By what merit did you deserve this? / What did you do to deserve it?
By what merit did you earn this? What did you do that entitled you to it?
("I said to him: My son, by what merit did you deserve this? He said to me: I was a butcher, and from every animal that was suitable, I would say: this will be for Shabbat. I said to him: fortunate are you that you earned it, and blessed is the Place that granted you this" – Shabbat 118a)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
בַּמֶּה זָכִיתָ לְכָךְ?
Definition (Hebrew)
בִּזְכוּת מָה זָכִיתָ לְדָבָר זֶה? מָה עָשִׂית שֶׁזָּכִית לְכָךְ?
("אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: בְּנִי, בַּמֶּה זָכִיתָ לְכָךְ? אָמַר לִי: קַצָּב הָיִיתִי, וּמִכָּל בְּהֵמָה שֶׁהָיְתָה נָאָה אָמַרְתִּי: זוֹ תְּהֵא לְשַׁבָּת. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: אַשְׁרֶיךָ שֶׁזָּכִיתָ, וּבָרוּךְ הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁזִּכְּךָ לְכָךְ"-שַׁבָּת קַיִט ע"א )