In this week's parasha , Yitro exclaimed, " Now I see how great Hashem is, ' כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם '" Rashi explains that Yitro recognized how Hashem made the Egyptians suffer in the very same way they had tormented the Jewish people. He knew that the Egyptians had drowned Jewish babies, and now, at the miracle of Kriyat Yam Suf , they perished through drowning as well. It had been 80 years since they threw those infants into the river. By this time, many had already forgotten that painful period—but Hashem never forgets. Yitro was amazed at the precision of divine justice. Every action a person takes is accounted for. This world is not a free for all. Though the world may appear as if people can commit terrible deeds without consequence, that is an illusion. Nothing goes unnoticed by Hashem. However, if reward and punishment were too obvious, free will would no longer exist. Hashem, in His infinite wisdom, ensures that every action is repaid—whether for good or for bad—but in a way that does not remove our ability to choose. A person may receive a reward for something he did 20 years earlier, just as we see the Egyptians being punished 80 years after their crimes. Of course, we know that the ultimate reward for any mitzva is reserved for the Next World. However, Hashem often grants dividends in this world as well. At times, Hashem allows us to see clear connections between our actions and their outcomes, knowing that these isolated cases will not disrupt free will. When we do recognize these connections, it strengthens our emunah and reminds us how much Hashem values and records every deed. Last year, a group of people traveled to Israel with the goal of giving chizuk to soldiers. While there, they met a soldier who had been injured in battle. As he spoke with them, he shared his struggle—he was trying to get married but had no way of affording a wedding. He had no relatives who could help, and the financial burden seemed impossible to overcome. Two generous individuals on the trip immediately took it upon themselves to cover the entire cost of his wedding. They gave enough for a beautiful celebration, and they had the zechut of establishing a home in Klal Yisrael. The rabbi leading the group was deeply moved by their generosity. He also knew that both of these men had daughters they were trying to marry off. He told them, "Be'ezrat Hashem, in the zechut of helping another Jew get married, may Hashem bless you to marry off your own daughters." Fast forward one year—just last week—and both of these men celebrated the weddings of their daughters. Not only did both daughters get married, but their weddings took place on the exact same night, down the block from each other. Had their weddings been even months apart, it would have been enough to see Hashem's hashgacha rewarding them for their act of kindness. But the fact that their weddings happened at the same time, practically next door to each other, was a clear hashgacha peratit that Hashem was paying them the dividends for their generosity. So many things in our lives happen as a direct result of our deeds, but most of the time, we do not recognize the connections. As we see, sometimes the results of an action take place 80 years later, and sometimes just one year later. Sometimes they happen instantly, and sometimes not until the Next World. Either way, it is enough for us to know that everything we do matters. Hashem loves us and wants only the best for us. The more good we do in this world, the greater our eternal happiness will be. Shabbat Shalom.