At the beginning of this series, we mentioned a big discussion in the commentaries about whether one has to have intent when one fulfills a Mitzvah that is between man and his fellow. When it comes to sitting a succah, or eating matzah, we are strict to say that Mitzvot need intention. But the question is whether we have to be thinking and having intent that we are doing a mitzvah when we give charity, or any time we do a hessed.
There are many stories of Gedolim who had proper kavana when doing Hessed, which we will share. We won’t get into the discussion about whether one must do it, but we will see that it is definitely preferable.
The first story is told by Rabbi Sholom Schwadron, a great Maggid from Yerushalayim.
He was once walking his child to the doctor when he met Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac Sher, the Mashgiach of the Slobodka Yeshiva. Rav Sher asked Rabbi Shwadron where he was going, and Rabbi Schwadron answered that he was taking his child to to the doctor. Rav Sher, a Mashgiach who tried to get into the psyche of his student, said,
“You are going to take your son to the doctor? What is the difference between you and an animal? An animal takes care of his children, and so do you..… But the difference between a human and an animal is that animal does it out of nature, while a human is able to think beforehand, ‘I am doing this to fulfill a mitzvah of Hessed’- even when you take your children to the doctor!
In another story, a great rabbi named Rabbi David Baharan saw his wife doing a difficult task, so he decided to go help her. Someone overheard him mumbling under his breath, “I am now having in mind to fulfill the mitzvah of Gemilut Hasadim.”
Another very interesting story was told by Rabbi Eliyahu Abba Shaul z’l, who passed not long ago. He said that his father, Hacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul, told him that when he was getting married to the daughter of the great Hacham Yehuda Muslim, also a Rosh Yeshiva of Porat Yosef, “As you get married, have in mind the mitzvah of Ubo Tidbak/ Cleave to God, because the Rambam says that when someone marries the daughter of a hacham, he is indirectly connecting himself to Hashem by having such a father-in-law. As such, he was fulfilling the mitzvah of Ubo Tidbak/ Cleave to Him.
Unbelievable! When someone marries the daughter of a Talmid Hacham, he can have in mind that he is doing an added mitzvah of connecting himself to God.
Another story, which drills in the same point, is from the sefer K’Asher Siva Hashem, as God Commanded Us, a sefer dedicated to having kavana when one does a mitzvah, written by Rabbi Garfinkel. I noticed it in shul, and as usual, Hashem helps out in giving classes.
In the town of Radin and there was a pharmacist who was not a religious man at all. The Chafetz Chaim, with his great Ahavat Yisrael, was able to rebuke people in the most ingenious ways, which did not cause them any hard feelings. Once, in the middle of the day, when there was a full crowd of people waiting, the Chafetz Chaim walked up to the pharmacist, gave him a hug, and said, “There is nobody like you! How many merits do you have! You’re saving people from death every day! Without your medicine, they would be dying! You are saving them! It is unbelievable what you were doing!“
The pharmacist, who was very far from any religiosity, felt touched and said, “What do you mean Rabbi? I am doing this for my parnasa. I am getting paid for this.“
But the Chafetz Chaim told him, “Even if you’re getting paid! You have a right to get paid, it is your parnasa. But when you’re doing it, think to yourself, ‘I am now saving people’s lives,’ you will fulfill the mitzvah of saving a life, and it is not a contradiction.”
Unbelievable. Any doctor or Hatzala person reading this should have that in mind.
Kavana does something.
Have a wonderful day.