The holy Tanna Rabbi Meir was the son in law of Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon.
Rabbi Chanina was one of the Asara Harugei Malchus (the ten Tanaaim that were killed by the Roman Emperor Hadraian). Rabbi Chanina gathered students to study Torah during the decree of the Roman regime forbidding Torah study. He was cruelly killed by the Romans. His wife was also killed and one of his daughters was taken captive.
Beruriya, the wife of Rabbi Meir asked her great husband to go and save her sister.
Rabbi Meir dressed up as a Roman soldier and rode to the camp where his sister in law was being held captive. He asked the guard to give him the girl. The guard replied that if his officers find out that she is missing, he will be held responsible and they will kill him.
Rabbi Meir handed him a large bag of gold coins and said, “half keep for yourself and the other half use to bribe whoever you need.”
The guard asked him, “and what happens when the money runs out?”
“Just say ‘Elakah De’Meir Aneini’ - ‘the G-d of Meir save me’”.
“Who says it will be effective,” asked the guard?
Rabbi Meir answered that he will show him. Rabbi Meir went to a cage of dangerous dogs. As they tried to attack him he said’ “Elaka De’Meir Aneini” – ‘the G-d of Meir save me’, and the dogs retreated.
The guard was convinced and handed the girl to Rabbi Meir and he took her back home.
In the meantime, different officers came to check on the captives and were bribed by the guard to keep silent. But when his bribery money ran out, the secret was let out and he was sentenced to death by the gallows. The noose was tightened around his neck and he said “Elaka De’Meir Aneini” and the rope tore. They asked him what’s going and he told them the whole story. They tried catching Rabbi Meir who was miraculously saved.
From there comes the custom when a Jew is in distress or danger to give charity to poor people in Eretz Yisrael in memory of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness and to say three times ‘Elaka DeMeir Aneini’.
(For more see the Gemara Avoda Zara 18.)
The story is well known, but there is a question. We can understand that Rabbi Meir was saved from the dogs as he was a holy man. But why was the guard convinced that he would be saved by saying the same words that the holy Rabbi had said?
Rabbi Menachem Azarya from Pano, known as the Rem”a Mepano explains that Rabbi Meir told the guard to pray that G-d should save him based on the same intentions and concentration that Rabbi Meir had in mind when he said this prayer.
The Chida brings down in his Sefer Pesach Einayim (Avoda Zara 18) that from here we have a source to a very interesting Minhag that many Jews have.
Many have the custom that before performing a Mitzva or before Davening to say a short prayer, that we are doing this Mitzva based on the intentions of our Rabbis who knew the correct intentions of this Mitzva and based on the intentions of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his students, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (the Ari Hakadosh) and his students and Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov and his students.
The idea is that although our level of understanding is so low in comparison to the true intention of the Mitzva. But we pray to Hashem that we are trying to do the Mitzva in the best possible way and although we don’t know what to have in mind, we base our intentions on those great sages and Tzaddikim who had such high levels of understanding of the Mitzva, such lofty intentions when actually doing the Mitzva, and we are connecting to their coattails.
This is the same idea that the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh explains in this week’s Parsha.
Moshe Rabbeinu was only person who knew the true reason of the Para Aduma, the red calf that was used to purify someone that became Tamei from touching a dead body. For all of Klal Yisrael throughout history it remained a Mitzva without explanation.
Therefore Hashem told Moshe to tell Klal Yisrael to bring ‘eilecha’ to you, for you, a red calf.
What is this extra word eilecha - for you, added in the Passuk?
The Ohr Hachaim explains that Klal Yisrael should have in mind when bringing the Para Aduma that they are doing the Mitzva based on the intentions of Moshe Rabbeinu who knew the real reason; that way the Mitzva will be done to perfection.
This is a great insight for all of us.
Although our knowledge and understanding of the Mitzvos we do is so minimal in comparison to the true level. And although Hashem doesn’t expect from us more than we are capable. So, yes, when we try our best, we have fulfilled our purpose. But we have another tool to bring our Mitzvos to a much higher level. When we connect our Mitzvos to the great Rabbis and Tzaddikim who knew what to have in mind when doing those Mitzvos and we base our Mitzvos on their intentions, connect to their coattails. This will elevate our Mitzvos to a much greater level.
