Posted on 08/20/21
In this week’s parshah, we are told about the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah (returning a yid’s lost object) as well as the aveirah of ignoring one’s obligation to return a lost object (22:1-3). Just 3 psukim later, we are told of shaluach hakan (the prohibition of taking an ownerless mother-bird when it is sitting on its eggs or young) (22:6). Directly after that, the Torah relays the commandment to build a ma’akeh (a protective fence) on the roof of one’s home. Immediately following this, the Torah forbids a yid from kilayim, crossbreeding two different species of produce in one’s field & forbids allowing two different species of animal to plow at the same time. After that, the Torah discusses the commandment to tie tzitzis to any four-cornered garment.
We know that there is a significance and a connection when one mitzvah in the Torah is placed next to another (this is often expounded on in Gemara). What then, can possibly be the connection between sending away a mother bird, building a protective fence on one’s roof, not sowing two different species of produce in one’s field and tzitzis???
There was once an extremely poor 23-year-old yeshiva bachur who lived in Bnei Brak. Although he loved to learn Torah, at one point, he simply had no money to live and had to leave yeshiva in order to get a job. He didn’t have any job experience and therefore was only able to get a job as a janitor, cleaning the floors of a building in the diamond district.
One day, as he was cleaning, he found a diamond that had somehow been dropped. It was a very expensive diamond and worth a lot of money. For one long moment, he had a desire to keep it for himself. After all, this diamond could have instantly solved all of this bachur’s financial issues for many years to come. After a moment’s thought though, he quickly gathered himself and resolved to do the right thing, although difficult, and to fulfill the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah. He made an announcement over the building’s PA system that he found a diamond and that he would return it to whoever can provide the simanim (identifying features) proving that it was his.
The owner of the diamond, a multimillionaire diamond dealer, came forward and gave the simanim proving that the diamond was his and the bachur promptly returned it to him.
The millionaire went home that night and couldn’t help but think about how impressed he was with this boy. The bachur needed the money so badly, and he could have kept it without anyone knowing that he did something wrong, yet he did the right thing.
The next day, the millionaire called this bachur into his office. He said to him “you are clearly very, very trustworthy. It’s a waste for you to be a janitor. I would like you to give up your job of being the building’s janitor and to personally work for me instead”. The bachur happily accepted the job offer.
After a while working under the tutelage of the expert millionaire, the bachur became very good at the trade. The two of them worked very well together and the millionaire took a genuine liking to him. After some time, the millionaire asked a shadchan to set up his daughter with this bachur. The two went out for a little while, and before they knew it, they got engaged and then married. This bachur went on to build a large family and to become a huge ba’al tzedaka accomplishing wonderful things for klal yisroel. (story related by R’ Yaakov Rahimi).
The Mitzvos are our treasures. Each one provides indescribable benefits. In This World, we usually don't see these benefits openly. However, sometimes Hashem does show us how adhering to a Mitzvah provides blessing to a person even in This World.
The Midrash Tanchuma, quoted by Rashi (22:8), explains that when one performs a mitzvah, Hashem usually gives that person more brachos, even in This World, in order to be utilized to accomplish even more mitzvos. The Midrash illustrates this message within our parshah: when someone sends away a mother bird, Hashem will reward him with a house so that he can accomplish another mitzvah, namely, building a protective fence on the roof. If the person goes ahead and builds the protective fence, Hashem will provide him with a field in order to enable him to observe the mitzvos that one can only accomplish if they own a field: namely, not planting two different types of produce together or plowing with 2 different species at the same time. If one does that, Hashem will bless him with nice clothing in order to afford him the ability to do yet another mitzvah: tzitzis. The cycle goes on and on. In fact, it would stand to reason that hashavas aveidah can easily be included in this cycle as well and that is why it is in such close proximity to the other mitzvos that the Midrash mentions. The above story, regarding the diamond-dealer & the benefit that the bachur received directly through his fulfillment of the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah, is but a drop in the ocean relative to the myriad of other historical events that demonstrate this fact.
Truly, when one performs a mitzvah, Hashem recognizes that this person can be trusted to do the right thing with blessing, & therefore, often rewards the person with more and more bracha, so that he can accomplish more and more mitzvos.
Living Inspired
As illustrated in this week’s parshah, although Chazal tell us that the principle reward for mitzvos are in the Next World, the mitzvos contain within them wondrous benefits that help us even in This World, as well (see Ohr Hachaim, Shemos 20:12, who states this as well). Although we don’t always get to see it openly (if we always did, there would be no free choice), mitzvos benefit US and are precious commodities that earn tremendous bracha, which should be used to faithfully accomplish even more mitzvos *.
Throughout Elul, let us focus on this principle and prove to Hashem, and to ourselves, that if we are entrusted with an inscription for bracha this Rosh Hashana, we will use it for its intended purpose: to perform more and more mitzvos. Doing so is one of the greatest zechusim (merits) for a K’siva V’chasima Toiva.
Gut Shabbos & a K’siva V’chasima Toiva
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*- It is also interesting to note that, perhaps, the individual faced with the mitzvos mentioned in this week’s parshah desired the extra money that one would have “gained” from keeping the mother bird, from not building a protective fence, etc. However, the reality is to the contrary: mitzvos truly GAIN for US the greatest benefits, and ignoring mitzvos does not provide any blessing, in the long-run. Hashem runs the world & ultimately takes care of those who faithfully fulfill His mitzvos. The above story regarding the diamond-dealer is but one case in point of countless more, which demonstrates this fact.
In fact, the Be’er Mayim Chaim, in parshas Emor, quotes the famous chazal that captures this lesson which is illustrated in the above story (and the important lesson illustrated in this week’s parshah): for every simple pleasure that one foregoes in order to accomplish a mitzvah or avoid an aveirah, there is an equal and even greater pleasure that could be achieved by performing the mitzvos and doing the proper thing. Think about it: had the bachur kept the diamond, he may have felt that he was gaining the value of a diamond in This World and that he was gaining more from doing so than he would have from doing hashavas aveidah. However, as we learned, the truth was quite to the contrary: had he kept the diamond for himself, he never would have known that had he done the right thing, he would have gained a life-long respectable career, earned many times more than the value of that single diamond, and that by doing so he would meet and marry his soul-mate.
May we always remember these lessons and cherish each opportunity to perform a mitzvah.