From a Mitzvah, One Does Not Lose

Rav Moshe Aharon Stern zt”l, the Mashgiach of Yeshivas Kamenitz, once traveled to America to collect funds for the yeshivah.

On his first morning there, he discovered that the large central beis medrash near his lodgings would not reach Krias Shema by the zman of the Magen Avraham. For Rav Moshe Aharon, that was not a small matter. He wanted to say Krias Shema within that zman, so he left the large shul and went to daven somewhere else.

That very morning, a wealthy man from France arrived at the central shul. After davening, he began giving money to the meshulachim who were there. Whoever approached him received one hundred francs.

Later that day, one of the other collectors met Rav Moshe Aharon.

“Why did you go looking for another minyan?” he asked. “Had you stayed with us, you would have received one hundred francs!”

Rav Moshe Aharon answered simply, “I believe with complete faith that because I went to look for a minyan where I could say Krias Shema in the proper time, I will not lose from it.”

The other man was not convinced.

“With all due respect to your bitachon,” he said, “at the end of the day, I have one hundred francs, and you do not.”

Rav Moshe Aharon later related that when he heard those words, he turned to the Ribono Shel Olam and asked that this Yid be shown that one does not lose from doing a mitzvah.

That afternoon, when the time for Minchah and Maariv came, Rav Moshe Aharon went to the central shul. The same meshulach pointed and said, “Look — the wealthy man from France is here again.”

Since there was still time before Minchah, Rav Moshe Aharon approached him and said, “I am collecting for Yeshivas Kamenitz.”

The man took out one hundred francs and gave it to him.

Between Minchah and Maariv, Rav Moshe Aharon was honored with saying a Mishnayos shiur. The wealthy man stayed and listened. After the shiur, he asked the gabbai, “Do you know the man who gave the shiur?”

“I do not know him personally,” the gabbai answered, “but he appears to be an honest person.”

The wealthy man then approached Rav Moshe Aharon and said, “I hear you are an honest man. Take another three hundred francs.”

Rav Moshe Aharon was known to daven at length. After Maariv, the wealthy man waited for him again.

“I came from France with money that I intended to distribute here,” he said. “I still have one thousand francs left. Take it for Yeshivas Kamenitz.”

In the end, Rav Moshe Aharon received not one hundred francs, but fourteen hundred.

The meshulach who had challenged him earlier saw what happened and was amazed. Had Rav Moshe Aharon been there in the morning with everyone else, he would have received the same hundred francs and that would have been the end of it. But because he was not there in the morning — because he went to daven where he could say Krias Shema on time — he came later as an individual. The wealthy man noticed him, heard him teach Mishnayos, inquired about him, and gave him far more.

Rav Moshe Aharon had said, “From a mitzvah, one does not lose.”

And this time, it was clear for all to see.