Parshas Beshalach 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Feb 6
- 2 min read
זה א-לי ואנוהו אלקי אבי וארממנהו ... (טו-ב)
Chazal derive from this posuk the inyan of הידור מצוה, that one should strive to perform every mitzvah in a beautiful way. Simply put, this was said in a physical sense: one should wear a nice, clean tallis, write a Sefer Torah on quality parchment, with beautiful and clear ksav, etc. (Shabbos 133b). However, the Brisker Rov zt”l adds another dimension here. He explains that הידור מצוה includes beautifying mitzvos in a spiritual sense as well, in other words by performing it in the most mehudar way possible and making sure to fulfill every detail of its halachos, even those which are not מעכב. In addition, the Biur Halachah (646:1) writes that being machmir for different shitos when performing mitzvos - that, too, is a form of הידור מצוה.
Even adding something small can greatly beautify a mitzvah. R’ Moshe Sternbuch shlita, Raavad of the Eidah HaChareidis, writes that Rashi explains the posuk of "וחמשים עלו בני ישראל מארץ מצרים" that four-fifths of the Jewish people died in Egypt because they did not want to leave. This seems a bit extreme. Was their sin so great that they deserved the death penalty? Answers R’ Moshe, a generation that saw tremendous miracles in Mitzrayim - giluy Shechinah ממש - a lot more mesiras nefesh was expected of them. He adds that the converse is also true. A generation such as ours, with the hester panim and nisyonos that we have today - the value of every little act of mesiras nefesh for Torah and mitzvos is greatly inflated. In fact, the great R’ Chaim Vital zt”l writes that one small positive action that we do is equal to several mitzvos performed in earlier generations!
Accordingly, every little bit that we can do to today to beautify mitzvos and make them more mehudar has a tremendous impact in Shamayim. Now, of course, everyone has some mitzvah in their lives in which they can improve, whether it is tefillah, tznius, shemiras halashon - whatever it may be. Let us make that mitzvah as beautiful as we can, by taking the time to review its halachos and be just a bit more meticulous in its fulfillment. Such chizuk will truly go a long way.