In this week's parashah (section), the Torah teaches us one of the foundations of Judaism. In the days leading up to his death, Moses recounts to the Jewish people all the precepts, including concepts that, while not strictly speaking mitzvot, are part of the great foundations upon which Judaism is built.
The debate among our sages about what and how many are the foundations of Judaism is well known. Maimonides proposed a system of 13 foundations (to read them click here), while others (such as Iosef Albo, in his book "The Foundations") argue that there are only three (1. The existence of God, 2. The revelation of God, 3. Divine justice), and the other concepts are derived from these three main ones.
However, despite the differences between these systems, all agree that one of the fundamental principles of Judaism is reward and punishment. This is one of the central themes of this parashah.
In summary, the foundation is that God rewards good actions and punishes bad ones, where good and evil are determined according to the observance of Divine precepts (because it would be very ambiguous to say "be a good person", "act well", therefore, a specific way of judging good and evil is needed).
This concept is mainly related to the idea that if a human being received all of God's vitality without prior effort, he would feel ashamed, his work would have no value, so God proposes a system where the person makes an effort and God rewards him.
So, where is the emphasis? On reward or punishment? Our sages tell us it's neither. On the one hand, one should serve God (that is, do good) for the sake of Heaven, meaning without expecting any subsequent reward. On the other hand, one shouldn't live trembling, hiding under the bed, worrying about Divine retribution for all the evil one has done.
Today, living in the generation of "the heels of the Messiah," when we are, on the one hand, so close to the final Redemption and, on the other, in such a dark and confusing world, the focus should be primarily on joy, on the merit we have of being connected to the Creator of the Universe. We must look ahead and make a serious inner resolution, within each of us, to improve, as the Hasidim used to say, "morgen vet zain beser"—tomorrow will be better—meaning, there is much to improve, but let's not focus on retribution: God will be much more pleased with our improvement than angry at our mistakes. And if He is angry? No? May He forgive us with His infinite Mercy! And let's keep working!