“G-d was good to the midwives and the people increased and became very mighty. So it was because the midwives feared G-d He made houses for them.”
(Shemos 1:20–21)

Rashi explains that Hashem was “good” to the midwives by “making houses for them” [giving them great families]. But we can explain simply that the “goodness” was what the pasuk says next: “The people increased and became very mighty.” In other words the very fact that the Jewish People multiplied was itself a reward to the midwives for their good deeds.
The midwives who the Torah attests “feared G-d” would not have been satisfied with the personal reward of Hashem “making houses” for them at a time when the rest of the Jewish People were wallowing in their own blood having their children cast into the Nile and facing the threat of complete annihilation.
But because they had the privilege of seeing with their own eyes that Hashem in His great mercy had thwarted the schemes of the wicked Pharaoh and their nation was growing despite Pharaoh’s intent to stop them that was the greatest kindness Hashem could perform for them. It was only afterward when the situation for the entire nation had improved that the midwives could appreciate a benefit in their own personal lives.
I heard from my rebbi and teacher Rav Moshe Rosenstein ztz”l that Rav Yisrael Salanter ztz”l would sometimes express that he felt so much joy from the incomparable goodness of the shining sun. My rebbi then asked “Why don’t we feel joy at the sight of the sun and all the stars?”
He answered “It’s because the human heart contains evil and a person can taste joy only in something from which he derives all the benefit and no one else has a share in it like the key to a box that’s only in his possession and no one else can access. Something that’s part of nature on the other hand can be enjoyed by everyone.” (Rav Yaakov Neiman Darkei Mussar)
The store was filled with other neighborhood women all lured by the big sale they were having. I chose a few nice skirts and sweaters for my girls.
In the morning my 11-year-old daughter announced I’d picked out the perfect sweater and skirt for school. In the afternoon I noticed her looking dejected.
“The skirt wasn’t comfortable?” I asked.
“No it’s very comfortable.”
“The sweater wasn’t warm enough?”
“No it’s very warm.”
“So what’s wrong?”
“Five other girls were wearing the same exact sweater. And seven other girls had the same skirt.”
Those beautiful comfortable and warm clothes suddenly had no value. Why?
When one of my children comes home with a note that says they were “excellent ” don’t I have to bite my tongue to refrain from asking how many other children got the same note to find out if my child was among a select few or if everyone got one?
Why? Why should I care if the whole class was called “excellent ” and if every mother in the class can also be proud? Why does it threaten to take a large bite out of my nachas?
Rav Yisrael Salanter who loved every Jew literally as much as he loved himself was able to take pleasure in nature even when other people also enjoyed it just as a faithful father doesn’t see it as an encroachment when his own children benefit from his possessions; on the contrary it gives him special pleasure.
There are new flowerbeds at the traffic circle in the center of town. The price of flour has gone down and everyone at work received a bonus. Are we able to take pleasure in the shining sun even if the rest of the world also enjoys it?
Can we enjoy the sun even after we’ve already gone home when other people are still outside warming themselves from its rays? Can I be happy in the fact that my neighbor built a rental unit and that she will now have some extra income? Do I really feel true joy when my friend’s daughter gets engaged to a wonderful boy?
Shifra and Puah’s greatest reward was when things were good for their people. If we adopt the same attitude we’ll never have a sad day.