heaven. If they follow after vanity and do bad for the world, apparently the parents will lose their stature in heaven.
About 3,000 years ago G-d gave the Jews the Torah. Torah is His blueprint for creation. The laws of nature and spiritual laws follow Torah laws.
Thus, apart from one oneself doing the commandments – One of the greatest things a person can hope for is that their children go in the path of the Torah. For every mitzvah – commandment that a person does – provides a reward to the parents.
One of the reasons people do Mitzvah or organize Torah learning in memory of a deceased love one is that the departed receive a portion of the mitzvah that is done for them in heaven. Thus one is able to send a “gift” to a departed loved one by doing a Mitzvah in their honor. In the next world – a person enjoys the reward they built by doing Mitzvot on Earth. In the next world one cannot earn reward. He must rely on others he or she left on earth to continue his or her legacy of doing mitzvot or learning Torah.
A Story.
Once a young Torah learner was riding down the road. He saw a limo with a flat tire. He decided to stop and help.
He helped the limo driver change the tire. Who was riding in the limo? Donald Trump. He thanked the young Torah learner and took down his coordinates.
Soon after – when the Torah learner went to pay his outstanding debts – he found they were paid. He inquired how is this so he didn’t pay them. He found out that Trump paid his outstanding debts.
Trump has a daughter – Ivanka – that became a righteous convert to Judaism. She follows the Jewish laws / Halacha of Torah – as all Orthodox Jews do.
What was Trump’s merit that he had such a daughter? Was it that he helped a Torah learner?
I don’t know.
In heaven – the world of truth – one will find out. Suffice to say that he must have done something good to have merited a Daughter that follows Torah.
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*(We see also the power of sincere Teshuva / Repentance. That although Nero committed terrible acts in his lifetime, when he repented – he was forgiven. A Jew repents by feeling badly for one’s bad acts, committing not to do them again and commits to following Torah. A gentile does the same but commits to following the 7 Noahide laws.)