The Torah attaches great importance to paying a worker on time. This means that if an employee finishes his work during the daytime, the employer is obligated to pay him by the end of that day, and if he finishes during the nighttime, the employer is obligated to pay him by the end of that night. This is one the most common Mitzvos; it applies every time a person pays a taxi driver, baby-sitter, fix-it man, and the like. If one does not have the money, he should borrow in order to fulfill this Mitzvah (Ahavas Chesed 1:9 §7; see also Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Sechirus §18). There are exceptions where this Mitzvah does not apply and other details that will not be discussed here.

The Torah itself explains the reason behind this Mitzvah in Parashas Ki Seitzei: “Give his wages on that day, and let the sun not set on him [without payment], for he is poor and his life depends upon [his employer], and otherwise, he will call out to Hashem about you and you be accountable for a sin.” (Devarim 24:15)The Torah’s primary concern is for the poor laborer who is working for his daily bread. His life, as well as the lives of his family, depend on timely payment (Rabbeinu Meyuchas). The employer has leeway until the end of that day or night so that he has time to procure the funds (Rashi). On a deeper level of understanding, Rav Menachem HaBavli (Taamei HaMitzvos §128)explains that Hashem decrees sustenance for every being on every day, and specifically, that every employee receives his sustenance from his employer of that day. Thus, when an employer withholds payment after the end of the day, even if he pays the following day, he has disobeyed Hashem’s decree.

The Mitzvah applies only to the payment due for a service, and not to the payment due for the sale of a product. Although the verse specifies the poor employee, the Mitzvah applies to all Jews. Why is it so important to pay a worker on time if he is not poor and does not need the money? We may understand this based on an insight of Panim Yafos, that subjugating a person’s body is certainly more severe than stealing his money. When an employee fails to pay his employee, it is as if he has enslaved him for the day. It is sinful to do so, regardless of whether the employee needs the money on that day. Delaying wages is tantamount to theft (Abarbanel).

The Arizal regarded this Mitzvah with great severity. If necessary, he would even delay Mincha in order to pay a worker, saying, “How can a dare stand before Hashem in prayer if I owe a worker money?” He said that the words B’yomo titen scharo — Give his wages on that day (Devarim 24:15), begin with the letters beis, sav, shin, which spell Shabbos. This teaches that whoever fulfills the Mitzvah during the week merits a greater Neshamah Yeseirah (additional soul) on Shabbos (Pri Eitz Chaim, Shabbos §1). As to the reason for this particular reward, the Chidah (Nachal Kedumim) explains that since a person gave the poor laborer his soul by paying him, he merits that Hashem gives him a soul on Shabbos.

We may also explain this reward as follows: The Sages teach, “Today, in this world, we serve Hashem, and tomorrow, in the World to Come, we receive reward.” One might ask: Why does Hashem not pay us in this world, in accordance with the Mitzvah to pay a worker on the day of his service? The Commentators point out many reasons why this obligation cannot be applied to Hashem. The simplest approach is that since we complete our labor at the end of “today” (i.e., our lives in this world), our payment is only due in the following time period, the World to Come. Another explanation is that the infinite reward of the World to Come that is due for the Mitzvos cannot possibly be received in this finite world. Now, although the obligation does not apply to Hashem for multiple reasons, we may suggest that when a person fulfills the Mitzvah of paying a worker on the day of his service, Hashem sees fit to pay him on the day of his service in some way in this world. The only way He can give a person the reward of the World to Come in this world is by enabling him to enjoy Shabbos more by adding to his Neshamah Yeseirah, for Shabbos is a taste of the World to Come.

On an esoteric level of understanding, there are 365 days in a year corresponding to the 365 prohibitions in the Torah. Every day services a person and he is required to pay its due wages by studying and fulfilling the Torah. If he does not do so, that day (i.e., its spiritual counterpart), calls out to Hashem against that person (see Zohar,Kedoshim 85a, and Taamei HaMitzvos by Rav Menachem HaBavli §238).

In this week’s parashah, Yaakov worked tirelessly, day and night, shepherding Lavan flocks, while Lavan denied him of his wages repeatedly and succeeded in delaying him for many years. However, Hashem made sure that Yaakov received his due. Yaakov eventually fled, and when Lavan caught up with him, Yaakov exclaimed that had it not been for the merit of Avraham and Yitzchak, he would have emerged from years of labor empty-handed, and if it would not have been for the fact that Hashem saw his toil and warned Lavan not to harm him, he would have suffered physical harm. Midrash Tanchuma infers from this a startling insight: the merit of the Patriarchs did not suffice to protect Yaakov from physical harm, and this means that Hashem sometimes regards the merit of toil even more than He regards the merit of the Patriarchs! In light of this Midrash, we can understand well why Hashem is so adamant that a laborer be paid for his toil without delay.