Inhabitants confidently. While undoubtedly their success was accompanied by Divine miracles, the simple lesson we learn from this portion is that when actions are performed genuinely for the sake of Heaven, the entire nature and essence of the act are transformed, as are its outcomes and effects, both spiritually and physically.
Let all your actions be for the sake of Heaven!
(From “Tiv HaChanukah,” based on the new edition)
•~•~•
For many years, Rav Zundel Kroizer, zt”l, regularly came to my home during his midday break to refresh himself and study Gemara with me.
During that break, people would sometimes knock on my door or call on the phone with various questions, requests, or matters related to my g’mach (charity fund) and similar communal needs. I often needed to respond to these calls or open the door, attending to the community‘s needs as they arose.
Rav Zundel, zt”l, said to me: “When you rise to open the door or pick up the telephone, take a moment to think and intend that you are performing the mitzvah of gemilus chassadim (acts of kindness). After all, I see that most people who reach out to you need your help, whether physical, financial, or emotional. By having this intention, even the seemingly mundane act of opening a door or answering a phone will be transformed into an act of mitzvah! After all, even non-Jews, lehavdil, open doors and answer phones.
“Yet, even though these are merely simple, external actions that are often performed absentmindedly, through the power of your intention to perform a mitzvah, these minor actions will be elevated to great spiritual heights—like a kohen serving and ministering before his Creator and before God‘s beloved children. Reflect on this deeply.”
“And let all your actions be for the sake of Heaven!”
He also said that receiving a monthly stipend, as is customary nowadays to provide salaries to kollel avreichim, depends entirely on the quality of the individual‘s intention and the purpose for which he attends the kollel. If he attends to study and fulfill the mitzvah of Torah learning, and the stipend, handed to him in an envelope at the end of the month, is viewed by him as a secondary matter—a necessity to support his household and family—while his primary goal is to grow (shtaigen) in the acquisition of our holy Torah, then he fulfills the mitzvah of talmud Torah properly. His reward is guaranteed, as is the case for all who engage in Torah study, who merit to enjoy its fruits in this world while the principal reward remains intact for the World to Come (Peah 1:1).
However, if his primary intention is not Torah study but rather “earning” the salary, and his heart is not directed toward Torah as its ultimate goal, he begins to resemble a carpenter, shoemaker, or other tradesman, who also reports to work each morning to earn his wages.
(The later authorities have already discussed this matter. Generally, they conclude that the primary intent of a kollel avreich is for the sake of Torah study, not for financial gain. If his primary concern were money, he could enter the workforce and earn significantly more, as is well known. A further indication of sincerity can often be seen in the additional learning undertaken by the avreich beyond the required study schedule.)
“And let all your actions be for the sake of Heaven!”
We can understand this elevated subject from a story shared with me by a sofer, the righteous Rav Yisrael Rosenzweig, zt”l, widely known as Rav Yisrael Sofer. He was one of the elder sages of Yerushalayim, a man of purity and refinement, a chassid and close associate of the Rebbe of Biala, the Chelkas Yehoshua, zt”l.
It is well known that the Rebbe, zt”l, would extend his prayers with deep outpourings of the soul. He began Shacharis in the early morning hours each day and concluded it late, often near midday. He invested immense effort and dedication in his tefillos, with tremendous intensity and profound concentration, particularly during every mention of God‘s name. His approach to prayer followed in the footsteps of his ancestor, the Holy Jew of Peshischa, zt”l, whose prayer was marked by extraordinary power and self-sacrifice.
One day, Rav Yisrael Sofer, zt”l, needed to consult with the Rebbe, as is customary among chassidim, to present and seek guidance on any matter before their Rebbe. For as it is written (I Shmuel 9:6), “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is highly esteemed; everything he says indeed happens. Now let us go there; perhaps he will tell us our way we should go.”
Rav Yisrael remained after the conclusion of Shacharis in the beis midrash located on Yosef ben Matityahu Street, at the edge of the old Geula neighborhood. He sat down to study for several hours, patiently waiting for the Rebbe to conclude his prolonged and heartfelt prayers so that he could enter the inner sanctum.
When the Rebbe finally finished his pleasant prayer, it was close to midday, and Rav Yisrael was called into the holy presence.
When he entered the Rebbe‘s room, the holy Rebbe closed the door behind him, and they sat together for an elevated and pleasant conversation that lasted a long time. The Rebbe would always enjoy extending their discussions on Torah and chassidus, in which Rav Yisrael was well-versed. Naturally, the Rebbe resolved all of Rav Yisrael‘s doubts, one by one, until everything became clear and illuminated like a laid out table.
Meanwhile, time did not stand still. By the time Rav Yisrael left the Rebbe‘s room, it was already midday. Having not yet eaten his morning bread, he felt an intense hunger after spending more than half the day in prayer and sacred study, in pure and devoted toil. He, therefore, descended from the beis midrash to the well-known and long existent “Gerlitz Bakery” in the center of the Geula neighborhood, where he purchased some fresh and delicious pastries—mezonos cookies in the classic Gerlitz tradition.
Rav Yisrael did not behave proudly. Despite his great righteousness and piety, he was always seen walking the streets of Yerushalayim and elsewhere with his head humbly bowed, immersing in a mikvah before writing holy names in his holy profession, as was well known. Yet he conducted himself regularly, a “gavra beguvrin,” a man among men (Berachos 31a). When he needed to eat, he simply purchased his food.
He returned with his modest purchase to the beis midrash, entering the small, low-ceilinged corner of the kave shtiebel (coffee room). He poured himself a steaming hot cup of coffee and began to eat, strengthening his body to continue his Divine avodah.
However, to his dismay, the door to the Rebbe‘s adjacent room suddenly opened right in the middle of his simple meal. The Rebbe, resplendent in his glory, emerged on his way upstairs to his home on the second floor. As he passed through the narrow, low corridor and walked by the sink and small kitchen area, the Rebbe caught sight of Rav Yisrael seated in the corner, partaking of his rugelach and coffee.
The Rebbe greeted him warmly and, with a loving smile, turned to him with gentle reproach: “I don‘t understand—why did you choose to fulfill your obligation (be yotzei zayn) with mezonos? Do you think God gave you the feeling of hunger so that you would merely satisfy it with a snack? Hunger is an opportunity! When you need to eat, you should eat bread and fulfill many mitzvos: washing your hands properly, drying them, eating bread with salt, reciting the blessings appropriately, performing mayim acharonim, and saying Birkas Hamazon properly, among others. If so many mitzvos can be fulfilled in a meal with bread, why settle for something lesser and miss out on such great spiritual gains?”
This was a reflection of the Rebbe‘s well-known love and yearning to “seize” as many mitzvos as possible, constantly striving to bring delight and joy to his Creator.
When Rav Yisrael later recounted this story to me, he added that he had learned a vital life lesson from this incident.
Even in physical life, one must imbue actions with holiness and service to God. In even the simplest daily activities, one should always think and calculate: What does God want me to do in this situation? What is the halacha, and what is the mitzvah? How can I cleave to God and bring greater delight to the Creator of all? Such reflections are the essence of true avodah, elevating all aspects of life to holiness.
“And let all your actions be for the sake of Heaven!”
(Source: Ibid)
