Spiritual Wages

Translated and edited by Moshe Wisnefsky from the Writings of the Ari,Ta'amei HaMitzvot

Rabbi  Chaim Vital gives us an anecdotal illustration of the extent to which the  Arizal took this commandment seriously.

My teacher [the Arizal] was extremely careful regarding the commandment of paying a worker [on time]. He sometimes put off praying Mincha until he had paid [his workers]. This sometimes meant waiting to pray until sunset if he did not have the cash to pay the wages and had to send people all over to ask others for money until he had enough to pay the wages. Only then would he pray Mincha, saying, "How can I pray to
G-d when such a great  mitzvah comes my way? Can I put it off and still face G-d in prayer?"

The wages of a hired worker shall not abide with you [through the night] until morning. (Lev. 19:13)

In another verse [that details this commandment] it is written, On the day he [earns them] you shall give [him] his wages. (Deut. 24:15)

[The full verse quoted from here is:
Do not withhold the wages due to your poor or destitute hired hand, whether he is one of your brethren, or a proselyte living in a settlement in your land. You must give him his wage on the day it is due, and not let the sun set with him waiting for it. Since he is a poor man, and to you he lifts his soul, do not let him call out to G-d, causing you to have a sin.]

" Whenever a person performs any commandment ... he accrues an additional level of Shabbat holiness-even on the weekday..."

Jewish law clarifies:

What is "on time"? If the workman had finished the work during the day, he should be paid before the end of that day; if he finishes his work in the evening, he should be paid during the night. So also is the case with the workman hired by the week, or month, or year; if he has finished his work during the day, he should be paid during the day; if he has finished his work during the night, he should be paid during the night, but not later. The employer does not transgress the law unless the workman demands his wages and he, the employer, has the money to pay. If the workman failed to demand his wages, or the employer lacks the money to pay the workman, then there is no violation of the law. Nevertheless, a scrupulous employer should if necessary, borrow the money to pay the wages at the proper time, for the workman is poor and sets his heart upon his pay..." [From the Concise Code of Jewish Law, vol. 4, ch. 185, laws 2&4 (Translation by Hyman Goldin Hebrew Publishing Company)]

The initials of these words [in the above verse, "beyomo titein secharo"] spell Shabbat. This is because whenever a person performs any commandment or learns a lot of  Torah on a weekday, he accrues an additional level of Shabbat holiness-even on the weekday. This applies to the [full] extent individuals are capable of accruing additional measures of Shabbat holiness.

Learning Torah and performing  mitzvot increases the individual's divine consciousness. Since Shabbat is the day of higher divine consciousness, we may conceive of the additional measure of divine consciousness attained by learning Torah and doing mitzvot as a "piece of Shabbat" that is added the individual. This happens, of course, even in the case of divine service performed on weekdays.

This accords with what  Rebbe  Shimon bar Yochai taught, namely, that Torah scholars possess on weekdays the [level of] soul that the unlearned possess on the Shabbat.

Thus, the reward that G-d grants Torah scholars for their studies, or to those who observe the commandments, is likened to that of a worker who expects his wages. For such people earn their [spiritual] desserts daily - even on weekdays, when they accrue additional measures of Shabbat holiness. Therefore, the initials of these words allude to the Shabbat.