The gemara enlightens us by telling us that מחשבה טובה מצרפה למעשה, a good thought (if one entertains the thought of fulfilling a mitzva) is regarded as a good deed. The word מצרפה doesn’t seem to be the right fit in this context as it literally means to combine. Why doesn’t the gemara instead say מחשבה טובה נחשב כמעשה, a good thought is considered like a good deed?
In his diary written during the Holocaust, Dr. Hillel Seidman testified about R' Menachem Ziemba, “Even during those terrible months of July-September 1942 when the deportations accelerated to a frenetic pace, he never ceased his continual Torah study nor stopped producing new Torah insights. During our oppressive plight, he drew his strength and inspiration from the Torah. I once discovered a thick bundle of his writings. It had a whole section devoted to the subject of Kidush Hashem based mainly on the Rambam, though he quoted other early and later authorities too. At the beginning it read: ‘What I formulated with Hashem’s help during these days of wrath. On the day they took away my beloved wife, who devoted her soul to educate our children in the ways of Torah and fear of Hashem, thereby allowing them and myself to diligently study the holy Torah...’” (The Warsaw Ghetto Diaries, pp. 346-7)
Kidushin 40a.
R' Zusha of Anipoli explains that many times a Jew performs a mitzva out of rote. Consequently, in such a situation, the מחשבה, the proper thought and intent, is lacking. However we do have the מעשה, action. On the other hand, at times, a person has the מחשבה, thought, to do a good deed but for some reason he is unable to execute it. What comes out is that one Jew has the מחשבה while the other has the מעשה. Each one is like a half a mitzva. What does Hashem do? He takes these two and matches them with each other. As a result, together it is a complete mitzva because when the two are combined we have a מחשבה and a מעשה. This is why the term מצרפה is employed here.
In October 1940, during the Holocaust, the Piacetzna Rebbe wrote that the Akeida was a test of the desire and intention of Avraham and Yitzchak. it was never actually completed because the malach told Avraham אל תעש לו מאומה, do not do anything to Yitzchak.
As a result the murder of a Jew by idolators, which as an action empty of devout intent is in total contrast to the Akeida, actually completes the Akeida. The Akeida was just the beginning, the expression of intent and desire, while the murder of a Jew is the completion of the act. Consequently, the Akeida and all the murderers of Jews since are components of one event.
So Jews killed Al kidush Hashem are the completion and perfection of Akeidas Yitzchak. The Akeida was intention without action, but for many killed in the Holocaust it was action without intent.
Rabbi Alt merited to learn under the tutelage of R’ Mordechai Friedlander ztz”l for close to five years and received semichah from R’ Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ztz”l. Rabbi Alt has written on numerous topics for various websites and publications and is the author of nine books including the recently released “Exhilarating Torah Insights on Recreation and Vacation.” His writings, many of which have been translated into Yiddish, Hebrew, German and French, inspire people across the spectrum of Jewish observance to live with the vibrancy and beauty of Torah. His shiurim can be found on various websites including Kol Halashon’s. Rabbi Alt lives with his wife and family in Kiryat Yearim (where the Aron was for 20 years [Shmuel 1, 7:1,2]) where he studies, lectures, writes and teaches. The author is passionate about teaching Jews of all levels of observance.
The wife of R' Zusha had a dress sewn by a local tailor. The tailor expressed to her his poor state saying that his daughter who was a kalla still didn’t have a dress for the wedding. As a result she gave him the dress he sewed as a present. When she told this to her husband R' Zusha, he asked her if she paid him for sewing the dress. She volleyed back, “Why should I pay him? I gave it to him as a present.” He answered, “When you gave it to him to sow he worked for you and do there was a mitzva of לא תעשק שכיר, you shouldn’t cheat a hired person, as well as ביומו תתן שכרו, you should pay his hire on that day (Devarim 24:14-15). When he worked, he worked for you. You gave him the dress as a present only afterwards.”
The Kotzker Rebbe once remarked that he believed he could bring the dead back to life but he much preferred to try to bring the living back to life!
Breishis 22:12.
Aish Kodesh, 140.
