Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, zt”l, would share this story:
The Yismach Moshe had a son that was very sick, R”L, and he sent a Shliach to the Kever of Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, zt”l, to Daven for his son. The Yismach Moshe told the Shliach, “When you get there, I’m not sure that at that specific time Rav Elimelch will be at the Kever, so I want you to do the following when you get there. Take out a Prutah, a penny, from your pocket, and say, ‘I am giving this Prutah L’Iluy Nishmas, for the sake of the Neshamah that will be the first one to rush to Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, wherever he is, and tell him that there is a Shliach from the Yismach Moshe at his Kever.’”
The Yismach Moshe said that when you will do that, thousands, and tens of thousands of Neshamos that passed away hundreds and hundreds of years ago will start racing to see who will be the first one to find and tell Rav Elimelech that the Yismach Moshe’s Shliach is there, because they are desperate for another Mitzvah, they are desperate for another Zechus, and that will bring Rav Elimelech to the Kever. Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman said, “We don’t value what it means to give a penny to Tzedakah, or what so-called simple Mitzvos really mean. But those Neshamos that are in the Olam HaEmes appreciate what giving one penny to Tzedakah really means. They’ll do anything to get the Zechus of one more Mitzvah.”
Rav Aharon Leib used this story to inspire people to do Mitzvos, because if doing an easy Mitzvah like giving a penny to Tzedakah, which thousands of Neshamos are desperate for, how much more so is it true when it comes to a Mitzvah that is challenging to do, and how much more it is worth. It says in Avos D’Rebbi Nosson (3:6) that it is so much greater to do a Mitzvah with Tza’ar and difficulty, than doing a Mitzvah a hundred times without difficulty. The same is true about doing something as a Zechus for someone who passed away. Even the smallest Mitzvah is a tremendous Zechus, and we can only imagine how great the Zechus is when the Mitzvah we do comes with a great challenge!
Reprinted from the Parshas Ki Savo 5785 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
