The Satan Attacks
Now, once we understand this idea – it’s not so easy by the way; just because we’re hearing it now doesn’t mean anything yet. It takes thinking; you have to spend time considering these words of the Mesillas Yesharim. And the more you review that idea and the more you say it over to yourself, the more you’ll acquire that attitude.
But you have to keep working at it because there’s always going to be a naysayer telling you otherwise. You know who that is? The satan. The yetzer hara is always talking inside your head and when it comes to small good deeds, he’s right away on the job: “What’s the use?” he says.
Successful Counterattack
Let’s say, it comes into your head to sit down and learn something between Minchah and Maariv; or while you’re waiting for a bus or something. So the yetzer says “Look, it’ll come any minute. What’s the use of sitting down and learning?”
So you have to be ready for that attack. You have to answer him back: “What are you trying to feed me with such garbage? Are you crazy?! Do you realize that even a small thing in this world, a small mitzvah or even doing a mitzvah with a little more kavanah l’shem Shomayim, that’s something that one day תולדתו תבחן – its result is going to be seen, בברור ודאי – with a clarity that's beyond any doubt.
The Kelmers Keep At It
And you have to practice it as much as possible; you have to train yourself to appreciate golden pennies like they did in the yeshiva in Kelm. You know in Kelm the boys learned all day long and then at the end of the day, late at night, they went home for a well-earned rest.
And then, all of a sudden, after they came home they had to rush back to the beis medrash for a special learning seder. They all returned to sit and learn for five minutes. At the end of five minutes they were dismissed.
And what was the purpose? The purpose was to teach that five minutes of Torah learning are very important; to train them to know that when it comes to a mitzvah even a little bit is precious.
It’s worth going from here until Pelham Parkway – if they have Torah learning over there – to learn five minutes. Of course if you have someplace here where you can sit and learn all the time that you would waste by traveling, it’s a different story; but if the only way was to travel a few hours, no question it would be worth every second.
Praying in Yellowstone
And if only we would learn this lesson, what the mitzvah of ובחרת בחיים includes, then our lives would be transformed because we would get busy salvaging golden pennies. They’re only pennies but they’re not copper pennies – they’re really golden pennies. And we could really become rich from the little minutes and the little mitzvos that we throw away; the small opportunities that we scorn because of their smallness.
So let’s say you're standing Shemoneh Esrei and you forgot what you’re doing. In the meantime you took a round-the-world trip; you were traveling let’s say in Eretz Yisroel and then you stopped off at London and you went to France and now you're in Yellowstone Park. And finally you look around, you’re already by hamachazir Shechinaso l’tzion. “Oh, what happened to me?! Where was I all this time?”
So if you never learned this lesson you’ll say, “Well, look; I ruined it already. If I had prayed a full Shemoneh Esrei, meila. But what does it help to say one or two brachos with kavanah? It’s nothing. So I’ll just gallop through the rest and walk back three steps.” Some are so disgusted they just make one jump back and then they jump forward again. They figure they ruined the whole thing anyhow.
Oh no! Even something small is very very big! So rescue something. Modim anachnu lach – say the words slowly. Forget about everyone else. Let them race. You ruined part of your life today; try to salvage something. That little bit that's left, try to save it. Modim anachnu lach – we give thanks to You Hashem elokenu. Ah, these wonderful words, these precious words; roll them on your tongue, taste them like honey. Enjoy each word and try to finish up properly.
A Penny For Your Thoughts
Any small thing you do. If you walk in the street, why waste time? Say “From here till the end of the street, the next street, I am going to think about Yetziyas Mitzrayim.” Isn’t that a wonderful thing? It’s not Pesach; it’s Wednesday in the middle of the year.
It’s a golden penny. חייך למען תזכור את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי – You should remember Yetzias Mitzrayim all the days of your life (Devarim 16:3). Of course it means morning and night but during the day time it’s also a mitzvah, an optional mitzvah.
Or the ‘small’ mitzvah of זכרו נפלאותיו אשר עשה - Remember His wonders that He did (Tehillim 105:5). As you are riding in the subway holding on to the strap – keep your hand on your wallet of course – you’re thinking, “I want to think about the mann that fell in the Midbar.”
The mann that fell in the Midbar?! Who thinks about that? The ones who learned this subject of golden pennies, that’s who. זכרו נפלאותיו אשר עשה - Remember His wonders. Another mitzvah, another golden penny.
The Penny Pincher
So here’s a man riding through Manhattan – a lady in her home, same story – and he’s thinking about the mann or about the be’er Miriam or about Matan Torah. Every day he chooses a different golden coin to pick up. Maybe one on the way to work and one for the way home. It’s a small thing and it’s easy to do.
If you pass by a mezuzah, think “It’s a mitzvas Hashem, a mitzvah d’Oraisa, and the purpose is that we should remember Him. We should remember to learn His Torah – it says there ולמדתם אותם את בניכם, that you should teach Torah to your children and to yourself.”
Or when you are sitting with your family at the Shabbos table having a seudah, or in the yeshiva dining room, so everyone is busy. One is busy with his chicken, one is busy with his potatoes, one is busy talking. So maybe make yourself busy for ten seconds – just ten seconds! – and once look at the mezuzah nearby. That’s a reminder that Hashem is looking at you.
Did you ever think about that? You don’t have to stop eating; just think. It’s a mitzvah; it’s one of the great ways, if a person does that, to gets the emunah that ה' משמים השקיף על בני אדם, that Hashem is looking down at man always. Even if you will just think about it for a second, it’s a mitzvah. את ה' אלוקיך השמר לך פן תשכח - Don’t forget Hashem! אלו דברים שאין להם שיעור - There is no minimum how much.
Drops of Kindness
Or bein adam lachaveiro; there are so many opportunities for little mitzvos that are diamonds. Let’s say somebody told you his troubles; you don’t know what to do, how to help him. So at least say a few words of consolation; tell him, “Look, you will outlive it. It will pass by; don’t worry about it.” Console him; it doesn’t cost any money to say words of encouragement. And do it l’shem Shomayim. מעודד ענוים השם - Hashem encourages the humble so you’re thinking, “If Hashem encourages people so I’m going to walk in His ways and encourage people too.”
Sometimes when people are discouraged you can write them an anonymous letter. You don’t have to sign your name. I do that sometimes. If there’s someone in the neighborhood who’s having trouble I write a letter to him, praising him, encouraging him. I tell him, “You have a very good name in this neighborhood. People think well of you.” I don’t sign my name; he should think it’s somebody important. And I’m sure it lifts his spirits.
You never thought about that? Just try it once; write a letter to somebody. It will make him feel good. Don’t think it is a small thing. To make a fellow Jew feel good?! With 32 cents, sometimes you can do a very big mitzvah.
Picking Up Pennies in Public
Now, this is a project for life; ובחרת בחיים is a mitzvah every second and so the examples are endless. You see a man trying to bring a heavy load, let's say from Leiber’s chocolate company or the Paskesz candy company. He’s carrying a heavy load into a store but he can’t open the door. So you step over and you hold the door open for him for a second. עזוב תעזוב עמו – You helped a fellow Jew.
Or a person is walking in the street and he dropped a dollar while he’s walking. You say, “Mister stop!” It’s a mitzvah if it’s a frum Jew. “Stop! You dropped a dollar.” On the spot it's a mitzvah d’Oraisa, hashavas aveidah.
That one minute, that one word, that one smile, it’s an investment that pays and pays forever and ever. It is of inestimable value that one ‘little’ mitzvah. You don’t see it? The Mesillas Yesharim says, “Have no fear. The time will come when תבחן תולדתו בברור ודאי – the results are going to be clarified and demonstrated beyond any doubt.”
When the time comes, people will see that all of these copper pennies were not copper but gold. Only today we don’t have the eyes to understand it, to see it. We’re blind to the great truths of the Torah. We don’t have ways of measuring it; but someday you will see how great that difference is.
