Now the seforim tell us that in the matter of coming close to Hashem in this world, there are all kinds of degrees, higher and higher degrees. I use the word ‘degrees’ but I’ll rephrase that: We should call it ‘steps’, or even better, ‘rungs’. You remember when Yaakov Avinu beheld in his dream a ladder that was מוצב ארצה – standing on this earth, וראשו מגיע השמימה – and the top went all the way up to Hashem? Among the lessons of that ladder is the doctrine that this world is for the purpose of not standing still, but climbing.
That’s an important principle. We call it shteigen; shteigen is a Yiddish word which means ‘climbing up the steps, up the rungs’. Everyone, every man and woman, every boy and girl, has to shteig.
Even you yeshivah men, don’t think that after you leave the yeshivah, from now on you should merely continue in the ideals that you gained in your yeshivah life. No. The truth is you gain very little in your yeshivah life; you’re too young to have any sense. Of course yeshivah men won’t admit that, but actually they’re very young; they don’t understand anything. It’s like a dream, whatever they hear and they learn. It’s a rung on the ladder, absolutely, but it’s only the first rung in the ladder; and like everyone else all your life you must continue to climb. That’s the only purpose of being alive, for improvement. And so you must continue shteigen, climbing the rungs of the ladder.
Slowly But Surely
Now shteigen means climbing, not flying. You don’t grow wings and fly. You cannot ascend to the higher rungs of the ladder unless first you put your feet on the lower rungs. And so, if we want to become lovers of mitzvos; we want to achieve the high rung of אוהב כסף לא ישבע כסף, we must start from the ground. At least do the mitzvos.
Now, some people do mitzvos because they like Jewish things. They love the Jewish people, the Jewish ways; they’re proud of their people. And you shouldn’t scorn that motivation: “I do mitzvos because it’s Jewish.” That’s also something.
Now, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you love mitzvos yet. Because Polish people, let’s say, are proud of being Polish; they do Polish things. Ukranians are proud of being Ukrainians; they do Ukrainian things. And so if a Jew does mitzvos because he’s proud of being a Jew is it a very big achievement? No; but it’s a good thing and we have to encourage it. There’s nothing wrong with putting your feet on the lower rung first. You like Jewish things, alright. You like Jewish food, kosher food? Fine! Very good. You like Jewish practices, mitzvos? Excellent. Who cares why you do it? Do it anyhow.
Just Do It
It’s a good idea by the way to encourage people in that way: “Look, you’re a Jew, why don’t you do mitzvos? Pesach is coming. Get all the chametz out of your house. It’s a Jewish way.” Encourage them. “Keep the Shabbos. It’s the Jewish way; it’s the way of our forefathers for thousands of years.” And the truth is you should encourage yourself too! Don’t scorn that motivation. Talk to yourself: When you sit down at the table say, “I’m happy that I’m eating kosher now. I’m proud that I’m walking in the ways of the Jewish nation.” If you’re giving a quarter to a poor Jew, say, “Don’t all Jews give charity? So I want to do the same. I want to do mitzvos.”
Absolutely you should say that. When you’re trying to climb, you’re not going to disdain the lower rungs. If you can put your foot on them and it helps you climb higher, anything goes.
Climbing Higher
But we want more than that; we want to love mitzvos. And therefore it’s important not to stop there; it’s not enough to do מצוות אנשים מלומדה, just because you’re a Jew. We want to climb and therefore it’s a good idea to think more about your motivation, what you’re about to do.
Once in a while – as often as possible – before you do a mitzvah, it’s important to make sure to prepare yourself. That’s why some people have a minhag to say, hineni muchan umezuman or l’sheim yichud before they do a mitzvah; to remind ourselves that we’re doing something now – that we’re busy with the real money of life!
Here’s a man; instead of just ‘doing’ he’s thinking first: “As soon as I do this mitzvah I’m going to have a different personality!” That’s the truth; a mitzvah transforms you. “How lucky I am that I’m able to do this mitzvah!”
Mitzvos Transformers
The fact that you put on tefillin makes you a different person. The fact that you’re going to daven now or put a nickel in the charity box will make you different. You’re not aware of it? Many times people are not aware of what’s happening to them – you’re subjected, let’s say, to the sun rays; as the sun hits your skin, it creates a certain vitamin. Do you know about it? You don’t know about it, but it’s there anyhow. Many benefits people acquire even when they’re entirely unaware.
And so, why shouldn’t you make yourself aware? Of course, the more you think about it, the more you love what you’re doing; the more you become hungry for more. And so you can add more and more love by thinking of this lesson, how great the mitzvah is, how a mitzvah changes you. You’re changing your nature, your mind, your neshama; you’re gaining in perfection. That’s something to think about before you do a mitzvah. Absolutely that’s a rung on the ladder towards being an oheiv mitzvos.
Legal Tender
But what we’re learning tonight is that you’re also becoming wealthier, you’re acquiring kessef when you do a mitzvah. Don’t disdain that desire for wealth! Make use of it! It’s not easy in the beginning but little by little, the more you think these thoughts, you’ll feel it. You did a mitzvah? You’re much wealthier now! It’s money in the bank.
There’s no end to the reward for a mitzvah. מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא שכר. A mitzvah is so great – any mitzvah – that it's too big for this world here to repay. It’s a check that can’t be paid off in this world. All the banks of this world don't have enough money to pay for one mitzvah, a single deed of virtue.
Of course, it’s not visible now because then there would be no use living; there would be no test. You would never stop doing mitzvos; you’d quit your job and you would never stop amassing the money of mitzvos. Not only you; the Italians and the blacks and the Chinese, all the gentiles, would be knocking down the doors of the Mirrer Yeshiva, begging to be accepted as geirim. “We want to do mitzvos too!” They would pay everything they have to be able to do a mitzvah, a small mitzvah.
Ignorant of Mitzvos
The pity is that we don’t understand there’s no such thing as a small mitzvah. Suppose every time you did a mitzvah you’d find a bag of gold coins; you wouldn’t have left the shul last night. You’d move into shul and pay rent for a whole year so you could be closer to the seforim; you wouldn’t miss a shiur.
That’s what the Mesillas Yesharim tells us in the beginning of his sefer: כל הפרש קטן – Every small difference in this world, even doing a little mitzvah, a tiny mitzvah, ודאי תבחן תולדותו בברור – its result is going to be discovered with a clarity that’s beyond any doubt. You hear that? You can’t see it now but the time will come when you're going to see what a wealth you acquired with every mitzvah.
That’s the great lesson; it’s the secret of the greatness of a mitzvah. A mitzvah is measured not by our measurements, by this world measurements of kesef v’zahav, of hundred dollar bills. That’s play money; it’s not the real thing. The value of a mitzvah is measured by Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And that means it’s more valuable than any value, any gold and silver, that you could imagine in this world.
Changing Your Appetite
When you begin to understand that, then your appetite becomes whetted. When you make your first million so now you want the second; you become more and more hungry for mitzvos. You’ll never be satisfied.
Of course if you never think about that, it'll never enter your consciousness. You’ll sleepwalk through life acquiring the wrong form of wealth. But there's no question that if a man conditions himself, he’ll fall in love with mitzvos. If a man tries to acquire a sweetness in mitzvos, Hakadosh Baruch Hu helps him and after a while he becomes so acclimated to the mitzvah, he actually feels happiness in it; he begins to have a pleasure in doing mitzvos. It’s an accomplishment; you feel you did something. You made good money today.
Rejoice in Commandments
That’s one of the most important thing people have to learn in their lives, to rejoice with a mitzvah. אשריך ישראל! How fortunate we are, that we’re commanded to do mitzvos. And though it’s a mitzvah you do every day – putting on tefillin every morning, covering your hair, giving tzedakah – every time you do it should you think, ברוך אתה ה' אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וצונו – How happy I am that He commanded me. Not only when you’re bar mitzvah at the age of thirteen; all your life you’re rejoicing with the bar mitzvah because you’re gaining riches.
That's how a person should live; מזהב הנחמדים, that the mitzvos and Torah are more precious than any kind of money. When a person tries to know another blatt Gemara and to know it well; he’s like the rich man who counts his money. When he goes to sleep at night he's so happy: “Today I gained one more blatt Gemara. I added more to my store of wealth.”
Or the woman that does good things in her house. She's kindly to her family and she does it l’shem Shomayim and she keeps her mouth closed. When the telephone rings, she picks it up and listens and watches what she says. These people are gathering mitzvos. They're accumulating real money.
Moshe Climbs to Perfection
Now, Moshe Rabbeinu spent his life thinking these thoughts. He thought much better thoughts,
