Doing As We Are Bidden
A fund-raising event on behalf of a tzedakah cause ran an auction in order to help their cause. To encourage people to open their wallets, I stood up and pledged a considerable amount to this cause. Hushed murmurings of wonder rippled through the audience. Afterward, I was asked why I had offered such a large sum of money.
- Dinner on behalf of Chernobyl institutions, France
“When one has a personal inner desire to do a specific mitzvah, Hashem gives him a shove in the right direction and even offers him reward for this. We know that ‘the reward for a mitzvah is not in this world’ (Kiddushin 39b). Reward awaits us in the World to Come. But this is only regarding one’s intention to perform a mitzvah and the first step he takes to accomplish it. But for actually executing the mitzvah, which he does only with the help of Hashem, a person is rewarded while yet in this world.”
I did not have long to wait to see returns on my generous pledge. Hashem arranged for the same sum of money to come to me soon afterward.
