Operation Inspiration
I wanted to buy a set of seforim that would be kept in a relative’s home where I would be visiting. Not wanting to purchase them locally and then shlep them, though I do try to patronize local businesses when I can, I searched online for the best price including shipping. It comes in multiple sizes so I kept searching for the one I wanted, and then for shipping options that took into account price and delivery time. It wasn’t so simple, so I continued my search the following day.
Eventually, I opted for one vendor that I’ve not used before but which had good reviews online and their shipping price and date was the best for me. I’d spent probably half an hour or more searching around trying to find the best price, and I’d perhaps saved maybe $5 or so. The irony of my time being worth so little wasn’t even the worst if it. What I realized was that I was scrimping on buying a mitzvah item! Where’s the hiddur in that?
Now, that’s not to say that you need to buy the most expensive item, but think about it this way. If I’d been at a restaurant, and an item on the menu I wanted was a couple dollars extra, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about it. If I were shopping in a store and saw a tie I really liked, but the price was a bit higher than I normally pay, I’d probably go for it. But when it came to a set of seforim, suddenly I was being cheap!
It doesn’t make sense. When we spend money on mitzvos, the money we spend goes into our eternal bank accounts because the money is used for spiritual purposes. When we buy a nice steak, the odds are we’re not doing it for the right reasons. Either way, the Yetzer Hara only seems to get involved when choosing something special.
Mezuzos are expensive, right? We all know that. But do you have a burglar alarm? Fire insurance? How much do you pay for those? The protection offered by the Mezuza which reminds you to think of Hashem when you head out into the world and when you come home again, is much more valuable than the other policies, yet we balk at spending the money to buy them or have them checked properly and regularly.
Let’s take another example. People need to rush out of shul to go to work. In my shul, we learn a halacha or two in Hilchos Lashon Hara at the end of davening and get in another Kaddish D’Rabbanan. Often, people can’t stay for the extra few moments and will run out the door. But when they get into the car, or when they arrive at the office, how often will they spend a few moments on their phones, checking out the news or scores or the latest “gossip” on their WhatsApp chats?
When it comes to the spiritual nourishment involved in learning halacha after davening, they feel they “can’t afford” the time. But when it’s something mundane, they seem to find the time for it. While not a cut-and-dried rule, it seems to often be the case that the things we nitpick on and feel aren’t worth it, are the things that are more worthwhile than anything else!
Then there are the times when we get a chance to do a favor for someone. Often, we’re unwilling to put ourselves out more than we need to. “I’ll take that package for you but you need to bring it to me and have it picked up from me where I’m going.” That may still be a very nice favor you’ve done, but could you enhance it a bit by taking the extra few minutes it might take to pick up or drop off the item?
Someone sent a photograph with us to her brother. It was in a frame and all wrapped up. He texted me to ask that I call when I arrived so he could pick it up. I asked for his address. It was a twenty second drive from where I was staying and I was glad to do it.
But if you think about it, even if it took a little extra trouble, how much return do you get on your investment? You are making someone else feel better, and releasing them from a burden. I know how much trouble something is for me, but not for the other person. If it’s not a big deal, I can opt to give up my convenience for the benefit of someone else for whom it might be a lifesaver. I make them happy, train myself to be a better person, and who knows? Maybe Hashem will write that trouble off the list of what I’m owed.
And sometimes, you can end up with a great story. A publisher told me that someone asked him for a copy of an amazing article involving a young man and a Gadol that had been printed in his magazine. He sent the PDF to the requester and wrote, “attached. Then, he added the phrase, “It’s one of my favorite stories.” The fellow wrote back, “Thank you, it was about my father.”
The publisher was stunned by the power of an offhanded comment. Had he just written, “Attached,” and left it at that, he would never know how meaningful that story was to this reader, nor how he was touching someone with something as simple as a few words, in saying it was a favorite story.
In the grand scheme of things, I think it pays to extend yourself for others just as much as you would for yourself. But please, take all the time you need to digest this idea.
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