More Precious than Pearls
A man once asked me for a blessing that he succeed in his business. He added that if Hashem would help him in a specific transaction, he would give me a tithe of his profits as a donation toward our Torah institutions.
I blessed him in the merit of my forefathers, zy”a. I told him that in the merit of his pledge to tzedakah, Hashem should shower him with blessing. That was what happened. He was met with tremendous success.
He came to my home in order to fulfill the second half of the deal, which was to contribute a very sizeable sum to our cause. All the way to my house, he kept picturing the look of joy which I would have upon seeing such a vast amount of money donated on behalf of our institutions. One can imagine his disappointment when I did not even show a hint of a smile upon receiving the money.
“Honored Rav,” he moaned, “the entire way here, I imagined how happy you would be with my donation. But I see your face is as peaceful and serene as before. Is there something perhaps wrong with the money?”
“There is nothing wrong with your money. But you must realize that the only thing worth getting excited over is learning Torah and keeping mitzvot. In this world, money comes and money goes. ‘Here today, gone tomorrow,’ as the saying goes.
“But Torah and mitzvot are eternal. They are the only things that stand by a person forever after. This is why I don’t get fazed by monetary contributions, although they are the bread and butter of our institutions. If you want to see me excited, bring me a Jew who has fortified himself in Avodat Hashem and mitzvah observance. His deeds will cause me tremendous pleasure, more than all the money in the world!”
